Petershill FC served up a thrilling encounter with Kilbirnie Ladeside in my first visit to watch the Springburn team. On a wet and sunny Saturday, 23rd April 2011, my quest to choose between Clydebank, Rob Roy and The Peasy would finally give me the chance to experience the third and final team on my shortlist. And it was a cracker.
I arrived early in the car with my missus straight from some shopping to find Petershill Park sitting atop a hill looking like a modern Acropolis. A winding road took me right up to the ground where I jumped out and let my wife take the car away to enjoy her peace and quiet away from me. This Juniors adventure is a win-win situation for us both. What I thought were the turnstiles (sign above said S-U-P-P-O-R-T-E- -S: someone in Springburn has a big red R on their wall) were closed but peaking through the metal fence I checked I was in the right place. I walked back along the road where I had previously passed another entrance with old guys hanging outside smoking. Wondering if this was another entrance I went in to discover a Gym receptionist who politely told me to go back where I'd come from. "Aye, it's the bit at the end wi supporters above it". Biting my lip from arguing that it actually said supportes I left bidding good day. Five minutes of milling about and we were let in.
After paying £5 admission and going through the turnstile - and it was a proper, heavy duty steel turnstile - I was met by a friendly old guy selling programmes for a £1. I bought one and was told it was also entry into the Lucky Number draw - value for money or what? The programme was decent with a handy squad list for both teams that I could mark shirt numbers onto. There was some other good stuff to read in there too including a Blast From The Past section with a match report from a Blasties v Peasy game in 2005.
My first impression of Petershill Park was that the set up was very good. There is a covered stand which has seated areas bookended by large standing, terraced areas. You can also stand on the far side (where the dugouts for both teams were) but as that side was open to the elements which were all of the H2O variety not many took that option. With time to spare and hunger tapping me on the shoulder, looking for a quick word I grabbed a pie (£1.25)and a coffee (£1) and sat up the back of the stand, near the half way line. Both pie and coffee were alright: pie not as good as The Rabs' and coffee not as good as The Bankies'.
As the ground filled around me, the stadium PA kicked in and welcomed the crowd to the game. The announcements were clear, concise and friendly. The team lists were read out - I tried to take a note while balancing coffee and pie - and soon both teams were out on the pitch waiting to kick-off. Kilbirnie Ladeside had brought a good crowd of supporters with them and the stand was nearly full. I had forgone my seat to stand up the back for the game and I had a couple of Peasy fans immediately beside me but the majority around me were away fans. Soon the relegation battle began.
As the rain started to get heavier, Petershill started the game in the best possible manner. Quickly winning a corner on the left hand side, Ryan McArdle (No.7) floated the cross in which centre-half, Ryan Jordan (No.4) rose to power in from 7 yards. The captain looked overjoyed to open the scoring after on 2 minutes. Petershill had struck an early first blow in this relegation fight.
The Blasties were playing a standard 4-4-2 formation with one of their strikers (usually No.10 Mcgregor) dropping deeper while Petershill started with a 4-1-3-2 shape with David Dickson (No.6) sitting deep and centre in midfield, with McArdle and Jordan Murch (No.8) ahead of him right and centre respectively. On the left Richie Burke played higher the the other midfield and saw a lot of the ball in the first half which caused Kilbirnie a lot of problems on the side of defense. As the half progressed Dickson always gave his team a passing option while helping out defensively. It was no surprise that Petershill had most of the ball and most of the chances while Kilbirnie were resorting to long, high balls.
However on 18 minutes one of these long balls combined with a mix up in defense put James Marks (No.9) clean through on the Peasy goal. A fantastic effort was put in by the left-back, Mark McVittie, to get back and put in a fine sliding challenge to deny Marks a shot on goal. Kilbirnie seemed to take heart from this chance though and caused some problems by taking quick corners, free kicks and throw ins. One such chance created required a fine double save from Petershill goalie, Scott Black.
It is worth noting that the rain had steadily grown heavier and was now pelting down. However this wasn't enough to stop a stocky, bald guy who appeared in front of the stand walking a wee scotty dog. He strolled on past oblivious to the game before turning at the far end and wandering back. I don't know who he was, where he appeared from or if the dog had paid to get in but it quite surreal.
The Petershill attack continued to cause problems though with Paul McLaughlin denied by Paul McCann in the Blasties' goal with a smart save following a good pass and run by the Peasy No.9. Soon after this chance with five minutes to go before half-time, Petershill won a free kick on the right hand side, halfway in to the opposition half. Both centre halves went up for it and combined to put the home side 2-0 up. Ryan Jordan again rose well this time nodding the ball down for his defensive partner and Petershill FC Player of the Year 2010, Ross McCabe(No.5) to slam home from 7 yards out.
Half time: Petershill 2 - 0 Kilbirnie with Ryan Jordan standing out in the heart of the Peasy's defence.
At half time I went to get another coffee as the temperature had dropped even though the rain had stopped. The food stand was beside the dressing room entrance and as I stood in the queue the Petershill No.3 came out and sat down against the wall complaining that he was about to faint. I wondered if he'd be out for the second half but he did and was in fact on the pitch about 10 minutes before the rest of his team who also kept Kilbirnie waiting for five minutes for kick off.
This strange event was followed up immediately by the guy in front of me in the queue getting extra sausage rolls for nought because the cook had too many! How I wished I hadn't had the pie earlier when he walked away with a box full of savoury treats.
With the change in seasons - the sun was now coming out - came a change in Kilbirnie's line up and attitude. Kinney and Montgomery (No.12 & 14) were on for Boyd and Eeles (No. 11 & 7) in the hope of giving the visitors a new attacking lease of life. The effect wasn't immediate though with Petershill carrying on where they left off in the first half. McArdle was especially creative and causing problems with some fine dribbling and movement although he did take a clattering for his troubles from Ladeside's McKeever (No.2) who seemed to start his tackle five yards away from the man and ball missing the latter altogether but connecting with the former with a bang that the shoppers in the nearby Tesco Superstore probably heard.
Somewhat against the run of play Kilbirnie striker James Marks scored with header following a cross from the right to give a bit of hope back to Ladeside after 61 minutes. After the goal was scored the away fans greeted the goal with a chant which started deep, rising steadily in noise and pitch before breaking into a song. It sounded great reverberating off the roof of the stand and seemed to give a lift of spirits to their team. All of a sudden Petershill's solid defense looked uneasy and breachable.
And seven minutes later the song started up again as Kilbirnie equalised. This time a horrible back pass from Peasy substitute Kieran McAleenan gifted the ball to the Ladeside striker in the penalty box. With goalie Scott Black out of position the ball found its way back to No.12 Kinney who put it away and set the fans off singing again. It was another soft goal for the Peasy to concede.
The rest of the game and especially the last ten minutes had chances for both teams but the best all fell to Petershill who couldn't find that third goal. On 78 minutes the increasingly impressive Ladeside centre half Peter McMahon (No.5) managed to clear off the line to deny sub McGladrigan a goal which was followed up by another goal line clearance after a free kick from the left hand side this time it was fellow sub Scott Anson (No.17) who was denied. With two minutes to go it was Kilbirnie's chance to grab all three valuable points but Jordan did brilliantly to block a shot on the 6-yard line. The ball broke and Petershill countered down the right hand side. A mix up between goalie and McMahon saw the ball break out to McArdle only 25 yards out with the keeper off his line but his delayed chip drifted wide of the left hand post.
Time was running out and all that was left was for Petershill substitute right back, David Barr (No.12) to clear a long ball away with a facer instead of using his head as is traditional then get booked for a perfectly good tackle.
Full time: 2-2
In the end Petershill paid the price for poor finishing and switching off for the two goals. Kilbirnie Ladeside showed a lack of fight in the first half but their half-time team talk must have worked as they were a different side in the second. Their fans made a lot of noise after the goals - the most vocal support that I've witnessed so far in my task. Both the Blasties' goals came down the left hand side so I wonder if the problems the Peasy left back was suffering from at half time had an affect on his game.
On the way out I nipped into the gents before the journey home. Suddenly I heard a rabble of aggressive shouting - with every second word being selected from a gangsta rap lyrics sheet. I thought it was all kicking off outside but then realised the gents backed onto the dressing room and the home side were getting a hair-drier treatment that Sir Alex Ferguson would be proud of.
The draw wasn't enough for Ladeside who really needed a win in this one but it remains to be seen if it will be enough for Petershill.
PS Congratulations to Auchinleck Talbot and Musselburgh who both made it through to the final of the Scottish Cup Final which will be played at Rugby Park in Kilmarnock on 29th May 2011.
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