With next week’s Scottish final in mind Tucker opted to rest a few first team regulars so the Talbot defence and midfield had an unfamiliar look to it. Talbot had nothing to play for and Petershill had their league survival at stake, and it certainly showed as the Peasies ran out comfortable winners at a rain soaked Beechwood.
The game had a nondescript opening with the strong wind hampering any attempt to play football, and neither side creating anything.
The visitors took the lead in the 9th minute, due to a mis-judgement from Leishman. A long ball down the right wing found MCLAUGHLIN running into space but he was only a few yards in from the touchline and there seemed no imminent danger. However Leishman had come racing out of goals to beat him to the ball, in a contest he was never likely to win, allowing the Peasies striker to knock it past him and tuck the ball away into the far corner of the net from an acute angle.
A minute later and hesitancy in the Bot defence between McCulloch and McGoldrick allowed McLaughlin to nip in and steal the ball just outside the area, and McGoldrick then brought him crashing down, earning himself a yellow card and the Peasies a free kick just left of centre.
McLaughlin hit it himself and drove a shot just over Leishman’s bar but to the surprise of Leishman and the Bot support, the officials said that he’d tipped it over and awarded Petershill a corner out on the right. The ball was whipped over and MCLAUGHLIN was there to meet it, unimpeded, to bullet a header home and make it 2-0.
There wasn’t much happening at the other end and it took Talbot until the 13th minute to force their 1st corner, won by Gillies out on the left. It was taken short to Boyle who played it back to Young and he swung a good cross over to the far corner of the 6 yard box but it was well headed clear, and Petershill then launched a counter-attack of their own. McArdle raced clear on the right and had McGladrigan free in the centre but he over-hit his cross and it went out for a goal kick.
Nothing was going right for Talbot and the malaise seemed to spread throughout the team. With 19 mins gone Collins lost the ball in a dangerous area and McArdle took advantage of the slip to cut in from the left into the area and Robb had to get across swiftly to make the clearance.
Incidents were few and far between and the next attack of any note came on the half hour mark when Robb fired a free kick into the box from the left. The ball was just too high for Collins and briefly it looked as though Davidson was going to get on the end of it beyond the back post but the ball took a surprisingly high bounce considering the heavy conditions, and went over him and out for a goal kick.
Jordan was fortunate to escape a caution on 36 mins for a heavy challenge on Davidson just outside the area. Boyle opted to go for goal but whilst he got his shot up and over the wall, it was an easy take for Black at his left hand post.
A wind assisted Leishman clearance then caught the Peasies defence flat footed and the ball skated off the top of McCabe’s head and went behind for a corner kick out on the right. The delivery was spot on and looked as though it was going straight in but Black did well to fling out an arm to touch it over the bar. The second corner was aimed at the back post and the Peasies defence did well to head it clear.
Two minutes before the break McLaughlin had a chance to make it three and complete his hat-trick. A ball over the top of the defence picked him out in space just inside the area but he took a poor 1st touch and it broke away from him and straight through to Leishman.
The referee was in a lenient mood and having failed to book Jordan earlier, he then let Davidson off the hook when he clipped McLaughlin’s heels.
Talbot ended the half on the attack but had nothing to show for it but two corners in quick succession, neither of which resulted in the Peasie’s keeper being tested, and so the sides trooped off at half time with Petershill two goals to the good.
Tucker opted to make an immediate change at the start of the 2nd half with Mallan coming on for Davidson, and Gillies shifting out to the right.
Talbot came out for the 2nd half with a greater sense of urgency and took the game to the visitors. Within a minute of the re-start Talbot had won a free kick in a good area out on the right but Boyle’s delivery was a poor one and didn’t clear the 1st defender.
A few minutes later and Gillies tried a speculative effort from distance which flew over the bar.
Talbot were presented with another set piece on 50 mins after Jordan had impeded the progress of Boyle. O’Neill took it and fired his shot a couple of yards wide of Black’s left hand post.
Petershill then came close to extending their lead when McGladrigan’s wind assisted shot for the top corner had to be tipped over his bar by Leishman. Petershill whipped the corner into the back post area but there were no players there to take advantage.
With 58 mins gone Talbot made a double substitution with O’Neill and Young leaving the field to make way for McCann and the trialist, McLean.
McLean had an opportunity to make an early impact on the hour mark. Mallan got free down the left and swung over an inviting ball across the face of goal. McLean looked set to meet it at the back post but mis-timed it and dived full length but failed to connect with the header.
Talbot were pressing hard but without really threatening goal and this continued a minute later when the Bot were awarded a free kick just left of centre, outside the area. Boyle curled it into the danger area and the Peasie’s defence could only partially clear it, with the ball breaking for Mallan but he dragged his shot well wide of the right hand post.
Having evaded a caution for an earlier challenge, Jordan now found himself in the book for dissent.
He was soon joined in the book by McCulloch who was shown yellow for a trip on Burke.
Petershill were content to sit on their lead and with Talbot unable to find a cutting age, it was making for a poor spectacle, as Talbot were dominating territorially but nothing much was happening.
With quarter of an hour remaining Talbot forced a series of corners which ended with Collins sliding a shot wide of the right hand post. Petershill now made their 1st change of the afternoon with their goal scorer, McLaughlin, making way for McLeod.
Talbot finally made the breakthrough on 77 mins and it came from a corner on the left. The ball was whipped over to the back post and Gillies was unlucky not to score in his own right, but his header came back off the bar with the keeper well beaten, however ROBB reacted quickest when the ball came back into play to prod it home and make it 2-1.
Petershill now began to wobble a bit and conceded a needless corner on 79 mins when McVittie didn’t receive a shout to leave it, and knocked the ball out for a corner when it was going for a goal kick anyway. The corner was delivered into the near post but was well dealt with by the defence and headed clear of danger.
Gillies then won Talbot another corner with 10 mins remaining, when his shot from 20 yards was deflected wide of target but Boyle’s attempted in swinger was just slightly over hit and no one could get on it, before it sped out for a goal kick.
Petershill now made their 2nd switch with Lindsay coming on in place of Burke who had been struggling with an injury.
The pressure was still firmly on the visitors and Barr had to concede a corner to block McCann’s ball in from the right. Petershill couldn’t cope with the 1st corner and were forced to put it behind again, and when the 2nd corner came over it broke out to Boyle who went for a low drive into the crowded box but it was blocked away off a defender.
With 6 mins remaining Petershill made their final change when Anson came on for McGladrigan.
It was game over after 85 mins when Talbot gifted Petershill a cheap 3rd goal to kill off the game. There seemed no danger as McCulloch went to bring the ball down but he mis-controlled it and it fell into the path of MCLEOD who didn’t spurn the opportunity, racing clean through on goal before slotting it past Leishman to complete the scoring.
As a precautionary move Talbot played the last 5 mins down to 10 men as McGoldrick went off rather than risk aggravating a knock he’d picked up.
With a couple of minutes remaining Talbot nearly fluked a 2nd goal. Connolly fired a cross over from the right and got too much on it and this nearly caught out Black, who had to back pedal and tip the ball to safety.
The closing stages were uneventful and the final whistle must have come as a relief to the soaked Talbot players and fans alike.
Next up it is the Scottish final against Musselburgh at Rugby Park and hopefully Talbot can click back into top gear for it and justify their billing as favourites and bring the cup back to Auchinleck.
Talbot – Leishman, McGoldrick, Robb, McCulloch, Collins, Davidson, Young, O’Neill, Gillies, Boyle, Connolly
Subs – McCann, Mallan, McLean (trialist), Latta, McVey, White, Spence
Petershill – Black, Barr, McVittie, McCabe, Jordan, Dixon, McArdle, Murch, McLaughlin, McGladrigan, Burke
Subs – McLeod, Bonar, Anson, Wallace, Lindsay, McAleenan, McIntyre
No comments:
Post a Comment