Troon Football Club

Recap

Troon F.C. versus Glenafton Athletic 
Saturday 10th October 2020
Pre-Season Friendly Match

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS – NO ENTRY TO SPECTATORS

 

MATCH REPORT by Richard Henderson

Troon turned in another confident display with a fine 2-0 victory over fellow WOSFL Premier Division side Glenafton.

With pretty close to a full strength team listed on both clubs, the New Cumnock side started strongly & had the better of the play, although James McGowan was marshalling the Troon defence superbly and the Glens were kept at arms length. Steven McCreadie replaced Ryan Stevenson after 14 minutes and he had Troon’s first chance of the match, a long distance effort that was well saved by McKinven just before the half hour mark. Former Troon forward Mick McCann, in a surprise centre-back role, was enjoying a tussle with Troon’s former Glenafton forward Ryan Nisbet, who was ploughing a lone furrow up front superbly with little or no support in the early stages, but as the half wore on Troon looked in the ascendancy. With Fulton & Black working hard to get closer to Nisbet, the 3 on 3 midfield battle between the two midfield’s was a fascinating watch, and the two matched each other well with the half ending goalless.

HALF-TIME: TROON F.C. 0-0 GLENAFTON ATHLETIC

Troon did well to maintain their momentum after the interval and kept their pressure on the away goal, now kept by Craig Burns. It was McCreadie again to strike from distance, before Nisbet forced a smart save out of the half-time sub. But there was a feeling a Troon goal wasn’t far away, and Nisbet’s endeavour was finally rewarded on the hour mark as he latched onto a pinpoint through pass to hold off McCann, turn McChesney and round Burns to slot home a superb individual effort. The contest was getting more keenly fought by the minute with ref Grainger busier than he would have been hoping before the match, but the competitive nature never spilled over and the inevitable substitutions did little to halt the flow of the game for a change as both teams pressed hard all over the pitch. Troon introduced Academy graduates Todd Henderson, Lewis McDowall & Reece Allen for his debut, and the big front man played a key part in the killer second goal, as he pulled the defence apart to create space for fellow sub Mark Roberts, who showed his class by turning the defender inside and out and then rifling a left-footed finish home past Burns.

Another confident display for Troon in an unbeaten pre-season campaign, with standout performances across the park.

 MATCH OFFICIALS 

Referee: Alan Grainger
Assistant Referee One: Club linesman
Assistant Referee Two: Club linesman

 NEXT FIXTURE 

Troon F.C. versus Ardrossan Winton Rovers 
Friday 16th October 2020
Pre-Season Friendly Match