Walker blasts Burgh's waste

Published 25 Mar 2010 09:42 0 Comments

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SITTER: Frew waste another chance to defeat Rovers

By Sahil Jaidka - Johnstone Burgh 1 Carluke Rovers 1

JOHNSTONE BURGH were again left to rue a series of missed chances as they drew their second consecutive match at Keanie Park.

Burgh dominated 10-man Carluke and boss George Walker admitted he is concerned at the chances missed by his team and called for them to work harder and turn draws into three points.

He said: "My main concern is the chances we are missing because we are dominating games and not killing teams off.

"We missed our chances again and the game should have been won, it's another two points dropped for us.

"We dominated the second half especially and our keeper didn't have anything to do, but we didn't have that cutting-edge today, the players just need to start working harder."

It was the home side who started the brighter of the two teams and early pressure on the Rovers defence led to a mistake by defender Sandy Hodge and Ross Perrie intercepted, but his effort was saved by keeper Peter MacFarlane.

Burgh made their early pressure count when Gordon Chalmers played in David Brolly, whose knockdown fell kindly for Steven Fitzpatrick, and the striker made no mistake from inside the area slotting his shot past MacFarlane in the Rovers goal.

Burgh continued to put the Rovers backline under pressure but to no avail as the away side battled to stay in the match.

However, against the run of play, a throw-in taken by Adam Moffat found Timothy Reid and the midfielder ran through the Burgh defence. His pass found the unmarked striker Chris Jardie, who fired the ball past keeper Fraser Wilson to level with eight minutes of the first half remaining.

Despite the setback, Burgh continued to dictate the match and almost regained the lead moments later as a delightful cross by Neil Dinnen found Fitzpatrick, but the striker was denied his second goal of the game as MacFarlane pulled off a brilliant save, tipping the shot onto the post as the teams went in level at the break.

Burgh boss Walker opted to change the system during the interval from a 3-4-3 to a 3-4-1-2 in search of a second goal, with David Brolly dropping in behind the front two.

The change almost paid off early into the second half but for a heroic stop by keeper MacFarlane, as midfielder Perrie's goal-bound shot was tipped round the post as Burgh piled on the pressure.

An off-the-ball tussle saw Paul Ross head butt Perrie and referee John McInally reduced Rovers to 10 men with 11 minutes remaining.

As Burgh pushed on for the winner, a cross from substitute Craig Marr was parried by MacFarlane, but only to the head of Dinnen. However, the striker's header flew wide of the goal - another great chance gone begging. Burgh almost clinched the victory at the death as John Sherry's cross beat MacFarlane, but ,astonishingly, Marr blazed the ball over the bar from six yards out with the keeper nowhere to be seen.

Johnstone Burgh: Wilson, Brolly (Lennon 63), Donaghy, Cuddihy, McGarrigle, McIntyre (Marr 63), Perrie, Chalmers, Fitzpatrick, Sherry, Dinnen. Unused subs: Ross, Flannery, Hamilton, Hendren.

This article appeared in The Gazette 24 Mar 10

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