Two teams in form served up a five-goal feast in Springburn, Glasgow. This West Super Premier League tie was eagerly anticipated and well attended as both sides’ fans turned up in good voice and numbers.
Despite the cold and windy weather (with rain clouds threatening) the stand at Petershill was already home to a noisy bunch of young lads aka the Peasy Ultras. Taking up several rows of seats and accompanied by a drum, megaphone and plenty of flags the boys were already building the atmosphere when I arrived 30 minutes before KO. It was a great positive I took from this game that both teams had a good number of school-age fans and it was brilliant to see so many of the young Beith fans in replica tops. In the words of Whitney Houston – “I believe the children are the future of junior football”.
The visitors lined up in a standard 4-4-2 formation with 3 distinct lines of players. The Peasy also went 4-4-2 but with a few variations to the Cabes. Ryan McGregor, their No10, dropped back into the space between the Beith midfield and defence while both wingers Ryan McArdle (7) and Paul Woods (11) pushed further up the pitch. The central midfield pairing of Jordan Murch(6) and David Dickson(8) would take it in turns to drop back to gather the ball off the defence.
The mismatch in lines meant that Petershill central midfielders were getting more time on the ball and this was demonstrated only 3 minutes in when Jordan Murch dropped into space to collect a pass from his right back. His clipped ball down the inside right channel evaded the head of Beith centre back Mark Staunton(4) and Peasy striker Stephen McGladrigan(9) was clear through on goal. The home team were denied an early opener though as onrushing Beith goalie did enough to force the striker to clip his shot over the bar.
One minute later McGladrigan had a half chance to make amends when he latched onto a loose ball in the box but his shot was blocked.
Petershill’s domination of the early part of this game continued and captain Ryan Jordan (5) could have given his side the goal their play deserved but instead hit the post twice in five minutes. The first was a looping header from a crossed ball from the right that evaded the keeper but not the left hand post before bouncing clear. A second header from a corner by Dickson was more powerful but again the post denied Jordan.
Beith were forced into an early substitution as injury to summer buy from Clydebank, Paul McMenamin (3), meant the left back was replaced by John Craig(19).
The breakthrough arrived on 17 minutes and it was no surprise that the Peasy scored the opener with a very well worked goal. McCardle dribbled with the ball on a diagonal from the right flank across the pitch before his short pass wrong footed the defenders to send Woods to the by-line down the left wing. The winger kept his composure and picked out the run of Dickson who arrived unmarked in the six-yard box to connect with the cross and put his team one-nil up.
Goal Petershill 1 (Dickson) Beith 0
Whether by design or not Petershill changed their shape with McGregor no longer dropping deep but instead they tried repeatedly to hit the ball down the right channel for him to chase. The pass that had set McGladrigan free so early in the game wasn’t working now and for the remainder of the half the play was rather disjointed.
The failure of Petershill to capitalise on their lead was matched by Beith being unable to create any sort of meaningful attacks on their opponents goal.
Or so it seemed until four minuts before half time when Beith launched a dangerous attack with the ball being pinged about in the box a few times before it landed at the feet of substitute Craig who’s fierce drive was blocked by McCardle illegally according to the referee who blew for a penalty kick.
The pressure was on Kenny McLean(10) who was up to the challenge as he sent keeper McNeill the wrong way to equalise.
Goal Petershill 1 Beith 1 (McLean)
And so having been hardly in the game for most of it Beith went in at half time level and as they were to prove in the second half the wind was in their sails.
Half-Time Petershill 1 Beith 1
Some of my favourite chants from the Peasy Ultras during this half:
“Send your daddy over here” and
“Stevie McNeill shags ten burds a night”
The Cabes came out at half time with a second substitution made – Robert Downs(16) on for Tony Fraser(11). They lined up in a different 3-4-3 formation with right-back Ross Dunlop (2) moving into the middle of John Sheridan(5) and Staunton to make three central defenders. Two wing-backs ran the flanks with a central midfield pairing behind a withdrawn centre forward with two runners up front.
The tactical change coupled with their late equaliser in the first half spurred Beith onto a quick start in the second half as they pinned Petershill back in their own half. And after only five minutes the visitors were 2-1 up.
A free kick from left, just inside their opponents half was launched with purpose into the penalty box. Centre half Sheridan rose well to meet the ball and his controlled header beat McNeill (possibly tired given his heavy nocturnal schedule) and nestled into the bottom right corner. A finish that any centre-forward would have been happy with.
Goal Petershill 1 Beith 2 (Sheridan)
Momentum was very much with the Cabes now and one minute after their goal McLean had a dangerous looking overhead kick deflected to safety. Five minutes later his strike partner Reid (9) almost took advantage of a poor, looped backpass from the peasy left back Stewart Maxwell that had his goalie in trouble. Reid met the ball slightly before McNeil but his headed contact was easily swept away by the covering centre-half, Jordan.
At this point it looked like a third was coming from Beith and they nearly had it on 61 minutes when a cross from the left wing was met at the back post by Calum Hardie(7) who could only look on as his headed attempt met the right hand post.
The game’s fourth goal did come but it wasn’t Beith extending their lead but Petershill who dragged themselves back into the game with a penalty equaliser. Woods took the ball for a dribble down the left wing before feigning to drive inside before cutting outside the Beith defender who’s swinging tackle caught the winger for a clear cut penalty.
McGregor was given the chance to match the feat of his opposite number and he duly sent the keeper the wrong way to score. If he was nervous he didn’t show it.
Goal Petershill 2 (McGregor) Beith 2
It is an old adage that a team is never at its most vulnerable after they’ve scored and so it almost proved to be the case as Beith tore up the pitch immediately after the Peasy’s goal. This time it was McLean who’s sharp turn wasn’t matched by his stinging drive which went over without troubling the goal.
The rest of the second half becamse more frantic as both teams looked to prevent the other from scoring a winner. Substitutions, yellow cards and plenty of free kicks made this period very stop-start.
One of these substitutions was Richie Burke coming on for Woods for Petershill. Whenever Burke received the ball he looked to beat a man and was often successful or brought down. With a slow and easy style of dribbling, the time Burke seemed to have on the ball was a stark contrast to a lot of the frenetic action about him. A strange yet enjoyable aspect to what had become rather stunted period of play.
However there was action and drama still to come in this match as the lead changed for the third time in the game.
Only two minutes from time being called upon this tough encounter Petershill broke down the left hand side on a make-or-break attack. A lofted ball forward found McGladrigan who’s header touched it on to his strike partner McGregor in the centre of the pitch about 25 yards out. Surrounded by Beith strikers the No10 was able to touch the ball through the gap for overlapping substitute Liam Finnigan(17). The sub had made a great surge to support his strikers and was rewarded when he broke through a challenge into the penalty area where he was one-on-one with the Cabe’s goalie. He calmed himself, lifted his head and then drilled the ball past the keeper into the net.
Goal Petershill 3 (Finnigan) Beith 2
The winner – as it turned out to be – was too much for one member of the Beith support who must have said something too strong for the stand-side linesman. The referee was called over but the supporter was leaving anyway.
The game resumed and Petershill weren’t troubled in the final minutes although the same linesman was involved again in injury time when Beith’s Stuart Callaghan(8) was upset by his decision to give a throw in. A few strong words from the Cabes man earned him a yellow card.
Full-time Petershill 3 Beith 2
With this win the Peasy showed that they are a team not to be taken lightly. It is a great turnaround for a team that were last season’s relegation strugglers. The crowds are buzzing, the team is playing well and things are looking up for Petershill.
Petershill
McNeill, Hadden, Maxwell, McCabe, Jordan, Murch, McArdle, Dickson, McGladrigan, McGregor, Woods.
Subs: Black (GK), Burke, Palmer, Barr, Green, Finnigan, Bonar
Beith
O’Neill, Dunlop, McMenamin, Staunton, Sheridan, Hughes, Hardie, Callaghan, Reid, McLean, Fraser
Subs: Robertson (GK), McGrath, Kisuka, O’Keane, Downs, McCulloch, Craig
