McLean stubs out Ashfield

Published 12 Nov 2009 09:00

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Renfrew: 3 Ashfield: 1

MATT McLEAN claimed his first Renfrew hat-trick to topple league leaders Ashfield on Saturday with the visitors losing more than the three points.

By the time the final whistle blew at Western Park, Renfrew were two goals up and three men to the good with referee Alistair Kerr dishing out no less than five red cards.

And despite a high degree of indiscipline, there was still a lot of quality on show from both sides but some instinctive finishing from McLean sealed the win in the end.

Renfrew have found league wins all too rare this season but co-manager Colin Clark was just relieved to have picked up his first win since August.

He said: "I don't care how we did it, it wasn't the prettiest but a win's a win and it's one we desperately needed to stop the rot in the league.

"Looking at it, playing against 10 men - a draw would not have been enough to kick us on, we needed to win the game. I thought Ashfield were decent as well. They tried to get the ball down and play the right way and they caused us a lot of problems.

"But it's a victory nonetheless and it's a good victory."

He added: "There's been five red cards but it wasn't a dirty game - it's ridiculous.

"But I thought the first boy deserved to go, he went over the ball and I think his reaction tells the story: he never argued and went straight up the tunnel."

Ashfield opened the scoring early on with striker Paul Maxwell creeping in behind the Renfrew back line to turn the ball past Iain Wilson.

The home side were incensed with the nearside assistant but the referee quickly dismissed their calls for offside.

The 'Frew were spurned on and ended the half the better side with Stephen Reid coming close when he rattled his close-range effort off the cross bar.

The equaliser then came within minutes of the interval when McLean slipped free in the box to tuck David Gray's awkward, bouncing cross through the legs of Chris Prior in goal.

A minute later and McLean thought he put his side in front when he converted Willie Stewart's cross but the goal was ruled out with the sight of the linesman's flag. Ashfield heaped on the pressure in the second half as skipper Thomson saw his long-range free-kick rebound off the post before Jim Quigley cleared Maxwell's goalbound header off the line.

Substitute James Crowhurst's delightful cross with the outside of the boot then gave Reid a sight of goal but his header went across goal giving Prior the chance to tip the ball around the post.

The game threatened to turn ugly when 'Field defender Jamie Reilly received a straight red card for an ill-timed lunge on Reid, sparking fervent protests from the Ashfield technical area.

Despite the numerical advantage, it was the Glasgow side that looked like grabbing the winner but a speculative through-ball from the Renfrew back line sent McLean through on goal.

The former Arthurlie striker spotted the 'keeper off his line and dispatched a teasing chip that cleared the wayward Prior before nestling in the far corner.

The game was put well beyond doubt in injury time when Prior tripped Brain Welsh in the box with the referee immediately pointing to the spot.

Again frustration boiled over and 'keeper Prior and defender Jamie Smith were dismissed for dissent. Ashfield forward Maxwell took the gloves but was helpless to stop Matt McLean smashing the ball home for his hat-trick.

The final whistle came a few minutes later but the referee was again forced into action again when Craig Smith kicked out at Renfrew's Gray sparking a mass confrontation between the two sides.

Gray's reaction prompted a second yellow and the same soon followed for instigator Smith but the unpleasant scenes failed to take the shine off an impressive win for the Western Park side.

RENFREW: Wilson, Hammond, Gordon, Quigley, Welsh, Dickie, Forbes (Crowhurst 62), Stewart (Maxwell 78) McLean, Reid (Shearer 87), Gray. SUBS: Sexton, Laughlin.

Renfrew have been drawn at home to West Calder in the third round of the Scottish Junior Cup to be played on Saturday November 28.

This article appeared in The Gazette 11 Nov 09

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