Published: Wednesday, 30th April, 2008 12:00pm

Eight men's brave battle

by Frank Cassidy

Johnstone Burgh 0 Maybole 2

BURGH were holding their Ayrshire opponents to just a one-goal margin despite being down to nine men.

But, when Maybole got the decisive second goal, the Keanie Park side had been reduced to eight after Mark Ferris was injured after all three substitutions had taken place.

The match had started brightly for George Walker"s young squad, but it started to go wrong on the half-hour mark when a last man challenge resulted in a disputed red card for Drew Russell.

Another controversial decision by the match officials allowed a goal from Paul Templeton to stand as the defence claimed in vain for an offside call in the 44th minute.

Frustration then boiled over in the Burgh ranks and John Sherry was also sent off, in the last action of the first half, when he reacted to Stephen Crawford"s challenge.

Even though the two-man deficit did not seem to affect Burgh much in the second half, yet another debatable ruling in 54 minutes went the visitors" way when a pass-back from Crawford was not punished by a Burgh free-kick.

Although they were enjoying the bulk of the possession, Maybole lacked a cutting edge and a good run by Paul Kerr, when he laid off a pass to James Porte ended with Porte shooting wildly over.

Two minutes later Davy Brolly, playing in central defence, reminded the fans of his striker"s instinct when he tried to chip the keeper, but the attempt was well saved.

At the other end, Alan Donohoe was called into action twice in a minute when he came out to smother the ball from the feet of Kerr, before Templeton brought out a good save with a long-range shot.

From Donnie"s clearance, Mark Ferris was almost through on goal and only a last gasp tackle by Chris Clark stopped him - but it came at a cost to Burgh.

Having already used their three subs, and with Ferris unable to continue after treatment, Burgh had no option but to play out the remaining 10 minutes with eight players.

With a three-man advantage, Maybole doubled their lead with five minutes left when Andrew Boyle set off on a run, rounded Donohoe and slotted the ball into an empty net.

After the match, Burgh boss George Walker praised his players" attitude and felt that they had been on the wrong end of two crucial decisions.

He said: 'I thought the first ordering off was a bit harsh as our player was watching the ball and the guy trips over him, but that"s football.

'It was the same with the first goal which I felt was at least half a yard offside after Davy Brolly had stepped out and we never really recovered from those turning points.

'In saying that, we have played most of the second half with nine men, then went down to eight and lost a goal with about three minutes left.'

Although feeling aggrieved at matters outwith their control costing the club another three points, George revealed that the players gave their all.

He said: 'I cannot fault the players for the effort they put into the match, we can"t complain too much if they work so hard when they have been asked to.

'But even with eight men, the second goal was a bad one to lose when the striker was right through after beating three players, but on the whole I am happy with their effort.

'They had a bit more experience in their team and when we went down to nine men, it was always going to be difficult to get back into the match.'

Team - Alan Donohoe, Drew Russell, Ian Ross, Willie Armour, Davy Brolly, Craig Marr (Martyn Day 77), Aiden Lennon (George Bonner 72), Mark Ferris, Gary McCreadie, John Sherry, Kyle McCallum (David McCreadie 63). Subs not used - James Donnelly, Billy Walker.

• Burgh lost 3-0 at home to league leaders, Rob Roy, on Monday evening and face Annbank away tonight (Wednesday 7pm kick-off) and Troon at Keanie Park on Saturday, kick-off 2pm.

Renfrew"s next match, also at home in the league, is against Lesmahagow on Saturday, kick-off 2pm.

Return to: Homepage | News Index | This article