Troon Football Club

Recap

 Troon F.C. versus Rutherglen Glencairn 
Saturday 12th December 2020
PDM Buildbase WOSFL Premier Division
Portland Park, Troon KA10 6QN
Kick-off 1.45pm

 

MATCH REPORT by Richard Henderson

Troon’s unbeaten start to life in senior football continued, as the Seasider’s went top of the table after a hard-fought win against Rutherglen Glencairn.

Troon were delighted to welcome back midfielder Jaime Gallagher to the starting line-up after missing the win against Rob Roy through suspension, after his injury time red card against Rutherglen two weeks ago, and Troon’s strong starting XI began the game quickly with a Dean Fulton chance warming the palms of visiting keeper Scott McLellan. Ryan Stevenson was next to threaten, collecting a Jack Sherrie ball in the inside forward area, before turning his man but his effort sailed above the crossbar. Glencairn had clearly come with a game plan & their close pressing all across the pitch, led from the front by Del McNab, was pinning the home side into their own half. It was that pressing that created the first half-chance for the visitors, Tommy Lone & Dale Simeon combining to give McNab a sight of goal but Ross Lundy stepped out to smother. Troon’s best chance of the half came from a corner on the half hour mark. Gallagher’s pin-point delivery found James McGowan in acres of space, but the towering stopper’s header was blocked by the defender on the line & Stevenson’s reactive effort on the rebound was deflected over the bar to safety. Jack Sherrie was proving a positive outlet for the Seasiders on the left-flank, and it was from his pass that Todd Henderson ventured forward into the box, but Raymond Montgomerie was unfortunate to see his effort blocked.

Troon didn’t look their fluid, free-flowing selves from recent weeks & their bench made an early change, with Jordan Morton replacing Josh Black on the wing. The Rutherglen midfield were working hard & limiting Troon to set-plays to get close to McLellan’s goal, and it was another good delivery from Gallagher that gave Stevenson an opening, but the ex-Hearts forward got too much on it in a crowded area and his header went narrowly over the bar.

HALF-TIME: TROON F.C. 0-0 RUTHERGLEN GLENCAIRN

Troon made their second change of the match at half-time, with Alan Frizzell replacing Scott Chatham as the home team changed their shape in order to inject some life into the side.

After a brief (but loud!) half-time team-talk, the Seasiders were desperate to get the second half going, but it was Rutherglen with the best chance of the game so far as McNab acrobatically fired a shot towards the far corner which Lundy, despite a touch off a defenders head, did superbly to tip round the post to applause from his team-mates. It may not have been much of a spectacle for the football purist, but it was an enthralling battle at this stage & the challenges were flying in from all angles – watching, you were reminded of the famous Ron Atkinson quote: “It’s like a toaster, the ref’s shirt pocket… every time there’s a tackle, up pops a yellow card” as the match saw 15 bookings through the 90 minutes. Rutherglen, having gone through a frustrating run of late, were increasingly determined to hang on to their point and they had pinned Troon into their end. Jordan Morton, a first-half substitute, nearly caught out McLellan with some quick-thinking, an excellent free-kick whipped in and batted away at his near post by the visiting netminder.

Troon’s excellent form this season has clearly bred confidence, and even in the midst of a frustrating performance, hope remained amongst the home side. And that hope was rewarded when at a free-kick James McGowan, who had been an aerial threat at set-pieces all afternoon, was dragged to the ground by ‘Cairn Captain Thomas Miller just inside the box & referee Ross Clark pointed to the spot, despite Isaac Kerr finding the back of the net from Stevenson’s flick-on. Stevenson confidently grabbed the ball & stepped up to fire high past McLellan to give the home side the opener on the 84th minute & spark angry scenes from the visitors, whose Manager Willie Harvey was shown a red card for his protestations at the penalty award. Shortly after, Jaime Gallagher tripped sub Scott Schoneville & saw a yellow card but referee Clark was incensed after something was said, and McNab saw a second yellow to leave the visitors facing an almost impossible task in the closing stages. But just as it looked like the game was all but over, Rutherglen had a last-minute penalty shout as Drew Wingate chased the ball into the box to tumble alongside McGowan, but the ref waved the claims away and, although it wasn’t at all clear at the time, it was the correct decision after watching the footage. And almost to seal the match, Louis Kerr, who had been very impressive after coming on as second half substitute, drove through from midfield and beat three men before dragging his shot from distance just past Glencairn’s far post.

Today’s result makes that five wins and a draw from the opening six matches, and saw us climb above the idle Clydebank to the summit of the West of Scotland Football League. Next Saturday’s trip to Blair Park to face Hurlford United is possibly our toughest task of the season so far, however.

 

 MATCH OFFICIALS 

Referee: Ross Clark
Assistant Referee One: Michael Bonner
Assistant Referee Two: Sean Welsh

Referee Supervisor: Dougie Smith

 

 MATCH HIGHLIGHTS 

Match highlights, courtesy of the club’s new official Media Partner, Memories by Movie:

 

 MATCH PHOTOGRAPHS 

Match photographs, courtesy of the club’s new official photographer JP:

 

 MATCH PREVIEW 

To read the match preview, follow the link: http://troonfootballclub.co.uk/rutherglen-121220-preview/

 

 NEXT FIXTURE 

 Hurlford United versus Troon F.C. 
Saturday 19th December 2020
PDM Buildbase WOSFL Premier Division
Blair Park, Hurlford KA1 5BL
Kick-off 1.45pm