Season 04/05

 

Season 2004-05

Match reports can be found under the stats

 

(Milanda's score always comes first)

 

Date

Opponent

Comp

Home\Away

Score

Scorers

Aug 28th

Wellington Thistle

Friendly

A

3 - 4

Reid, Coyle, Malcolmson

Aug 31st

Club Sporting

League Cup

H

4 - 2

Reid (3), Fitzpatrick

Sept 4th

Ferguslie Park

League Cup

A

0 - 4

-

Sept 11th

Allander

League

A

2 - 3

Reid (2)

Sept 18th

Wanderers

League

A

5 - 3

Reid (2), Fitzpatrick, Callender, Dunn

Oct 2nd

Bellahouston

League

H

2 - 2

Williamson, Fitzpatrick

Oct 9th

Club Athletic

League

A

2 - 7

Fitzpatrick (2)

Oct 16th

Club Sporting

League

H

6 - 3

Duncan, Addison, Fawns, Reid, Williamson, Preston

Oct 30th

AFC Columba

GDSML Cup Round 1

A

6 - 2

Reid (2), Preston S, Murray, Coyle, Williamson

Nov 13th

Strathclyde Uni

League

A

2 - 3

Reid, Fitzpatrick

Nov 27th

Club Athletic

GDSML Cup Round 2

H

1 - 2

Fitzpatrick

Dec 4th

Parklife

League

A

3 - 1

Williamson (2), Fitzpatrick

Dec 11th

Pursuers

League

H

5 - 1

Early, Fitzpatrick, Williamson, Fawns (2)

Jan 29th

Deanpark

Referee's Shield

A

1 - 4

Coyle

Feb 5th

Renfrew Town

League

H

7 - 2

Reid, Wilson, Williamson (2), Coyle (2), Fawns

Feb 12th

Deanpark

League

A

2 - 1

MacKay, OG

Mar 5th

Strathclyde Uni

League

H

6 - 1

Reid (3), Coyle, Addison, Murray

Mar 12th

Glasgow Islay

League

A

0 - 1

-

Mar 26th

Club Sporting

League

A

2 - 4

Murray, Coyle

Apr 2nd

Pursuers

League

A

4 - 0

Reid (2), Coyle, Early

Apr 9th

Parklife

League

H

2 - 2

Coyle, Scott

Apr 16th

Allander

League

H

1 -1

Reid

Apr 23rd

Wanderers

League

A

4 - 0

Early, Gardener (2), Coyle

Apr 30th

Club Athletic

League

H

4 - 3

Williamson, Reid (2), Gardener

May 7th

Glasgow Islay

League

H

1 - 6

Murray

May 14th

Renfrew Town

League

A

0 - 1

-

May 21st

Bellahouston

League

A

1 - 3

Williamson

May 28th

Deanpark

League

H

6 - 0

Reid (4), Addison, Coyle

Appearances

 

League

League Cup

GDSML Cup

Referees Shield

Total

Andy Scott

20 (2)

1 (1)

2

1

27

Mark Reid

20 (2)

1 (1)

2

1

27

Craig Fawns

19 (3)

1 (1)

1

-

25

Ross Early

18

2

2

1

23

Martin Coyle

18 (1)

1

2

1

23

Andy Wilson

14 (5)

2

(1)

(1)

23

Kevin Williamson

15 (2)

1

2

1

21

Thomas Addison

15 (2)

2

1

-

20

Chris Preston

15

2

2

1

20

Paul Murray

16

-

1 (1)

1

19

Scott Preston

11 (2)

-

2

1

17

Stuart Mckenzie

6 (8)

1

1

1

16

Scott Grant

9 (3)

1 (1)

(2)

-

16

John Soutar

12 (1)

-

1

1

15

Jim Binnie

8 (2)

2

-

-

12

Bruce Fitzpatrick

7

2

1

-

10

Mark Callender

3 (6)

1

-

-

10

Brian Dunn

(8)

-

-

-

8

Scott MacKay

5

-

-

1

6

Martin Duncan

2 (1)

-

2

(1)

6

James Gardener

3 (3)

-

-

-

6

Gavin Harper

3

-

-

-

3

Joe Malcolmson

1

1

-

-

2

Graeme Hyslop

(2)

-

-

-

2

Derek Baillie

1

-

-

-

1

Kevin McKinlay

(1)

-

-

-

1

Steve Walker

1

-

-

-

1

 

Goals

 

League

League Cup

GDSML Cup

Referee's Shield

Total

Reid

19

3

2

-

24

Williamson

9

-

1

-

10

Coyle

8

-

1

1

10

Fitzpatrick

7

1

1

-

9

Fawns

4

-

-

-

4

Murray

3

-

1

-

4

Early

3

-

-

-

3

Gardener

3

-

-

-

3

Addison

3

-

-

-

3

Preston

1

-

1

-

2

Scott

1

-

-

-

1

Wilson

1

-

-

-

1

Duncan

1

-

-

-

1

MacKay

1

-

-

-

1

Callender

1

-

-

-

1

Dunn

1

-

-

-

1

Own goal

1

-

-

-

1

Match Reports

William Drummond League Cup - Netherpollok

 

AC Milanda 4 Club Sporting 2

 

Scorers - Reid (3), Fitzpatrick

 

Team (4-4-2) C Preston; Addison (Scott), Fawns, Early Binnie; Callender, Coyle, Malcolmson, Wilson; Reid (Grant), Fitzpatrick.

 

Sub not used: Hyslop.

 

Club Sporting wanted the kick-off delayed because a car carrying the keeper had got lost but as it was already 6.45 (scheduled KO was 6.30), referee Gerry Lyons said no. They began with an outfield player in goal. They were very fast and had a better team than last season but Milanda went 1-0 up through Mark Reid, who used his pace to get beyond the last defender and stick the ball away. Club Sporting equalised when poor marking allowed one of their players to shoot home at the back post.

 

A long throw by Craig Fawns resulted in a bit of a goalmouth scramble that ended with Reid again pouncing to score and give Milanda a 2-1 lead. Just after this the regular Club Sporting keeper, who was small but extremely agile, came on to the pitch.

 

The second half was hard-fought and the Coatbridge team's keeper had a couple of unbelievable saves before Reid headed home a perfect right-wing cross from stand-in skipper Bruce Fitzpatrick to give Milanda a greater cushion. However, home keeper Chris Preston allowed a long-range shot to slip through his hands to bring the Coatbridge side into the game again. Milanda had to defend very well at times to keep lively attackers at bay but they were finally safe when a tremendous passing movement involving Andy Scott, Mark Callender and Andy Wilson cut open the CS defence and set up a tap-in for Fitzpatrick. A brilliant team performance with everyone contributing.

 

Addison, who had earlier been booked, got away with another dodgy tackle, the referee pointing out that he could easily be sent off, so he was replaced to avoid a red card. Andy Scott took over at left-back and Jim Binnie moved to Adda's position on the right. Reid took cramp late on, so Scott Grant came on into midfield and Joe Malcolmson went up front. Grant almost scored when he got the break of the ball in the box but a CS foot managed to block his effort.

 

Man of the match - difficult choice because there were so many contenders but goals win games, so it has to be Mark Reid.

 

-------------

William Drummond League Cup - Elderslie

 

Ferguslie 4 AC Milanda 0

 

Team (4-4-2) C Preston (Reid), McKenzie, Fawns, Early, Grant, Addison, Binnie, Scott, Wilson, Williamson, Fitzpatrick Sub not used: Hyslop.

 

Milanda made the difficult trip to Paisley to face first division Ferguslie Park in the final group match of the William Drummond League Cup. Four changes were made to the starting eleven from Tuesday night’s win over Club Sporting. Out were Callender, Coyle, Malcolmson and Reid (who later turned up to take a place on subs bench) and in came Grant, McKenzie, Scott and Williamson.

 

It was clear from the start that Ferguslie were well up for this game and knew they needed to win by at least 3 clear goals to make the competition’s next stage. Milanda found it hard to get into the game and spent the first 10-15 mins defending but managed to keep Ferguslie at bay with some strong defending from Fawns and Early. There were few chances for Milanda to relieve the pressure on their defence and were relying mostly on kick outs and long balls to the forwards that never amounted to much. Addison made a couple of storming runs down the right wing but unfortunately his final ball let him down.

 

As the half progressed Milanda started to slowly find their feet and started to make a game of it but fell behind after failing to clear their lines after a hopeful ball was sent into the box. After a number of attempted clearances the ball was finally dispatched low and hard into the bottom right-hand corner. This seemed to finally wake Milanda up and for the rest of the half they rolled up the sleeves and looked for an equaliser but they couldn’t break through a well-organised Ferguslie defence. Milanda’s best first-half effort was the culmination of a fine passing move that saw a Fitzpatrick shot from outside the box shaving the left-hand post.

 

When the half-time whistle sounded Milanda could be relatively satisfied how they had reacted after losing a bad goal but were clearly still not creating enough chances to get an equaliser. During half-time goalkeeper Chris Preston had to be replaced after picking up a first half injury. Scott Grant took over between the sticks with Williamson dropping back into the vacated midfield slot and Mark Reid coming on to partner Fitzpatrick upfront.

 

The second half was a poor one for Milanda. It started badly and then went downhill. After about 10 mins of the second half Addison decided he wanted to change his boots and when he was off the pitch the Ferguslie sweeper moved forward to take possession of a throw-in and from about 30 yards sent a low shot past Milanda’s stand in goalie Grant. It was a bad goal to lose and the Ferguslie sweeper should have been closed down but with Milanda being temporarily down to 10 men it had left a gap which Ferguslie had taken advantage of. Milanda never really recovered after losing this goal and although they tried to get back into the game they always seemed to be second to every ball and on the few occasions when they did regain possession they couldn’t provide the killer forward pass.

 

A third goal was inevitable and it arrived with a touch of fortune for Ferguslie. Williamson conceded a free kick on the edge of the Milanda box after a quick counter attack by Ferguslie. The resultant kick was bent round the left hand side of the Milanda wall and was heading past the post until hitting the back of the leg of an in rushing Ferguslie player which was enough to re-direct it inside the post. This summed up the whole game for Milanda.

 

As the game began to drift away from Milanda they had a legitimate penalty claim turned away after a Ferguslie player practically caught the ball after a shot from Andy Scott. Unfortunately the referee wasn’t in a position to see the offence and let play continue. Play was stopped shortly afterwards when Fawns suggested the referee’s decision may have been incorrect and was promptly booked. Goal number 4 followed soon after when a deflected shot fell kindly at a Ferguslie player’s feet on the 6 yard line and he had an easy finish to complete the scoring.

 

Andy Wilson should have been sent off for a disgraceful late challenge on Hyssie’s dad who he bundled over on the touchline. Fortunately no lasting harm was done and it provided a little light relief watching Andy trying to decide if he should kick the ball out of play or not after the incident.

 

Overall a disappointing result and display from Milanda. Despite plenty of effort Milanda never really got into the game and spent most of the time chasing shadows. All credit to Ferguslie who knew what they needed to do to go through and never let Milanda have any time or space on the ball. On this occasion they were too quick and strong for Milanda who will hope they don’t face many teams like Ferguslie this season.

 

Website man of the match – hard to chose as there were really no outstanding contenders but if pushed probably Ross Early who had a solid first half with some great interceptions but like the rest of the team struggled to make any real impression in the second half.

 

----------

Allander 3 AC Milanda 2 - KGV, Bearsden

 

Scorers - Reid (2)

 

Team (4-4-2) Harper, Grant(Gardener), Fawns, Early, Binnie, Addison, Williamson(McKinlay), Coyle, Scott (Callender), Fitzpatrick, Reid.

 

Windy conditions and a poor first half performance led to Milanda’s league campaign getting off to the worst possible start against Allander in Bearsden. Three new faces were added to the Milanda squad. Gavin Harper replaced Chris Preston in goal to give him time to recover from a niggling thigh injury. The other new faces were James Gardener and Kevin McKinlay (brother of Charlie who played a few games for Milanda a couple of season ago) they were joined on the bench by Mark Callender. Martin Coyle returned to the starting eleven.

 

The wind was a major factor in this game and Allander having won the toss chose to play with the wind behind them in the first half. The early stages saw both teams struggle in the conditions and little of any note happened. Gradually Allander adapted to the conditions better and began to test the Milanda defence. A superb one-handed reaction save from Harper after an Allander forward found space on the left kept the scoreline goal-less.

 

This only postponed the opening goal by a few minutes. Milanda failed to keep possession and from the resultant breakaway Allander took a deserved lead. In a mirror image of last week's game Milanda were again failing to string two passes together and were constantly caught in possession or guilty of picking the wrong option.

 

Surprisingly given how poor the game was it suddenly burst into life with 3 goals in 3 minutes. First Allander went two up after Milanda’s Williamson was guilty, once again, of losing possession on the halfway line and Allander took full advantage. Milanda finally woke up at this point and replied immediately with an acrobatic effort from Reid after the first decent Milanda passing move of the game. Then incredibly straight from kick-off Allander found the Milanda byeline and despite Milanda having six players in the box the cut back found a team mate unmarked and for the second week running an unfortunate ricochet wrong footed a Milanda goalkeeper. The remainder of the half finished without further incident and a subdued Milanda team left the pitch.

 

With the wind at their backs for the second half Milanda laid siege to the Allander goal. Allander found it almost impossible to get out of their half and were reduced to desperate defending against the Milanda onslaught. Milanda made two early second half changes with McKinlay and Gardener making their Milanda debuts in place of Grant and Williamson, neither of whom had their best games in a Milanda jersey.

 

At this stage crosses and shots were flying in from all angles as Milanda tried to get back into the game but just couldn’t find the vital final touch. Reid had a great chance with a header in the six-yard box that looked easier to score but unfortunately went over the bar. He made up for his miss a few moments later when perfectly judging a corner and heading past the Allander keeper. At this stage it seemed only a matter of time before Milanda equalised as they continued to keep Allander penned in. Chances fell to Coyle, Reid and Callender (who replaced Scott) and a free kick from Fawns that hit the bar.

 

As time ran out Allander finally broke out of defence and should have sealed the game when they were three on two but the Allander forward decided to go it alone when passing seemed the better option. It still took another great save from Harper to keep him out but a pass across the penalty box would have provided an easy tap in.

 

This was the last real action of the game and Allander hung on for three points and have to be congratulated for their backs against the wall second half performance. Milanda can point to a poor first half display and bad luck in front of goal but too many players just didn’t play to the level their capable of and will have to find their form soon if Milanda are serious about challenging for the title.

Man of the match – Like last week a hard one to call due to lack of candidates. Mark Reid was an obvious contender with two goals but debut boy Gavin Harper narrowly gets the vote after two outstanding saves and a number of others that kept Milanda in the game.

 

----------

 

Wanderers 3 AC Milanda 5 - Sports Centre, Blantyre

 

Scorers - Reid (2 (2 pen), Fitzpatrick, Callender, Dunn

 

Team (3-4-3) Harper, Grant, Fawns, Early, Addison (Wilson), McKinlay(Scott), Coyle, Callender, Fitzpatrick (Dunn), Williamson, Reid.

 

Milanda left Blantrye with all three points after a hard fought display against the Wanderers. Conditions were once again blustery but this week they had less of an influence on the game’s outcome. Milanda boss McMillan decided to go with an attacking 3-4-3 formation and pushed Williamson up front alongside Reid and Fitzpatrick. McKinlay got his first Milanda start and the bench creaked as Dunn made his belated return after suspension.

 

Unusually Milanda started well and had Wanderers under pressure from the start. Players were finding space and even more surprisingly were being found with accurate passing. Something of a change compared to earlier games. It was from one of these early moves that led to Milanda taking the lead from the penalty spot. A slick passing move found Reid on the edge of the box and as he sidestepped his marker he was brought down. Stonewall penalty and no complaints from Wanderers. Reid picked himself up and gave the keeper no chance as he calmly slotted home into the left hand corner.

 

Milanda continued to take the game to Wanderers who were struggling to get any kind of fluency in their game. It should have been two for Milanda when a cross fell invitingly for Callender on the edge of the box but he couldn’t keep his shot down and it went well over. Shortly after Fitzpatrick was unlucky when arriving at the backpost to finish off a Reid cross but the defender did just enough to put him off and his shot went narrowly past. Captain Fitzpatrick did get his name on the scoresheet shortly after when another swift Milanda move saw Reid release Williamson on the right and as he moved into the box he saw Fitzpatrick at the back post and his cross across the six-yard box left him with an easy tap in. At this stage Milanda were in complete control and Wanderers, who had lost 9-0 the previous week, could have been forgiven if they had let their heads go down at this point. To their credit they fought hard to get back into the game and were rewarded with a goal after a long throw in wasn’t cleared by the Milanda defence, it fell kindly to a Wanderers player standing unmarked 8 yards out and he accepted the gift to pull his side back into a game they had looked well out of.

 

The goal seemed to shake Milanda’s confidence but they should have restored their 2-goal lead when Reid was sent through one on one with the Wanderers keeper but a weak shot trundled past the left hand post. An odd sort of hesitancy seemed to spread throughout the Milanda team and unforced errors were happening all over the park. Half-time gave Milanda time to regroup and to sort themselves out.

 

The start of second half saw Milanda take control of the game once again and Fitzpatrick made a great run into the box only to be denied by an excellent save from the Wanderers keeper. Coyle who had a relatively quiet first half began to see more of the ball and his trademark runs were worrying the Wanderers defence. Addison, who had a quiet game, was replaced by Wilson and shortly after Scott came on for McKinlay. After a number of half chances and almost constant Milanda pressure goal number three finally arrived and it was virtually a carbon copy of the first. Once again Reid found himself on the edge of the box and with only one man to beat was again brought down. Wanderers thought the foul was outside the box but the referee pointed to the spot and again Reid was clinical in dispatching the ball into the top right hand corner and bringing his total for the season to seven.

 

Milanda looked to finally kill off Wanderers challenge and Williamson should have made the game safe when a left foot pass from Fawns, I’ll say that again, a left foot pass from Fawns, saw Williamson beat the offside trap but his lob over the keeper bounced past the right hand post. A couple of minutes later the same player was unlucky when a front post flick just failed to find the corner of the net from a Reid cross. Despite Milanda looking the more likely it was Wanderers who scored next and again Milanda were left scratching their heads. A harmless looking near post cross managed to evade both Fawns on the post and Harper in goals and somehow found its way into the net and suddenly it was game on again.

 

Milanda made their final change in bringing on Dunn for Fitzpatrick who had had an excellent game and looked none too pleased to be subbed. With Wanderers threatening to steal a point Milanda finally sealed the game with 2 quick fire goals. The first came from Callender after Wanderers failed to clear their lines. IThe ball bounced around the wanderers box before eventually falling to Callender whose left foot shot hit Dunn on the way in and who subsequently tried to claim it for his own but the goal was given to Callender. Dunn did get on the scoresheet soon after when he got the touch from a long throw in by Fawns and it was enough to beat the keeper at his far post.

 

With the points seemingly safe Milanda stepped off the gas and let Wanderers in for a consolation third goal after another mix-up at a corner but there was no way back this time for Wanderers and Milanda picked up their first league points of the season.

 

Not an entirely convincing display for Milanda, despite a good start they struggled when Wanderers made it 2-1 and again when they made it 3-2. Statto Hyslop at the side of the park counted 22 chances for Milanda and it’s clear we need to convert more of those chances and kill teams off when we’re on top. Good things to come out of the game were the fact we made so many chances and more players were playing closer to their potential.

 

Man of the match – Unlike last week we had some real contenders this week. Early at the back is beginning to forge a solid partnership with Fawns and although the defence took a bit of stick they were generally reliable. Coyle looked more like his old self in the second half and Reid upfront just can’t stop scoring but this week’s web man of the match is Fitzpatrick. He played as part of a front three but was happy to take on defensive duties when tracking back and making some vital interceptions. Took his goal well and was unlucky not get another couple and was always willing to try and hold the ball up and bring the midfield into the game.

 

----------

 

AC Milanda 2 Bellahouston 2 - Mount Vernon Park, Mount Vernon

 

Scorers - Williamson, Fitzpatrick

 

Team (3-5-2) Harper, Fawns, Early, MacKenzie (Grant), Addison, Williamson, Murray, Scott (Binnie), Wilson, Fitzpatrick (Dunn), Reid.Sub not used Duncan

 

Over the piece few would argue that a draw was a fair result after a competitive but sporting 90 mins. The last time these two teams met was in final of the Referee’s Cup in 2003 when Milanda fought back from 3-0 down to win 6-3 in extra time. This encounter was equally as tough and played in heavy underfoot conditions after a night of torrential rain. Milanda welcomed back Paul Murray into the starting line-up. Murray’s last game for Milanda was in the aforementioned Cup Final where he was been voted man of the match and has now returned looking to stake a permanent place in the Milanda team. Milanda adopted a 3-5-2 formation with Addison and Wilson taking up the wingback roles.

 

The early part of the game saw both teams cancelling each other out with nothing of note happening in either goalmouth. Defences were on top and a congested midfield saw little in the way of creative play. As the first half wore on Milanda started to take the initiative and put Bellahouston under some pressure, mainly from set pieces and dead ball situations. It was from a series of throw ins that Milanda broke the deadlock. A long throw from Fawns was knocked out of play by a Bellahouston defender in line with his penalty box. A sleeping Bellahouston defence were caught out by a quick throw from Murray that found Williamson who steered his header over the Bellahouston keeper’s outstretched hand. Milanda took confidence from this and were 2 up inside 5 mins when another throw in found Murray who played a quick pass inside to Fitzpatrick who took it in his stride before finding the corner with a shot from just inside the box.

 

Milanda were now in control and threatened to score a third as Bellahouston were being stretched down both flanks. A swift passing move gave Reid a chance to hit the byeline after being released by Murray. Fitzpatrick was already picking his spot when the Bellahouston keeper got enough of a touch on it to take it away from his head. Williamson then misjudged the clearance as it fell to him at the back post and the chance was lost.

 

Milanda were to regret not taking this chance as Bellahouston hauled themselves back in to the game against the run of play. Milanda failed to clear their lines effectively and from the resultant throw in a 25 yard volley caught out Harper in the Milanda goal. The pressure was now on Milanda as Bellahouston looked for the equaliser but steady defending from Early and Fawns saw Milanda end the half in front.

 

Second half saw Bellahouston continue on the offensive and they had a number of chances to equalise that they couldn’t convert. Milanda just couldn’t keep possession though and it was no surprise when Bellahouston did finally get the equaliser. A loose ball in the box found a Bellahouston forward and his shot was deflected on its way in to the net. The game really opened up after this and it’s hard to believe the scoring was finished considering the amount of chances created at both ends.

 

Bellahouston hit a post, then had a great chance when a mix up between Early and Harper looked to have gifted them a goal but a fantastic last ditch tackle by Fawns kept the scores level. Milanda meanwhile were creating their fair share of chances. A header by Reid hit the bar and Fitzpatrick couldn’t quite reach the rebound. The Bellahouston keeper then had a superb double save when he saved a Reid shot and then scooped away the rebound before Williamson could pounce. Milanda threatened from nearly every corner and throw in but just didn’t get any luck in the Bellahouston box as flick ons and knockdowns were crying out for a final killer touch but just couldn’t be converted. Milanda had a strong claim for a penalty when a Bellahouston hand knocked away another long throw in but it wasn’t given and in the end the points were shared.

 

In the end a draw was fair result although either side could have won it in the second half. If Milanda had held on to their 2 goal lead for a little longer things might have been different but again paid the penalty for not clearing their lines.

 

Man of the match – Collectively the team are beginning to find their form but a few players have been putting in solid performances since the start of the season including Early, Reid and Fitzpatrick. Paul Murray also played well on his Milanda comeback but this week’s man of the match award goes to Craig Fawns who has formed a good relationship at the back with Early and his goal saving tackle was the highlight of an impressive performance.

 

----------

Club Athletic 7 AC Milanda 2 - Glasgow Green

 

Scorers - Fitzpatrick (2)

 

Team (3-5-2) Preston, Early (Dunn) Grant, Fawns, Scott, Binnie, Soutar, Murray, Addison (Coyle) , Reid, Fitzpatrick. Sub not used Harper

 

A Crisp morning signalled the start of winter, and what could be a winter of discontent for Milanda if the form of this day continues. Soundly outclassed in a first half which made the second a formality. Things can only get better. Lack of desire, team effort and fitness proved the undoing. Milanda need to get back to what they do best - playing for each other and finding their desire to win to combat younger, fitter teams.

 

The theme of the early exchanges of this game was giving the ball away with both sides getting out of defence only to give the ball to their opponents in the final third. No 11 for C A was coming into the game more and seemed likely to cause trouble. His decision to wear gloves giving rise to some early shouts from the Milanda bench. In 18 mins the aforementioned player took a dive in the box (no bias here) after cutting inside but the referee saw no infringement. A minute later though, a cross from the left was missed by Early and gave the C A forward an easy side foot volley from 5 yards. Early it became apparent, had damaged his ribs just before the goal (hence the lack of jump) and was taken off to be replaced by Dunn. Milanda then provided their first real passing move of the match but again things broke up in the final third.

 

C A scored their second with a move up the right. The cross was again missed and the ball was slotted to the keeper's left from just inside the box. Just after this Milanda had the ball in the net, but it was ruled offside.

 

It was all perspiration from Milanda, but in isolated cases. The inspiration was all with C A and it was no surprise when they made it 3-0 after some sustained pressure. Again Milanda failed to clear their lines and the ball fell to Todd who turned on a sixpence and scored low in the corner with 3 milanda players watching.

 

A minute later, Milanda pulled one back. Fitzpatrick using his experience to outpace the defence and slide a thorugh ball from Reid into the right hand corner of the goal.

 

C A then made it 4-1 with a neat passing move down the right hand side and with their forwards outnumbering the Milanda back line, a virtually undefendable cross was swept away from 6 yards.

 

It was 5 -1 soon after - a cross from the right being deflected into his own net by Dunn. Soon after that it was 5-2 - Fitzpatrick scoring a carbon copy of his first. Credit has to be given for him never giving up the chase for a ball which was more the keeper's than his. Surely though, had the keeper not stopped to fix his cap as he was rushing off his line, the goal may have been prevented. Sheer class!

 

No 11 for C A was then involved in a short fracas with a member of the Milanda midfield. The shout from the ref was "put the handbags away ladies" to which the reply from the Milanda bench was " but it matches his gloves..."

 

Straight after the break Milanda poured forward to try and get back into the game. C A were restricted to breakaways as Milanda forced a series of corners. Coyle came on for Addison to spark life into the midfield and was effective in bringing others out of their ruts from the first half. Murray in particular was finding more space and time. In 55 mins, a corner to Milanda was cleared only as far as Andy Scott who fired a fierce volley onto the crossbar. This was followed by a move up the park by C A which resulted in a shot tipped over the bar expertly by Preston. Another two chances at the other end fell to Mark Reid after keeper indecision, but composure left him at the vital moments. Coyle then went on a mazy run soon after, culminating in a fine cross with no takers.

 

C A were coming more and more into the game. Their one touch passing much more effective than Milanda's - especially in their wide play. Milanda saw the game put beyond them in 80 minutes though. Andy Scott was unlucky to see his blocking tackle rebound off himself to land at the feet of the C A attacker who passed to two unmarked teammates almost on the goal line to score their sixth. Milanda were a spent force now. Cohesion was lacking all though the game, but they could not have spelt it at this stage. Fitzpatrick deserves special mention for effort though.

 

The final goal was scored 5 minutes from time with more indecision in the Milanda defence. Final ball struck home from close range.

 

MotM : Fitzpatrick

 

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League - Netherpollok

 

AC Milanda 6 Club Sporting 3

 

Scorers - Duncan, Addison, Fawns, Reid, Williamson, S. Preston.

 

Team (4-4-2) C. Preston, Grant (MacKenzie), Duncan, Soutar, Scott (Wilson) , Addison(Preston), Fawns, Coyle, Callender, Reid, Williamson.Sub not used Dunn

 

It wasn't pretty but after a very poor first half Milanda finally saw off the challenge of Club Sporting to take all 3 points. The day started a bit bizarrely after the game was initially called off but a quiet word with the groundsman from Brain Dunn saw the game back on again. I think he gave him an invite to his birthday party. Thanks to the advent of mobile phones three players were recalled after they had left when the game was first called off. The game finally kicked off at 10.30 on a pitch that was perfectly playable.

 

Milanda were straight on the attack and were one up inside 2 mins. Williamson was first to a long ball out of defence and his knock back found Addison on the edge of the box. Addison took the pass in his stride and hit a ferocious shot that was palmed away by the CS keeper for a corner. This was to be the first of many outstanding saves from the CS keeper. A short corner kick between Reid and Coyle caught the CS defence sleeping and Coyle's inch perfect cross was headed home by Duncan. The perfect start for Milanda but it was a false dawn and the rest of the first half was poor even by Milanda's recent standards.

 

CS were level soon after when an innocuous cross from the right looked to be heading out but surprised everybody by coming back off the post. The ball fell straight to an unmarked CS forward. Soutar attempted to block the shot but only succeeded in helping the ball into the roof of the net. Milanda tried to regain control of the game but failed to find any co-hesion and moves were breaking down all over the park. Few chances were made and on the occasion Milanda did get into dangerous positions there was little support coming from midfield or passes were just going astray. Milanda's best chance of the first half fell to Williamson who tried to lob the CS keeper after a mix-up in the CS defence had left their keeper off his line but the resultant lob drifted harmlessly past the left hand post.

 

Worse was to come for Milanda when CS took the lead with the softest goal of the game. A free kick from the halfway line was launched into the Milanda box and with the Milanda defence standing still and failing to attack the ball two CS players were left to fight each other for the final touch that left Preston no chance in the Milanda goal. It was a bad goal to lose but probably one CS deserved. The score stayed that way until half time when Milanda boss McMillan delivered a deserved bollocking for such an inept first half performance. Not one player could have been happy with his first half display.

 

McMillan's half time rant had the desired effect as Milanda started the second half like they did the first with a goal after 2 mins. A long throw from Fawns was delivered into the CS six yard box and Addison touched it past the CS keeper for his first goal of the season. Milanda then continued the format of the first half by gifting a third goal to CS. A corner from the left fell to Soutar who tried to pass the ball out of defence but was intercepted on the edge of the box as Milanda tried to counter attack. The inevitable happened and Milanda were once again chasing the game.

 

This time though Milanda rolled up the sleeves and began to play a bit of football. Coyle and Callender were getting more into the game and beginning to go past CS players and putting them under pressure. It was from one of these runs that saw Coyle fouled on the edge of the box and a perfectly struck free kick from Fawns found the top corner.

 

This time Milanda were determined not to let the game slip and Reid put Milanda in front for the second time after the move of the game. A superb cross field pass from Callender left Coyle one on one with the CS full back. A quick change of pace saw him hit the byeline and his cross was left by Williamson at the front post for Reid who took a touch before calmly picking his spot. Milanda were now looking to kill off the CS challenge and Coyle was unlucky when he took a pass from Williamson into the box but left himself a difficult angle and his shot went wide.

 

Milanda used the first of their subs with Grant coming off to be replaced by Mackenzie. At this stage CS were still in the game and put Milanda under intense pressure but Soutar and Duncan were keeping CS at bay. Two 'controversial' decisions though had CS feeling aggrieved. The first was an offside decision after a deflected cross was put away by the CS forward, despite claims it had come off a Milanda player the CS forward was still in an offside position when the ball was played and it looked to be the correct decision. The second incident was harder to call. A cross from the right caught a Milanda player's hand in the box but the referee deemed it unintentional. Penalties have been given for less but Milanda on this occasion were happy to accept the decision. With the game still in the balance Milanda brought on Scott Preston for his first action of the season.

 

Soon after Milanda finally sealed the points. Williamson was first to react when a Fawns throw into the CS box wasn't cleared and after a touch took him past a defender he found the top right hand corner with a shot from 16 yds. The goal finally killed off the spirited CS challenge and the victory was complete when Preston marked his return with a headed goal from another Fawns throw. Wilson was Milanda's third and final substitution near the end and soon after the ref brought the game to an end.

 

Over the 90 mins Milanda just about deserved victory although Club Sporting made a game of it and they were a better team than their league position suggests. There was a vast improvement in the second half from Milanda which wouldn't have been difficult given how poor they were in the first. It's hard to pinpoint exactly why Milanda are struggling but there does appers to be a lack of mobility, understanding, concentration and fitness in the team. Understanding comes with games but fitness and mobility is down to each individual and few of us can claim to be as fit as we should be. Milanda are capable of playing some good football like the 4th goal proved but more effort on the part of everybody is needed.

 

Man of the Match - After the first half there wasn't going to be an award this week but the second half saw it re-instated. Even then there weren't many real contenders. Coyle, Callender and Fawns looked sharper in the second half and were possibles but this week despite the defence losing a couple of dodgy goals the award is going to Martin Duncan on his first start of the season. Mainly because he took the best goal kicks. Well, that and he scored and generally looked composed at the back.

 

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GDSML Cup - Airdrie Leisure Centre

 

AFC Columba 2 AC Milanda 6

 

Scorers - Reid (2), S Preston, Murray, Coyle, Williamson.

 

Team (4-4-2) C. Preston, Addison (Wilson), Duncan (Grant), Early, MacKenzie, Fawns, Coyle, Scott (Murray), Preston, Reid, Williamson. Subs not used Fitzpatrick, Binnie

 

A surprisingly easy victory for Milanda against first division AFC Columba. Generally games between these two teams are hard fought and tight encounters but this was Milanda’s easiest victory of the season so far. The fact that Columba only had 10-men obviously helped although a few Milanda players weren’t aware of this fact until the game was over. For the second game running problems with the pitch meant the game nearly didn’t take place after it was discovered the pitch hadn’t been freshly lined but agreement between the teams and the ref saw the game go ahead as planned. A red ash park with no lines, a 1 in 10 gradient and severely rutted meant Milanda were playing in the kind of conditions they excel in.

 

There was an early shock for Milanda when Columba took the lead with their first attack of the match. A sweet strike it was too as a throw in from the right landed on the edge of the Milanda box and a crisply struck volley left Preston without a hope in the Milanda goal. Fortunately for Milanda it was only an early blip and they took the game to Columba attacking down both flanks and Coyle making some great runs through the middle. An equaliser was on the cards and it arrived from the boot of Reid. Columba failed to clear a throw in and the ball fell to Williamson on the edge of the six yard box who unselfishly laid it off to Reid in a better position and he despatched it with a thumping right foot shot. (some were heard to comment that it wasn’t an unselfish act but because he thought he’d miss it anyway).

 

The rest of the half belonged to Milanda and the psychological disadvantage of being a man down seemed to deter Columba from committing too many men in attack, which made life easy for Duncan and Early in the heart of the Milanda defence. Despite the bulk of possession Milanda could only score one more before the break. This came from the head of Scott Preston who beat the Columba keeper to a throw in and despite the attempt by a Columba defender on the line to keep the ball out with his hand it ended up in the net. Probably just as well he never succeeded, as going down to 9 at that stage would have made a hard job impossible.

 

Wilson replaced Addison at half time and was involved in a lot of the early play as Milanda searched for the third goal. Milanda started the second much like they ended the first and Williamson had a chance to give them a 2 goal cushion but headed a cross straight at the Columba keeper. Chances were going a begging and without the killer third goal the worry was losing something at the other end. As the half progressed with no change in the score Murray replaced Scott and it turned out to be an inspired substitution. Murray’s first touch was a speculative lob into the Columba box which deceived defenders and forwards alike and more importantly caught out the Columba keeper who watched in despair as the ball bounced over his head into the net. A fortuitous but deserved goal for Milanda.

 

With the pressure now lifted from Milanda they began play some crisp attacking football with the midfield of Murray, Coyle, Fawns and Wilson all beginning to find space and sending balls into the box from all angles. From one of those moves Milanda were unlucky not to get goal number 4. A deep cross to the backpost found Reid and Williamson met his header back across goal but couldn’t quite direct the header on target. At this stage it was all Milanda and the fourth goal finally arrived when Reid re-directed a mis-hit shot from Murray into the net from 4 yards. Reid could and should have gone on to complete his hat-trick but a combination of bad luck and mis-hit shots kept him at 2. A little more composure in front of goal and Reid will be way out in front in the goalscoring charts come the end of the season.

 

Columba at this point were on the ropes and looked a well beaten side but to their credit they kept going and were rewarded with a second goal after a corner was cleared to the edge of the box and as it was returned a Columba player got a head to it on the 6 yard box and re-directed it into the net.

 

In recent weeks this could have caused Milanda to press the panic button but for once they went up the park and scored a quick fire double to finally kill the game off. The fifth goal came from Coyle when he buried a header from a Fawn’s corner. The stattos in the team reckon this was his first goal for a year. Now that’s a goals to game ratio even Addison can better. The scoring was completed when Williamson bundled a loose ball over the line from 3 yards.

 

Overall it was a far easier game than Milanda would have expected from first division opposition and also from a team who were the beaten finalists in last year’s competition. The numerical advantage played it’s part but Milanda played some of their best football of the season and at times it was hard to believe this was the same team who were so poor in the first half against Club Sporting. Maybe it was the return to playing on a tight red ash park? Time will tell if a corner has been turned or if it was a just a blip on an otherwise mediocre season.

 

Man of the Match – Some solid performances this week all the way through the team. Defence were solid, midfield provided support to the forwards who in turn gave the Columba defence a busy morning. Could have chosen any 1 from about 4 or 5 players but web man of the match this week is Coyle who finally got the goal he’s been waiting for and in the last few weeks has begun to show the form everyone knows he is capable of.

 

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League- Stepps

 

Strathclyde University 3 AC Milanda 2

 

Scorers - Reid, Fitzpatrick.

 

Team (4-4-2) C Preston, Binnie (Scott), Grant, Early, Soutar, Fawns, (MacKenzie) Williamson, S Preston , Murray, Reid, Fitzpatrick (Dunn).

 

On a perfect morning for football Milanda made the visit to Stepps to play the GDSML new boys Strathclyde University. A number of personnel were missing from the team that played in the Cup game a couple of weeks ago including Coyle (working), Wilson (honeymoon), Addison (ankle) and Duncan (sunbed) were all missing but a strong looking Milanda team lined up against a Uni team that must have had an average age of about 20 compared to Milanda's of 30ish(saddo that I am we started with an average age of 33 and finished with an average of 35). In contrast to the hilly ash park of a few weeks ago the game took place on a flat grass park that reportedly had a larger playing surface than Hampden.

 

The Uni team being more used to the size of the pitch had the best of the early exchanges with Preston in the Milanda goal making two outstanding saves in the first 10 mins. Milanda were finding it hard to make any impression on the game and hopeful punts up the park were proving fruitless and left the Milanda midfield and attack chasing lost causes. Gradually as the half wore on Milanda began to exert some pressure on Strathclyde with both Fitzpatrick and Reid finding some space in and around the Strathclyde box but no clear cut chances were forthcoming. Milanda’s best chance of the first half fell to Murray who nonchalantly controlled a long ball out of defence before making his way into the Strathclyde box. Unfortunately after making space for a shot it went narrowly passed the right hand post.

 

About 10 mins from half time Strathclyde scored the only goal of the first half when Preston failed to hold a tame shot from 20 yards. To be fair the Strathclyde player should have been closed down earlier before he had a chance to shoot but it was a bad goal to lose. Milanda made a change before half time with MacKenzie coming on to replace Fawns. This saw Binnie, who had an outstanding first half, moving into midfield and MacKenzie taking over at right back. At half time Milanda could have felt slightly unlucky at being one down after a very evenly contested first half with few real openings for either side .

 

Within minutes of the restart the scores were level after a melee in the box saw a shot blocked and the rebound falling kindly to Reid who hit it low and hard into the middle of the Strathclyde goal. A defender on the line almost kept it out but the shot was too strong and the game was level. Milanda began to take control and take the game to Strathclyde. Early began to push forward from the back to make a five-man midfield and this helped Milanda control the centre of the park. At this point Strathclyde were now the team hitting hopeful long balls which the Milanda defence were quite happy to clear up.

 

Just as it looked as if Milanda would be the team to go on and win the game Strathclyde took the lead against the run of play and again it was another avoidable goal. A long ball into the left back area looked easy enough for the Milanda defence to deal with. Soutar knocked it into Early who sent it back to Preston to launch up the park but unfortunately his kick out hit the onrushing Strathclyde forward who was then left with the easiest tap in of the season and Milanda found themselves behind once again. To Milanda’s credit they took this setback in their stride and were once again pushing Strathclyde back and were rewarded with the equaliser from Fitzpatrick. A quick interchange of play between Murray and Reid gave Fitzpatrick the chance of a strike on goal and he duly dispatched his left foot shot low and hard into the net. It was no more than Milanda deserved.

 

This should have been the point Milanda went onto to win the game but alas Milanda contrived to throw all three points away when allowing Strathclyde to take the lead for the third time when they scored unchallenged from a corner. There were claims that the corner had gone out and bent back in again but there was still no excuse for allowing a free header in the 6 yard box. In the closing stages Scott replaced Binnie who was suffering from cramp but with Milanda throwing everything forward they couldn’t rescue a point.

 

Hard to believe Milanda left Stepps without at least one point. Milanda controlled the second half apart from two lapses of concentration that they were punished for. Strathclyde had the advantage of young legs on a large pitch but once Milanda got to grips with the pitch they played some good football. These are the kind of games Milanda need to win if they are serious about challenging for the title and even at this early stage are beginning to find themselves detached from the leading pack.

 

Website man of the match – Overall it was a hard fought performance but a few derserve special mention including Murray for his forays down the left and the expert way he brought the ball down for this chance in the first half. Early was again solid in defence and supported his midfield to good effect. This week’s web man of the match though is Jim Binnie after an outstanding first half. He was a bit quieter in the second half when pushed into midfield but never stopped running and tackling and his effort saw him finally succumb to cramp late on.

 

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GDSML Cup - Netherpollok

 

AC Milanda 1 Club Athletic 2

 

Scorer - Fitzpatrick.

 

Team (3-5-2) C. Preston, Duncan (Grant), Early, S. Preston, Murray, Scott, Coyle, Williamson (MacKay) , Soutar, Reid, Fitzpatrick. Sub not used Wilson, Fawns, MacKenzie

 

Milanda's involvement in Cup competition was ended for the season after a disappointing encounter with fellow Division B team Club Athletic. Milanda boss McMillan made some tactical changes to Milanda's line up and gave Soutar a man marking role on CA's No. 11, a player who had caused Milanda a lot of problems in a league game earlier in the season and this saw Milanda lining up in a 3-5-2 formation.

 

The game kicked off in ideal footballing conditions and almost from the start it was obvious the game was not going to be a classic. It's not often the GDSML produces a game with so few goal scoring opportunities but despite attempts by both sides genuine chances were at a premium.

 

During a fairly nondescript first half Milanda did get in behind the CA defence a couple of times but the final ball failed to land on a Milanda foot or head. Coyle had a long range effort that would have caused the CA goalkeeper problems had it hit the target but instead it flew a couple of yards past his left hand post.

 

Club Athletic were also trying to get at the Milanda defence mainly down the left hand side where Soutar had a thankless task trying to contain the CA's speedy No 11 who was clearly CA's danger man and the player they were relying on to unlock the Milanda defence. This he duly did after about 30mins when a ball broke perfectly for the CA winger to knock past Soutar and take it into the box. His low cross to the back post found a CA forward lurking and it was an easy task to prod home from 5 yards. Milanda claimed offside but it was a hard one to call.

 

Half time saw the score remain 1-0 and Milanda boss McMillan used half time to try and get more commitment from his players. His talk seemed to have the desired effect as Milanda started the second half looking the more hungry team and got their reward with an equaliser 5 mins after the restart.

 

An early ball forward from Williamson saw the ball break to Coyle who looked likely to score but a great save from the keeper kept him out fortunately the rebound fell kindly to Fitzpatrick who brought Milanda level with a calm left foot finish. At this point Milanda started to look the more dangerous team although CA were dangerous on the break but Preston, Early and Duncan were giving them little time and space.

 

Reid had a great chance for Milanda but his right foot shot just went the wrong side of the left handpost. Milanda's pressure won them a number of second half corners but it couldn't be converted into goals.

 

As the half wore on the game became more evenly balanced and CA began to put Milanda under more pressure. It looked as if the next goal would be the winner and so it turned out. The CA dangerman beat a couple of players on the wing and broke infield. His run was halted after a great sliding tackle from Coyle and the ball looked to be heading back to the Milanda keeper but an attempted interception from centre half Preston unfortuantely knocked the ball into the path of a CA forward who was caught slightly off guard and had his shot superbly saved when he should have scored. Luckily for him the ball came straight back to him and he finsihed it off at the second attempt.

 

It was a hard one to take for Milanda who had held their own up to that point. Defender Preston felt it was his fault but it was his only error on a day where he made tackle after tackle and lost next to nothing in the air.

 

Milanda tried hard to find the goal that would take the tie to a replay. Williamson was replaced by MacKay and Grant replaced Duncan near the end but despite Milanda putting pressure on the CA defence they held out to go into the draw for the third round.

 

In the end it was a very tight game that could have gone either way. Milanda never translated their pressure into goals when they were on top. Again fitness was called into question in the dressing room after the game and some fair points were raised. The only people who can do anything about fitness are the players themselves I think we all need to take a look at ourselves and stop kidding ourselves we're doing enough. Most of us probably thought dropping down a division meant things were going to be easy this season but it's blatantly clear it's not and it isn't going to get any easier.

 

Website man of the match – Despite putting his hand up for the winning goal Scott Preston had an outstanding game and along with Early and Duncan kept the CA attack fairly quiet. It's good to see him on the park rather than off it and he deserves this week's man of the match nomination. Special mention goes to Soapy for sticking to his man marking task. Not a job any of us would have relished.

 

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League - KGV Bearsden

 

Parklife 1 AC Milanda 3

 

Scorers - Williamson (2) Fitzpatrick.

 

Team (4-4-2) C. Preston, Soutar (Dunn), Grant, S. Preston, (Williamson), Binnie, Scott (Reid), Murray, Coyle, Fawns, Golden Boots MacKay, Fitzpatrick.

 

Back to league business for Milanda after the disappointment of the Cup last week. Games against Parklife have always been tight affairs and this one wasn't any different. Milanda started with top goalscorer Reid on the bench after he was unable to find the pitch. Just as well he knows the way to goal better. Duncan was injured and Early was lost somewhere in Holland so it was a much changed Milanda team that lined up.

 

Early exchanges between the sides were fairly even with neither goalkeeper being asked a serious question. Coyle and Murray in the Milanda midfield were doing their best to create openings but the final ball failed to carve open the home defence. The deadlock was finally broken by Parklife when a break on the left found their winger in space. As he carried the ball into the penalty area he had plenty of time to pick his spot and he placed his shot neatly into the far right hand corner. A bit hard on Milanda but poor defending had gifted Parklife the chance.

 

It was a wake up call for Milanda who started to create a number of their own chances. Binnie worked a great one-two with MacKay and was just denied by a good save from the Parklife goalkeeper. Fitzpatrick was also unlucky when a snapshot went narrowly past from close range.

 

Milanda were almost caught out by a carbon copy of the first goal when Parklife mounted a counter attack but this time the Parklife winger wasn't as assured and blasted the ball past and the score stayed at 1-0. Despite being behind Milanda, on balance, had the best of the first half but still finished the half a goal down.

 

The second half was mostly played in Parklife's half as Milanda piled the pressure on in search of the equaliser. Although having most of the possession they weren't troubling the Parklife goalkeeper enough. As Milanda boss McMillan contemplated a change his decision was made for him when S. Preston finally had to come off with a back injury that had made him a doubtful starter for the game. His replacement was Williamson who slotted into midfield with Fawns stepping back into defence.

 

Williamson's introduction to the game had an immediate impact when after only 5 mins on the park he re-directed a Murray shot into the Parklife net from seven yards. It was just what Milanda needed and they began to grow in confidence and looked for the winner. A flick on from Williamson put Mackay through one on one with the keeper but he pulled his shot passed the right hand post.

 

Milanda kept pressing and took the lead after a quick throw in by Murray found Coyle who neatly side stepped a defender before playing the ball into the feet of Williamson who unusually managed to take a touch and turn quickly enough to beat his marker. His cross ran teasingly along the six yard line and sat up perfectly for Fitzpatrick who clinically dispatched it into the net to make it 2-1 for Milanda.

 

The game still wasn't over though and Parklife tried to fashion an equaliser and carved a few openings but the Milanda defence held firm. Milanda made two more changes before the end with Reid replacing Scott and Dunn replacing Soutar who had injured himself while trying to complete a particularly hard dive with a difficulty factor of 7.5.

 

Victory was finally made safe when Williamson, scored his second of the game, after latching onto a MacKay knock down and chipping the onrushing Parklife keeper. The final whistle sounded shortly after and Milanda had come from behind to secure a badly needed victory.

 

All in all a deserved win but it took a long time for us to score but once we did we never looked like losing.

 

Website man of the match – Well mmmm ehmmmmmm ponder ponder, what can you do? I said I wouldn't do this but if I can't do it this week then I never will. Even though I was only on for 30 mins two goals and an assist, generally being able to beat a man in the air and given I was so rank last week I have to award the MOM to me, supersub, Williamson, the webmaster. I'd like to thank Alan for putting me on, Scott Preston for getting injured, Paul Murray for not shooting straight, the Parklife defender who was slower to turn than me, Scott MacKay for not blinding me with his boots for the 3rd goal, Scott Grant for giving me a lift,my mum and dad and last but not least my dentist.

 

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League -Mount Vernon Park, Mount Vernon

 

AC Milanda 5 Pursuers 1

 

Scorers – Early, Fitzpatrick, Williamson/OG, Fawns (2)

 

Team – (4-4-2) C Preston, Grant (MacKenzie), Early, S. Preston, Scott, Coyle, Williamson, Murray, Wilson (Fawns), MacKay, Fitzpatrick (Reid). Sub not used - Dunn

 

A cold foggy morning welcomed the players to Mount Vernon Park. The game looked to be in doubt for a short time but fortunately the fog lifted in time for the kick off at 10am. Milanda saw Early, Wilson and Williamson return to the first eleven and Milanda kicked off in a familiar 4-4-2 formation.

 

Milanda were on the attack from the first whistle and pinned Pursuers back in their own half and leaving them the only option of punting long balls out of defence to relieve the pressure. This just gave Milanda the chance to build attack after attack and it was from one of these attacks that Milanda won the free kick that led to the first goal. Murray was upended 25 yards from goal and as everyone expected Wilson to take a shot at goal he knocked it sideways to Early. He was quickly closed down but he evaded a couple of tackles and hit a shot from just inside the box that ended up in the left hand bottom corner.

 

Milanda continued to keep the pressure on and it was no surprise when goal number two arrived. Some clever play down the right between Coyle and Murray saw the latter hit a low and hard cross into the Pursuers six-yard box and Fitzpatrick was once again on hand to finish the move off in a similar fashion to his goal last week. It was soon three after Milanda won a corner on the right. Wilson’s low cross found Williamson at the front post who attempted to flick the ball goal ward. The result was the ball ending up in the Pursuers net and like any striker would, Williamson claimed the goal as his own. The ref confirmed Williamson got the final Milanda touch despite it hitting a Pursuer player on it’s way in and that’s good enough for this reporter.

 

Milanda should have gone on to kill the game off at this point and MacKay, who was desperate to get his first Milanda goal, had a couple of half chances but it just wasn’t to be his day in front of goal. Milanda spurned a few more chances before Pursuers grabbed themselves a lifeline. The Pursuers left back found himself in space from a throw in and had plenty of time to measure his delivery into the Milanda box. The Milanda defence stood still as a Pursuer player slid in to touch the ball onto the post and into the net.

 

This was how things stood at half time but Milanda were annoyed at losing the goal after dominating the first half for long spells. Pursuers started the second half better than the first and began to put some pressure on the Milanda defence who were being stretched and gaps began to appear. Milanda were lucky not to concede during this spell but some tough defending by Grant, Early, Preston and Scott kept the Pursuers forwards at bay. Milanda did have some chances of their own but MacKay was frustrated once more and an attempted shot by Coyle brought a smile to a number of Milanda faces. On top of this the sight of Fitzpatrick falling over but still managing to pass the ball to Murray as it fell out of the sky meant the game almost had to be stopped for people laughing.

 

Milanda made a couple of substitutions with Fawns and MacKenzie coming on for Wilson and Grant. The turning point of the second half happened soon after. Pursuers were awarded a free kick on the edge of the Milanda box and as the wall was being put in place Pursuers took advantage and hit the free kick early. It looked to be heading for the top corner but Preston got a fingertip to it and tried to knock it over but it hit the underside of the bar and bounced out into the path of 3 onrushing Pursuers players. You would have bet your house on a goal being scored but somehow Preston got a foot to the forward’s downward header and the danger was cleared. A fantastic double save.

 

It was the warning Milanda needed and with Reid on the park in place of Fitzpatrick they killed the game off. A long ball out of defence found MacKay who laid the ball off to Coyle. His lung bursting run took him into the Pursuers penalty area with support coming from Fawns. Fawns took a pass from Coyle and hit his first shot against the defender, fortunately if fell kindly for him and he buried the second attempt behind the Pursuers keeper. The goal finally killed off Pursuers who realised the game was now lost. Milanda could have had more goals but had to settle for only one more and it again came form the right boot of Fawns from almost the same position as his first. His shot found its way through a ruck of players before settling in the bottom right corner.

 

Apart from the free kick in the second half that would have made the last 15 mins a bit nervy Milanda controlled the game for long periods and deserved to win. A solid team performance all round. The first time this season 2 league games have been won in a row so maybe we can think about getting a run together to take us back up the table.

 

Website man of the match – A good team display. Coyle managed to beat every player on the park 4 times and that was just his first run but a good display form him and Murray in midfield. Chris Preston made a great double save at a vital time. Brother Scott was again commanding in the heart of the defence but this week’s man of the match goes to his central defensive partner Ross Early who combined his defensive duties with runs to support the midfield and capped good performance with a well taken goal.

 

Disclaimer. All the above characters are fictional and any similarities to persons living or dead are entirely coincidental.

 

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Referee's Shield - Inchinnan

 

Deanpark 4 AC Milanda 1

 

Scorer Coyle

 

Team (3-4-3) C. Preston, S. Preston, Early, MacKenzie (Wilson), Coyle, Murray, Soutar, Scott (Duncan), Reid, Williamson, MacKay (Fitzpatrick). Subs not used Dunn, Addison.

 

It was cold.

 

Pitch was hard.

 

Coyle scored in first minute.

 

Deanpark scored four in reply before half time.

 

Milanda were rank.

 

That pretty much sums it up.

 

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League - Netherpollok

 

AC Milanda 7 Renfrew Town 2

 

Scorer Reid, Wilson, Williamson (2), Coyle (2), Fawns

 

(4-4-2) C Preston, Addison (Soutar), Early, Duncan, Wilson, Coyle, S Preston (Fawns), Murray, Scott, Reid (Grant), Williamson Sub not used – MacKenzie, MacKay

 

Milanda’s Jekyll and Hyde season continued with a convincing victory over Renfrew Town at Netherpollok. After the nightmare performance of last week it was Milanda’s Jekyll side that showed up this week with as good a display as Milanda have put in all season. Although the margin of victory can be attributed to the kind of morning the Renfrew keeper will want to forget, Milanda still played some good football in stark contrast to the attempts of last week.

 

Milanda started the game in similar fashion to last week by taking an early lead before letting the opposition in for a soft equaliser. The game was only 5 mins old when the Renfrew defence should have easily dealt with a long ball from the Milanda half. Reid however gave chase to what looked a lost cause and his presence seemed to un-nerve the Renfrew keeper who couldn’t decide whether to clear his lines or let the ball come into his box before picking up. In the end he did neither and Reid got a foot in to steal the ball away and leave himself an easy tap in to put Milanda in front. Like last week a great start to the game but also like last week the lead didn’t last long. Milanda failed to clear their lines and let the Renfrew forward get a shot in which Preston looked to have covered but unfortunately a last ditch attempted interception by Duncan only succeeded in diverting the ball past Preston into the net. A soft goal to lose and the game was worryingly following a similar pattern to the previous weeks debacle.

 

The game was an even affair at this point and neither team was in control. Williamson was laid out after a clash of heads but was able to carry on after treatment. Milanda did eventually regain the lead again with the aid of the Renfrew keeper. Wilson, who had returned to the Milanda starting line up, sent a left foot cross deep into the Renfrew 6 yard box and despite several wild swings by players from both sides nobody got a touch and the ball somehow found its way into the net with the Renfrew keeper guilty of ball watching.

 

This was the start of a Milanda goal frenzy and goal number three arrived soon after. Some great work down the right by Reid ended in a backpost cross which found the head of Coyle whose header back across goal found Williamson unmarked and he finished off the move with a header that went in off the post. It was four soon after when Coyle scored the goal of the match when he picked up a Murray pass about 30 yards out. Coyle took the ball forward to the edge of the box and looked as if he was going to square across the box but instead unleashed an unstoppable shot that hit the net via the underside of the bar. Milanda were rampant now and looked as if they could score at will. Another goal was inevitable and it was Coyle again who provided the finish and once again it was a lack of communication in the Renfrew defence that provided the opportunity. A cross into the 6 yard box wasn’t dealt with and despite some desperate defending the ball fell kindly to Coyle who controlled it on his chest before volleying into the net. Although anything is possible with Milanda it was game over at this point.

 

Half time arrived and Milanda could feel justifiably happy with how the half had gone although they needed to keep the concentration up for the second half Renfrew looked a beaten team.

 

The second half was tame in comparison to the first with Renfrew trying hard to make a game of it but Milanda’s back line gave them little opportunity and Preston was only called into action on a few occasions one of these was a save from his own player Williamson whose attempt to cut out a cross sent the ball heading into the bottom corner but Preston was down in time to smother the ball.

 

At the other end Milanda looked for more goals and were given plenty of set pieces to add to their tally. Scott Preston was particularly unlucky with a couple of headers from long throw ins. Coyle also had a great chance to complete his hat-trick when Murray found acres of space down the left. Instead of going for goal he decided to cut it across the six yard box to Coyle but before the ball reached him he had somehow managed to fall over. Despite this he still got a touch that went agonisingly past the right hand post with the Renfrew keeper scrambling across his goal.

 

Milanda brought on their subs with Fawns coming on for Scott Preston and Grant coming on for Reid who had deposited last night’s dinner on the halfway line. Grant almost made it six with his first touch when his left foot shot was turned away for a corner. From the resultant corner Milanda did finally get goal number 6 and again the Renfrew keeper was the culprit. Fawns saw his near post cross fumbled into the net by the Renfrew keeper who despite being under pressure from Coyle should have dealt with the cross. In the end the goal was given to Fawns. Renfrew did attempt to put a little more respectability on the score when replying almost immediately when a loose ball in the box was poked home from 10 yards out.

 

The game got a bit heated in the last 10 mins as Milanda began to showboat and the frustration of the Renfrew players saw them lash out on a couple of occasions resulting in a booking. Soutar came on for Milanda and played upfront with Williamson and he had a couple of chances to score, one after a cute turn on the edge of the box that made him some space but he was unable to finish off and the other chance ended in a poor toe-bashed effort from the edge of the box.

 

Milanda did make it seven and it was the final embarrassment in a day he’ll want to forget for the Renfrew keeper. Fawns hit a high hopeful ball into the box that the keeper looked to have safely covered but he appeared to lose the ball in the glare of the sun and let the ball slip from his grasp and Williamson who had followed the ball in was left with his easiest goal of the season.

 

A completely different Milanda this week, played some good football, closed down space, made themselves available for team-mates and generally worked their socks off. It will be interesting to see which Milanda turns up next week.

 

Website man of the match – A number of players were on the shortlist in a week where the team didn’t have any failures. The defence were solid with special mention to Wilson who had an excellent game at left back and sent in a number of dangerous crosses and got his name on the scoresheet. Milanda’s midfield did some sterling work with Murray having a productive game but this week’s man of the match goes to Coyle who, despite falling over when the hat-trick was going a begging, scored an absolute peach and finished tidily for his second. Always willing to take the ball from his team-mates and capable of beating everyone in the opposition team twice on a good day. He even passed the ball on Saturday.

 

Footnote

 

After his clash of heads Williamson became the proud owner of a quite impressive black eye. If you have a strong stomach you can see the results below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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League - Inchinnan

 

Deanpark 1 AC Milanda 2

 

Scorers MacKay, OG

 

Team – (4-4-2) C Preston, Soutar, Grant, S Preston, Wilson, Coyle (Fawns), Murray, Binnie (Dunn), Scott (MacKenzie), Reid, MacKay Sub not used – Williamson, Addison

 

Milanda returned to Inchinnan determined to set the record straight and take some revenge on Deanpark after a poor performance in a their cup visit two weeks ago. Milanda went into the game full of confidence after a stirring performance against Renfrew Town the previous week.

 

Milanda appear to have adopted a nice habit of scoring early and this week was no different. Murray beat half the Deanpark team as he drove down the left before finding MacKay with his cross. A poor first touch by MacKay looked as if the chance was gone but he regained his composure and placed the ball neatly into the bottom left hand corner. He could and should have had a second shortly after when escaping his marker on the edge of the box but fired past the post.

 

Last week's man of the match Coyle had to be replaced after he tried to play on after sustaining a neck injury in the first few minutes. His replacement Fawns slotting into his wide right position.

 

Milanda were well in control of the game at this point and Deanpark were a shadow of the team that played Milanda off the park two weeks previous. Binnie in the middle of the park was working tirelessly to break down the Deanpark threat. Tempers began to get a bit frayed and Milanda were reduced to 10 men when Scott Preston picked up his second booking of the game. This just helped boost the Milanda resolve and instead of retreating into defence they kept taking the game to Deanpark but although creating a number of chances they were unable to find the crucial second goal before half time.

 

The pattern of the first half continued in the second with Milanda making the better chances. Both Reid and MacKay had gilt edged opportunities to double Milanda’s lead and Binnie was also unlucky when he almost beat the Deanpark keeper to a through ball. The Deanpark keeper then pulled off an outstanding save from a Reid header when it looked a certain goal. Milanda were winning a succession of corners at this point and finally made it two when a low and hard driven corner from Wilson was turned into the Deanpark net after a defender’s wild swing beat his own keeper. Despite Wilson’s protestations he wasn’t going to be awarded the goal.

 

Milanda brought on Mackenzie for Scott and then Dunn replaced Binnie who was suffering from cramp. No sooner was Dunn on the pitch when Deanpark gave themselves a lifeline. A scramble in the penalty box wasn’t fully cleared and a neat left foot strike found the right hand side of the Milanda net. Deanpark suddenly looked the stronger team after having been outplayed for most of the game and looked as if they might steal a point. They had a great chance to bring the game level when a ball across the box fell to an unmarked striker and ‘when it looked easier to score’ (© Mark Callender) he managed to hit it against the post. A few moments later they did look to have scored the equaliser when a shot from 30 yards hit a Deanpark player on it’s way to goal but Preston somehow managed to turn the deflected shot round the post and to safety.

 

This was the game's last real chance and Milanda deservedly hung on to secure another three points.

 

A hard fought win and considering the strength sapping conditions and having to play two thirds of the game with 10 men. Another good team performance.

 

Website man of the match – Like last week a few staked a genuine claim. Scott Grant at the back despite trying to lose all the balls by kicking them into the hedges let little by him. Andy Scott was quietly effective and put in a couple of great tackles. This week's award though is going to Jim Binnie for his tireless performance in midfield that eventually led to him getting cramp. Although he picked up a booking he was a constant thorn in Deanpark’s side.

 

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League - Netherpollok

 

AC Milanda 6 Strathclyde University 1

 

Scorers - Coyle, Addison, Reid (3), Murray

 

Team (4-4-2) C Preston, Addison, Early, Grant (MacKenzie), Wilson, Fawns, S. Preston, Murray, Scott (MacKay), Reid (Hyslop), Coyle.Sub not used - Dunn

 

After losing the first league fixture against Strathclyde Uni back in November (although Milanda were awarded the points because Strathclyde fielded too many trialists) Milanda approached the return league fixture expecting a hard and difficult game. In reality it was a stroll in Pollok Park after a superb first half put Milanda out of sight of the Strathclyde youngsters.

 

Clockwatch

 

1 min – Goal for Milanda. Once again Milanda strike early. A corner from Reid to the backpost is met by Early whose header is blocked by Uni defender. The ball falls kindly for Coyle who has time to pick his spot and loops his header over the keeper’s head ito the net.

 

4 mins Scott shows neat footwork in midfield and manages to beat four men before hitting a forward pass.

 

7 mins A quick throw in by Murray has Uni on the backfoot. A poor clearance from Uni goalkeeper gives Scott and chance from distance but his 35 yard lob is just off target.

 

10 mins Strathclyde Uni’s No 9 is sent off for violent conduct. Seems a harsh decision although he did have a kick at Early but general consensus was there wasn’t much in it. Uni No 12 is also booked for dissent.

 

11mins Andy Wilson almost kicks the ball with his right foot.

 

21 mins Goal for Milanda. Coyle bamboozles the Uni defence down at the left hand corner flag. The ball is played across the 18-yard line and Addison connects sweetly and hits a low right foot drive into the left hand corner.

 

24 mins Fawns tries his luck with a shot from 30 yards but keeper saves.

 

29 mins Goal for Milanda. Wilson plays a neat one-two with the Uni fullback and the ball breaks to Reid who takes a touch before hitting a glorious 30 yard lob which leaves the Uni keeper helpless.

 

32 mins Uni finally put some pressure on Milanda but 20 yard shot goes over the bar.

 

42 mins Goal for Milanda. Again more excellent work from Coyle and his cross finds Reid unmarked and he clinically scores his second and Milanda’s fourth.

 

43 mins Reid goes looking for hat-trick and is unlucky with a right foot shot.

 

44 mins Uni unlucky when a corner finds a man unmarked but they are unable to take advantage.

 

Half Time AC Milanda 4 Strathclyde Uni 0.

 

The sending off clearly helped the Milanda clause but overall the first 45 mins was probably the best we’ve played all season. Some quick and accurate passing had the Uni chasing shadows and combined with some great finishing Milanda could be well pleased with their performance.

 

The first 15 mins of the second half belonged to Strathclyde Uni. They deserve a lot of credit for not throwing in the towel and when possible they tried to play football. There endeavour was rewarded with a goal to rival Reid’s first for goal of the game. After Milanda failed to clear the ball a knock on was met with an overhead kick that gave Preston no chance as it found the bottom right hand corner.

 

61 mins The Uni goal wakes Milanda up and Scott has a great chance after a pass from Coyle leaves him with only the keeper to beat but his shot goes over the bar.

 

64 mins A Coyle shot hits the post.

 

65 mins MacKenzie replaces Grant.

 

66 mins game descends into farce after MacKenzie and Grant are both booked after failing to inform the referee of the substitution.

 

70 mins Should be goal number five for Milanda after a long throw in falls between Coyle, Murray and Reid but the final touch puts the ball over the bar.

 

75 mins MacKay on for Scott. He remembers to tell ref he’s come on.

 

79 mins Reid is too eager to get his hat-trick after hitting a shot wide that should really have been crossed into the box.

 

80 mins Mackay rounds Uni goalkeeper and looks to be brought down in the process. The ref waves play on and Murray’s shot is deflected for a corner.

 

81 mins Goal for Milanda. A great interchange of passes finally sees Milanda get goal number five. Coyle beats three in the middle of the park before slipping the ball to Murray. His forward pass to MacKay is cut back to Preston and his shot hits the right hand post. The rebound falls perfectly for Reid who takes his time before hitting a shot underneath the Uni goalkeeper for his hat-trick.

 

82 mins Hyslop replaces hat-trick hero Reid for his first action of the season.

 

85 mins Experience of Hyslop shows through as he pings passes all over the park. One in particular gives Murray a chance to home in on goal but he can’t quite hit the target.

 

89 mins Goal for Milanda. A Wilson free kick from 22 yards is only partially saved by the Uni keeper. Early has two attempts to bury the rebound the second of which is clearly handled by the Uni defender on the line but before the ref can blow for a penalty Murray blasts the ball into the net to make it 6-1 for Milanda.

 

90 mins Preston has a rare save to make when a 25 yard free kick forces him to punch for a corner. Referee blows for full time shortly after.

 

All the hard work was done in the first half and the foot was taken off the gas in the second. The first half performance was the best 45 of the season. All credit to Strathclyde for trying to continue to play football even when going down to 10 men but even with 11 they would have been lucky to cope with Milanda’s passing game in that first half.

 

Website man of the match – Some great performances this week that made selection difficult but only one winner this week and that’s Hyslop. Nah only kidding Mark Reid had his best ever game in a Milanda jersey and expertly despatched his goals. He had tough competition from Murray and Coyle but overall the whole team played it’s part in an excellent performance.

 

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League - KGV

 

Glasgow Islay 1 AC Milanda 0

 

Team (4-4-2) C Preston, Addison, Early, Fawns, Wilson , MacKay (Duncan), Binnie, Murray, Scott (Williamson), Reid, Coyle. Subs not used - MacKenzie, Dunn, Soutar

 

This was the season’s first meeting with Islay and given their good form this was always going to be a difficult fixture. A mixture of odd refereeing decisions, poor finishing and bad luck conspired to deprive Milanda of the point they at least deserved.

 

Milanda opted to play against the wind in the first half. An even opening spell saw both teams create little in the way of chances and neither keeper was really tested. The first real chance fell to Islay’s number 11 who should have done better when ghosting in behind the Milanda defence before putting his header past the post. Islay’s number 11 was a constant nuisance to the Milanda defence and had another 3 chances in the first half to put his side ahead.

 

Milanda’s first real chance fell to Scott when a perfect pass from Murray sent him into running into the box from the left. His left foot shot brought out the first of many good saves from the Islay goalkeeper.

 

First strange decision of the day happened when a late challenge by an Islay player caught Milanda keeper Preston who looked to have the ball under control before being caught by an Islay boot. Preston being injured in the clash lost the ball and it was knocked behind the goals. Milanda expected a foul to be given but the referee called the Islay player over and appeared to lecture him on his challenge then gave them a corner. This caused much scratching of heads on the Milanda side of the pitch.

 

The first half finished with neither team being able to find the net and in the main cancelling each other out.

 

No changes were made at half time. Milanda now with the wind at their back began to take control of the game. Pushing forward at every opportunity Milanda started to turn the Islay defence. Reid had a great chance but blasted over from the edge of the box.

 

Milanda looked to have finally made the breakthrough when they were awarded a penalty after the Islay keeper caught Reid after he'd played the ball back across the box. The penalty looked a bit on the soft side but it gave Reid the chance to continue his recent goalscoring form. Unfortunately his right foot shot was saved by the keeper and he couldn’t make the rebound count as he headed straight into the keeper’s hands.

 

It was a blow to Milanda and it took them 5/10 minutes to recover from the miss. This allowed Islay to see a bit of the ball for the first time in the half. Milanda made a change when Williamson replaced Scott. This saw Coyle dropping back into midfield to accommodate the change.

 

Against the run of play Islay scored what proved to be the only goal of the game. On one of their few second half forays forward they won a corner on the left. The ball was knocked into the box before being headed across the area and with Milanda ball watching instead of challenging the ball was swept into the net to give, on the balance of the 2nd half, Islay an undeserved lead.

 

Milanda tried manfully to pull level but their effort was in vain. As the final whistle went some unnecessary scenes were witnessed on the Islay side of the touchline. The result was a red card for Milanda keeper Preston. The game was played in a mostly hard but fair spirit and there was no need to get involved with those off the park. We should be old and wise enough to ignore any baiting from the touchline.

 

Looking back on the game Milanda were disappointed not to take at least a point and Islay must regard getting three points as a real bonus. Islay certainly played some good football in the first half but other than the goal did not threaten Milanda much in the second half. Clear chances were few and far between and obviously missing the penalty was a blow but Milanda should have made more of the possession in the second half.

 

Website man of the match – A hard game saw some tough challenges and tough tackling. One person involved in a lot of those challenges was Andy Scott and he is given this week's man of the match award. Special mentions to Ross Early and Paul Murray.

 

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League - Drumpellier

 

Club Sporting 4 AC Milanda 2

 

Scorers Murray, Coyle

 

Team – (4-4-2) Baillie, MacKenzie, Fawns, Early, Wilson, Soutar (Callender), Addison, Murray, Scott, Coyle. Sub not used – Hyslop

 

The undulating and rolling hills of Drumpellier football pitches was the venue for Milanda's Easter saturday morning kick about. Having beaten Club Sporting twice already this season Milanda should have been feeling confident coming into this fixture. Milanda were missing a number of players but still started with a strong looking team.

 

Clockwatch

 

1min Slack Milanda play gives Sporting a chance from throw in but header goes past the post.

 

5mins Wilson takes the pressure off as he sheperds CS player ino the corner before winning a goal kick.

 

12mins Reid has a great chance to open scoring when he lets off a shot after a long throw in. CS keeper saves well.

 

13mins Resultant corner cries out for a finish but is missed by everyone.

 

14mins Goal. Confusion 25 yards from the CS goal as Soutar gets a touch out to Addison who slips a pass to Murray who finishes calmly with his left foot.

 

18mins. Early gets a last gasp tackle in as CS look for equaliser

 

27mins Good save by Milanda debutant Baillie after defence fails to clear and puts itself in trouble.

 

29mins Fawns almost scores from his own half when a free kick bounces over CS keeper's head but unfortuantely it's just the wrong side of the post.

 

34mins Some neat interpassing between Murray, Coyle and Scott leads to a corner that Coyle puts over the bar.

 

43mins Goal. CS equalise after slack marking in Milanda box allows CS forward a clear shot that leaves keeper no chance as it goes in off the inside of the post.

 

44mins Milanda look to have regained the lead when a richochet off Coyle looks net bound but hits the inside off the post and lands in the keepr's arms.

 

HT Club Sporting 1 AC Milanda 1

 

47mins. Great work by Coyle on right sees a low and hard right foot cross just missed by Reid

 

48mins. Goal. Great layoff by Soutar on the edge of the box leaves Coyle free in the box and he drills a right foot shot past keeper

 

54mins. Coyle gets to the byeline again but no one able to get on the end of the cross.

 

55mins. Goal. CS hit Milanda with a quick counter attack and a cool finish from CS forward makes the game level once again

 

58mins Callander replaces Souter who is suffering from a stitch.

 

64mins Goal. A low cross from the right squirms under Milanda keeper Baillie's body and leaves CS forward with an easy tap in.

 

68mins Goal. CS make the game safe after getting in behind the Milanda defence and the resultant cutback is volleyed into the net. Milanda look dead and buried.

 

72mins Milanda try to get back into the game and Coyle is one on one with CS goalkeeper who makes a brave save as Coyle slides in.

 

73mins Milanda get a slice of luck when a Baillie clearance hits a CS player but bounces past the post.

 

75mins Milanda win a corner after a swift passing move between Coyle, Murray and Addison.

 

79mins CS keeper makes another fine stop when Early controls and throw in and hits a shot that looks a goal all the way until the keeper pushes it over the bar.

 

80mins A dangerous free-kick by Wilson is missed by everyone.

 

And that was that. For a team 2 down with 10 to go there was little urgency and Milanda never looked like getting the goals back. Heads seemed to go down after losing the third goal which was odd considering Milanda, although not playing well, were the better of the two teams up until that point. A bad game to lose and although it was one of the worst grass parks we've played on all season it was the same for both sides.

 

Web man of the match. For his first half performance Andy Wilson wins this week's award but he like most of the team never got started in the second half. Coyle and Early did their usual shifts. Overall a poor performance and if we have any real ideas about winning the league then we can't afford anymore games like this.

 

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League - Glasgow Green

 

Pursuers 0 AC Milanda 4

 

Scorers Reid (2), Coyle, Early

 

Team (4-4-2) C Preston, MacKenzie (Addison), Early, Fawns, Wilson , Soutar, Murray, Scott, Binnie, Reid, Coyle

 

Milanda returned to winning ways after two defeats in an entertaining game played sportingly by both teams. After the initial exchanges, Milanda were definitiely on top and took a deserved lead after 18 mins when Reid scored following a Fawns throw down the line and a good pass inside by Scott.

 

The second goal came in 25 mins when Coyle turned a Reid 40/60 ball into his favour and beat the keeper to scoop the ball high into the net. The third goal duly arrived in 35 mins when murray beat the offiside trap and ran in on goal before unselfishly passing across goal for an easy Reid tap-in.

 

The 3-0 scoreline at half time was no more than Milanda deserved although there were at least three excellent saves by Preston in the Milanda goal during the first 45.

 

The second half followed a similar path to the first 45 but Pursuers had more of the play forcing Preston into further good saves. Addison replaced MacKenzie on the hour mark and shortly after Early made the points safe when scoring a header from a fine Murray corner. the remainder of the match was alrgely uneventful as both sides missed a few chances, the best of which saw Preston make the save of the match in 85 mins when diving to his left to save from the Pursuers forward.

 

As usual the banter at the side of the park was as good as ever. Considering Fawns had celebrated his engagement party (orange juice only of course) the night before he turned in a fine performance. The secret to this must be the fact that Brian Dunn gave him a the present of his dreams.......a voucher for the local Indian restaurant. Team boss McMillan is rumoured to be thinking of man of the match incentives for next season....forget win bonuses, a portion of pakora seems the order of the day.

 

Man of the match: A good team performance (with the exception of Coyle, Reid, Murray and Wilson for obvious reasons) but this week's man of the match was agreed by the watching committee - Chris Preston who made several fine saves and never put a FIST wrong(what a pleasant change)!!

 

When you consider this was one of the youngest Milanda teams for several years (due to the absence of Dunn, Williamson, Grant and Hyslop) a good performance all round.

 

PS Special message to Andy (Van Vossen) Scott - the reporter didn't miss your pathetic shot over the bar from no more than 2 yards out. It certainly is in the running for miss of the season but there are still several games left to see if it can be surpassed.

 

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League - Netherpollok

 

AC Milanda 2 Parklife 2

 

Scorers - Coyle, Scott.

 

Saturday’s game against Parklife saw a guest return for former Milanda goalkeeper Steve Walker who replaced the suspended Chris Preston in goal and by the end of this game he had made a major contribution in helping Milanda hold onto a point.

 

As has become almost a Milanda tradition they took the lead in the first few minutes. An interception by Reid down the left was followed by a cross into the box for Coyle who despite a less than clean strike still managed to get the ball over the line and put Milanda ahead. This should have been the start of Milanda dominance but they couldn’t get going and the game became a frantic kick and rush from both sides. Milanda were guilty of waiting for the ball on more than one occasion and were lucky to get to half time still one goal ahead.

 

Second half was as dull as the first until Milanda got a second. Parklife made a complete mess of a short corner and Addison was first to react but was brought down before he could set up a Milanda counter attack. From the free kick Milanda went route one. Fawns launched the ball up to the edge of the Parklife box where Williamson headed it on and before the Parklife keeper could react Scott nipped into touch it past him for his first goal of the season. That should have been it for Milanda but slack defending in a two minute period allowed Parklife back in.

 

Their first goal was a result of Milanda once again failing to clear their lines. A period of pinball in the box was finally finished off with a Parklife forward looping a header over Walker and landing in the net despite Wilson trying to reach the ball. Two mins later and the game was all square. A cross from the right was met by an unchallenged Parklife forward and his header gave Walker no chance. Suddenly from having the game won Milanda were staring at the possibility of losing all three pts. The game did open up a bit at this point as each team tried to find the winner. Milanda had a good penalty claim turned down when Reid looked to be held when trying to reach a Williamson cross. At the other end Walker was almost single handedly keeping Milanda in it with save after save. Neither team could make the breakthrough though and the points were shared.

 

A draw could probably be considered a fair result over the piece but Milanda will kick themselves for letting a two goal lead slip particularly as they lost 2 very soft goals but Parklife had a number of other chances that could have seen them win the game.

 

Website man of the match – A day when a lot of effort was put in but never quite got going and playing as well as we can. For the second week running a goalkeeper takes the man of the match award. Some of Steve Walker’s saves were top class and kept Milanda in the game.

 

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League - Netherpollok

 

AC Milanda 1 Allander 1

 

Scorer - Reid.

 

Team (4-4-2) Fawns, Addison, Early, Scott, Wilson, Soutar, Preston, Williamson (Gardener), Murray, Reid, CoyleSub not used MacKenzie

 

Heads are still being scratched after Saturday’s game against Allander and how Milanda only claimed a single point. Milanda made enough chances to win 2 games and had Allander under almost constant pressure but a combination of poor finishing and a resolute Allander defence denied Milanda all three points.

 

Milanda started the game well and pressed the Allander back four from the first whistle. Coyle again worked the wings well and won a couple of early corners on the right that Allander defended well. Murray and Wilson were combining well down the left and sent in some dangerous crosses that Milanda's forward failed to make the most of. Allander were showing little in attack and found it hard to keep possession in the Milanda half with only the odd breakaway to take the pressure of their defence.

 

Reid almost put Milanda ahead when getting in behind the Allander defence before seeing his shot just go the wrong side of the Allander left hand post. A goal seemed inevitable as Milanda kept the pressure up but when the goal did come it was completely against the run of play. A long ball into the Milanda half looked an easy take for Early in the Milanda defence. As he tried to bring the ball under control he was pressed by an Allander forward who looked to foul Early as he took possession of the ball. With Early the last man this left the Allander forward one on one with Fawns who was Milanda's third keeper in three weeks. Despite Fawns best attempts the Allander forward finished calmly and Milanda could hardly believe they were one down. Milanda felt a sense of injustice about the goal and continued to take the game to Allander. A low cross from Wilson was bravely cut out by the Allander keeper who made a number of important stops throughout the game.

 

Soutar had to leave the field after a clash left him with a cut eye but he was soon back on to continue to help Milanda in it's pursuit of an equaliser.

 

The Allander defence held firm though and despite another few corners and some great crosses from Wilson and Reid Milanda still found themselves behind at HT.

 

The second half was more of the same with Milanda now almost permanently camped in the Allander half. Fawns in the Milanda goal was a virtual spectator and rarely has a Milanda keeper had so little to do. Luck just wasn't on Milanda's side and as a shot from Wilson from 20 yards hit the right hand post and rolled along the 6 yard box with a Milanda player unable to take advantage.

 

Chances were coming thick and fast and Preston was unlucky with a header from a corner that just went over the bar. Next up was soutar who found himself one on one with the keeper but his first touch saw the ball run away from him and the Allander keeper gratefully collected the ball. Next up ws Reid who found himself in an almost identical position to Soutar but managed to get a shot off which the keeper blocked before the ball was knocked to safety.

 

Although Milanda had all the play there was a danger that Allander could take advantage of Milanda pushing men forward with a swift counter attack and so it transpired.

 

Another Allander clearance found their goalscorer in space and one on one with Fawns. Again like the first goal he took his time but this time Fawns was up to the task and got down well to keep Milanda in the game. This move did give Alllander some heart and a few moments later a move on the right saw Allander advance menacingly ino the box but the final cross was poor and Milanda breathed again.

 

At the other end things were becoming a bit frantic as Milanda tried to salvage something from the game as time became their enemy. A header from Reid was caught on the line by the keeper and a shot from the edge of the box was well blocked.

 

With 5 mins left on the clock Milanda did finally breakthrough. A cross into the Allander box found its way to Reid who hit it back across goal and into the far left hand corner. No more than Milanda deserved for their pressure and left them time to complete the comeback and take all three points.

 

Coyle had a chance from the edge of the box but couldn't keep his shot down and as the game headed towards the final whistle Murray was sent clear and was one on one with the goal keeper but for the third time in the match the chance was lost when Murray's first touch let him down and the keeper bravely got down at his feet to deny Milanda victory. This was the last real action of the match and Allander held on to leave Netherpollok with a point

 

Just one of those days for Milanda. Couldn't fault the effort and endeavour the team showed but we never took our many chances and luck deserted us in front of goal. Allander deserve a lot of credit for their backs against the wall display and stout defending and when the defence was breached their keeper made a number of important saves. Scott Preston commented that it was not unlike the way Milanda has played in the past when in the first division and been up against it. A frustrating morning all round and not a result that helps our cause.

 

Website man of the match - A lot of hard work and effort and a fair bit of skill but without the rewards unfortunately. Wilson and Murray combined well down the left with Soutar and Addison doing a similar job down the right. Was a close call this week but Murray, despite his last minute miss, is this week's man of the match.

 

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League -Hamilton Palace

 

Wanderers 0 AC Milanda 4

 

Scorers - Early, Gardener (2), Coyle.

 

Team (4-3-3) C. Preston, MacKenzie, Fawns, S. Preston, Scott, Williamson (Wilson), Early, Soutar (Binnie), Gardener, Reid (Callendar), Coyle Subs not used Grant, Addison

 

Summer football finally visited the GDSML. After months of snow, sleet, thunder storms and torrential downpours Saturday morning was a day in the sun and a chance to get a tan while playing football. Milanda faced up to current bottom dogs Wanderers and boss McMillan sensed there were goals to be had for Milanda and decided to go with an attacking 4-3-3 formation.

 

The game started off slowly and for the rest of the half it never really picked up. Milanda had most of the play with occasional breakaway by Wanderers. Apart from saving a Wanderers free kick Preston in the Milanda goal was mostly untroubled in the first half. At the other end Milanda fashioned few clear cut chances and generally couldn't get out of first gear. Coyle, unusually for him, wasted good possession on a number of occasions but it was symptomatic of a sluggish first half performance that was really only notable for Fawns in the heart of the Milanda defence becoming Victor Meldrew for the day and much waving of hands as yet another Milanda player failed to live up to his expectations. Half time arrived and Milanda were still huffing and puffing but other than getting a sunburnt they had little to show for their efforts.

 

The second half started with Milanda nearly going a goal down when S Preston misjudged a long ball and slipped to let in the Wanderers forward but he played the ball far too wide and Preston was grateful to see the chance come to nothing. Not long after Milanda finally took the lead. Good work by Gardener won Milanda a corner on the right and Early met Reid's cross at the front post and a despite a Wanderers defender's attempts his header went over the line. This was the breakthrough Milanda needed and from that moment on they were in full command. Shortly after Gardener made it two when cutting in from the right and hitting a right foot shot past the Wanderers keeper.

 

Not to be outdone 5 mins later Coyle picked up a pass in midfield and shaped to pass but instead unleashed an unstoppable right foot shot finding the bottom right hand corner. Milanda were now in easy street and some Wanderers tempers were becoming a bit frayed. At one point they even had a go at the Milanda bench for not coming on to help one of their injured players. Not sure what they expected them to do but the Milanda bench found the episode quiet amusing.

 

Milanda sealed their victory when Gardener picked up a loose ball in the box before hitting a shot into the roof of the net. Gardener now holds the best goals to minutes ratio since Fitzpatrick devised the complex formula. Gardener was desperate to get his hat-trick but the Wanderers goalkeeper made a couple of good saves to deny him. At the other end C Preston could have gone and had a shower and joined his team mates on the sidelines for all the work he had to do. The Phil O'Donnell of Milanda Mark Callender was given the last 10 mins and almost scored with his first touch but again the Wanderers keeper helped keep the score down. The game finally reached its inevitable conclusion with Milanda securing an easy 3 pts while also topping up the tan.

 

Milanda should probably have had more goals and if they'd played the first the way they played the second then victory would have been by a far bigger margin. The match had an end of season feel about it and it was almost played that way even though Milanda still have an outside chance of promotion although the title seems beyond their reach.

 

Website man of the match - Despite his moaning and all round huffiness Fawns at the back had a solid game and it was his promptings and runs forward that helped to push the team on in the 2nd half so Fawns gets this week's man of the match award and with it some toys he can throw out his pram.

 

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League - Mount Vernon

 

AC Milanda 4 Club Athletic 3

 

Scorers - Williamson, Reid (2), Gardener.

 

Team (4-4-2) C. Preston, Addison, Fawns, S. Preston (Wilson), Scott, Coyle, Williamson, Early, Murray, Reid, Gardener (Callender). Sub not used MacKenzie, Grant,

 

Probably Milanda's hardest fought 3 pts of the season. Two evenly matched sides that shared a seven goal thriller. Milanda's dressing room teamtalk included the classic line from Milanda boss McMillan. There danger man is the guy who wears the gloves so let's keep tight on him. Turns out they had no players wearing gloves and the player in question was suspended.

 

Milanda opted to play up the slope in the first half. Early exchanges were fairly even with Milanda possibly having slightly better possession without converting it into goals. Murray and Coyle were both busy on the wings and tried to supply Gardener and Reid with balls into the box but the final pass just wasn't happening.

 

Milanda took the lead after 20mins when a swift attacking move between Murray and Gardener got Reid in behind the CA defence. His cross looked to be going in when it struck a CA defender but the keeper got down well to turn the ball round the post. Murray took the resultant corner and his cross was met perfectly by Williamson's shoulder and the ball flew past the CA keeper. A few minutes later it was two. A long throw from Murray was missed by everyone and as it appeared to be bouncing harmlessly through to the keeper everyone stopped except Reid who arrived on the blindside of the CA defender and keeper and nodded home.

 

A bad goal for CA to lose but Reid's run was a perfect example of striker's instinct. Sadly Milanda's 2 goal cushion didn't last long. A hopeful ball into the Milanda box looked to have caught a CA forward offside and the Milanda defence waited for the whistle that never came. As everyone stood watching a CA player stopped the ball going over the bye line and cut it back for an easy tap in. Hard to say if the CA player was offside but Milanda paid the penalty for not playing to the whistle. After this Preston pulled off a couple of good stops to keep Milanda in the lead. There was a scare for Milanda when Williamson and S. Preston collided when chasing the same ball. Both players continued after receiving treatment although both were feeling a bit groggy. Someone commeted it was like two trains colliding head-on. A sore one for both.

 

Half time arrived with Milanda probably just deserving their lead but it had been a tough half with plenty of dig from both sides.

 

The second half saw CA come into the game more and had Milanda on the back foot for the early part of the half. Some fine defending from the Milanda backline and some great stops from Preston kept Milanda ahead.

 

Milanda suffered a blow when Scott Preston had to be carried off when twisting his ankle. The injury turns out to be ligament damage and could mean the end of Preston's season which is huge blow to Milanda as Scott has put in some solid performances recently. Wilson replaced Preston as Milanda reshuffled with Early moving into defence.

 

Milanda restored their two goal cushion with a goal from Gardener. A Murray throw in on the right found Coyle inside the 6 yard box close to the byeline. A calm bit of controlled juggling and a volley across the goal found the outstretched foot of Gardener and the ball nestled in the net giving the CA keeper no chance. Milanda should have been able to see out the game for victory at this point but they say you're never more vulnerable than when you score a goal and this cliche came true for Milanda. Almost straight from kick off a long ball caught out the Milanda back line and C. Preston was unable to stop the deficit being reduced to one.

 

At this point the game could have gone either way. Both sides had chances to score with Milanda's best falling to Early. A game of pinball in the CA box ended up falling to Early five yards out and he set himself up for a header that looked easier to score than miss but somehow his header came back off the post and was launched to safety. Williamson was also just off target after Coyle knocked on a Fawns free kick but his shot went the wrong side of the left hand post. At the other end C. Preston pulled off a point blank save when Addison failed to clear a through ball.

 

Milanda finally killed the game off when a long throw in from Fawns was nodded on by Williamson into the path of Reid who outran the CA defence before hitting a right foot shot that agonisingly hit the left hand post and rolled along the line before finally ending up in the net.

 

The game opened up at this point as CA pushed men forward to try and retrieve something. Milanda stood firm until the last kick of the ball when an almost identical goal to the second was scored by CA. Fortunately for Milanda as soon as the kick off was taken the final whistle went.

 

A very hard game and few would have argued if it had ended in a draw. Every Milanda player scrapped for everything and a good team spirit was evident. A great three points and sets us up nicely for another important game this coming Saturday with Islay.

 

Website man of the match – Everybody played their part on Saturday but one man who often gets criticised more than most had his best game of the season and although there were many contenders for this week's award Thomas Addison better known to us as Adda or in some cases ADDA deservedly wins this weeks award.

 

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League - Netherpollok

 

AC Milanda 1 Islay 6

 

Scorer - Murray

 

Team (4-4-2) Fawns, Soutar, Addison (Grant), Early, Wilson, Coyle, Williamson, Murray, Scott (MacKenzie), Reid(Callender, Gardner. Sub not used C. Preston

 

It was set up as a promotion decider but it served only as a wake up call to Milanda who chose one of the season's most important games to deliver one of their worst displays of the season. There can't be anybody in the Milanda team that thought they got pass marks on Saturday apart from maybe Fawns in the Milanda goal who despite losing 6 goals couldn't be blamed for any of them. If Milanda were to achieve promotion, facing teams like Islay would be the norm rather than the exception and if anyone thinks we could compete after that display needs serious help.

 

The game did start brightly for Milanda and they probably had the best of the opening 10/15 mins and were unlucky to not to go ahead when a Murray shot came back off the post. Islay began to get a foothold in the game and took the lead when a backpost corner was headed into the net by a completely unmarked Islay player. Milanda players looked around for someone to blame but no one had picked the player up as he arrived late in the box so no scapegoat was found. Milanda never recovered from this point and found themselves 2 down soon after. Milanda failed to cut out a crossfield ball and Islay's left winger broke clear. Despite attempts to catch him he was able to get into the box and get a shot away that fawns manage to block but was unable to hold. Unfortunately the ball fell to an Islay player who had an easy tap in to make it two.

 

Milanda rallied slightly after this and Coyle hit the side netting after one of Milanda's better moves of the game but Milanda were second to almost every ball all over the pitch. half time arrived and it was hoped Milanda could regroup and turn the tables in the second half.

 

It wasn't to be and if anything the the second half was worse than the first. Islay put the game beyond Milanda's reach when scoring another avoidable goal. A shy into the box was missed by everyone at the front post and it bounced its way through to the back where Williamson was slow to react which allowed the man he was marking to header into an empty net. Number four arrived shortly after when the Milanda defence failed to clear and the player who scored Islay's number three bagged himself a second.

 

Milanda surprised everybody by getting a goal back when a Murray corner managed to find its way into the net via an Isaly defender. It wasn't much to celebrate and normal service was resumed when Islay took advantage of poor Milanda play to break away and make it 5. Just before the final whistle the rout was complete when number 6 was dispatched and Milanda were thankfully saved any more embarrassment as the ref signaled the end of the game.

 

Despite Milanda's poor performance it should be noted that Islay played well and if they continue to play the way they did on Saturday should do well in the first division although i don't expect they'll get as many easy games as they got on Saturday.

 

For Milanda it was as bad if not worse than the Deanpark cup game in January. Coming on the back of a great fighting display against Club Athletic the week before it was hard to believe how different this performance was. The basics of passing, tackling, tracking back, marking all seemed to have been forgotten. It also should be mentioned that criticism of your team mates serves no real purpose when everybody is playing poorly. If you must criticise make it constructive and encourage your team mates. We were all to blame for Saturday not the defence, midfield or forwards. All of us. So let's try and think before we moan.

 

Website man of the match – Cancelled.

 

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League - KGV

 

Renfrew Town 1 AC Milanda 0

 

Team (4-4-2) C. Preston, MacKenzie (Addison, (Gardener)), Fawns, Early, Soutar, Binnie, Williamson, Murray, Scott (Wilson), Reid, Coyle.

 

After last week's disaster Milanda couldn't play as badly again. There was a big improvement in commitment and attitude this week but it wasn't enough to leave KG5 with any points.

 

The game seemed to be played with an end of season feel about it and took a while for anything of note to happen. When it did it was Preston in the Milanda gooal who twice in quick succession kept the scoreline blank with saves that were pushed over tha bar for corners. Unlike last week the corners were well defended by Milanda and Renfrew were unable to capitalise. Milanda's best chance of a quiet first half was an effort from Murray who for the second week running hit the post. This week it was the left hand post with the keeper completely beaten. The only other happenning of the first half was Milanda's inability to take advantage of some great corners swung in by Murray. More than one corner invitingly reached the back post only for it to run to safety as no Milanda player could take advantage.

 

The half time time whistle arrived to end a mostly uneventful and fairly even first half.

 

The second half was a little more upbeat and Coyle made a number of great runs into the box but was unable to get the cross in. This was Milanda's problem all through the second half. Some good play up until the final ball was needed and then it just wouldn't happen for them. Any ricohet or ball bouncing about the box always seemed to fall to a Renfrew player.

 

As the half wore on it looked as if one goal would be enough to win it for either team and when it arrived it was for Renfrew Town. A throw in down the left was headed infield where a moments hesitation by the Milanda defence was enough for the Renfrew forward to make himself some space before finding a runner from the wing completely free on the right. His inch perfect pass was taken forward a few steps before a right foot shoot ended in the bottom left hand corner despite Preston getting a hand to it.

 

Milanda searched for an equaliser and went to a 4-3-3 and eventually to a 3-4-3 in an attempt to get something from the game. Reid had a half chance but was unable to get the snap shot on target and Williamson arrived late at a corner but couldn't direct the ball towards goal.

 

Renfrew Town held out and are now challenging Milanda and Club Athletic for 3rd place.

 

A draw would probably have been a fair result as there wasn't much to choose between the teams but Milanda are finding goals hard to come by at the moment. A lot better than last week and with a bit of luck around goal could easily have been 3 pts instead of none.

 

Re-instated Website man of the match – hard one to call this week. Better performances than last week without anyone really sticking out. Murray worked hard in the midfield and tried to create opportunities for the forwards but in a close run contest Reid just gets the nod for his non-stop running and chasing lost causes. He didn't get many clear cut chances but with a bit of luck may have got himself a goal or two.

 

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League - Nethercraigs

 

Bellahouston 3 AC Milanda 1

 

Scorer - Williamson

 

Team (4-4-2) C. Preston, Fawns, Early, Binnie, Scott (MacKenzie), Reid, Addison (Preston), Murray, Wilson, Malcolmson (Callender), Williamson.

 

Milanda fell to their third defeat in a row but can feel somewhat hard done to by a referee whose self-importance did not sadly reflect his ability. An otherwise excellent game was ruined by a contentious decision to send Paul Murray off which in turn led to Milanda losing their discipline and ultimately the game.

 

The game itself kicked off in glorious sunshine and was Milanda’s first visit to the recently revamped pitches at Nethercraigs and although quite sandy underfoot, conditions were almost perfect for football. Milanda’s team saw the return of Malcolmson who hasn’t been seen since last August.

 

Milanda made the best of the opening play with a Wilson piledriver from 30 yards just going narrowly over. Malcolmson also had a few efforts from outside the box which caused the Bellahouston keeper concern but were also just off target. Although Bellahouston are already promoted they are still hopeful of winning the division 2 title and injected a bit of urgency into their game and began to pressure the Milanda defence but they were kept at bay until a freak own goal put Bellahouston ahead. A free kick just inside the Milanda half on the left was delivered into the box and it looked to be heading harmlessly across the 6 yard box but Binnie, unaware of what was happening behind him, stuck out a foot to intercept and caught Preston wrong footed in the Milanda goal and the ball trundled in to the empty net. A cruel blow for Milanda but they didn’t let the heads go down and went in search of an equaliser.

 

Murray made a great run into the Bellahouston box and his cut back found Williamson on the edge unmarked but his first time shot was straight at the keeper. Wilson then had an opportunity from a free kick 20 yards out but could only hit the wall. Throw ins and corners were launched into the Bellahouston box on a regualr basis but knock ons and loose balls just wouldn’t fall Milanda’s way. Williamson was again given a chance by Murray but was caught in two minds and the chance was lost. At the other end Preston had a great save from a Bellahouston free kick but apart from that had little of note to do. The first half ended with Milanda unfortunate to go in one behind.

 

Milanda came out the blocks in the second half and pushed Bellahouston back into their own half which they were finding difficulty getting out of. The breakthrough for Milanda came in fortunate circumstances. Another long throw from Fawns was headed on by Williamson from the edge of the box, the ball took a couple of bounces and no one could get a touch. By the time the Bellahouston keeper reacted it was too late and he could only help the ball into the net. Milanda were now in control and looked the more likely team to win before the intervention of the ref who to be fair up until that point had refereed the game without any trouble.

 

The trouble started after Murray replied to a comment by the ref who took exception to his response and called Murray over. After a lengthy lecture he produced a needless red card claiming foul and abusive language. The red card was an extreme overreaction by the ref when a yellow would have been sufficient. Then after telling Binnie to walk away from the incident, which he did, called him back and booked him as well. Milanda hadn’t learned their lesson and Wilson followed Binnie into the book when he made another observation on his refereeing. So in the space of 30 seconds Milanda were down to 10 men and 2 players booked. Considering the referee was the instigator of the whole incident his retribution was over zealous and as a result ruined what had been an excellent game up to that point.

 

Milanda used their anger to keep the pressure on Bellahouston for 10 mins after this incident but eventually the heat and tired legs began to show and Bellahouston took control of the game. Another controversial incident led to Bellahouston once again taking the lead. Binnie was clearly impeded by a Bellahouston player in the move that led to them winning a corner. Perhaps it was further payback by the ref who seemed to have now taken a dislike to Milanda and even an approach by the Milanda captain was met by the threat of a card. As the resultant corner was swung in Milanda’s marking was all over the place and a loose ball was hit high into the net to put Bellahouston back in front.

 

Milanda visibly wilted after this and after putting so much effort in found themselves unable to close Bellahouston down in midfield. The inevitable third followed when a break on the right got in behind the Milanda defence and when the ball was squared across the goal it left an easy tap in at the back post for the incoming Bellahouston forward. This signalled the end of the match as a competitive affair as there was no way back for Milanda. Preston found himself the next Milanda player in the ref’s book when being carded for, amazingly, a late tackle. Again it seemed a bit harsh but not unexpected.

 

The game came to a close and warm handshakes were given all round except by the referee who refused to shake Preston’s hand which angered the player and his comments to the ref only managed to get himself a second yellow card and he became the second Milanda player to be sent off.

 

Looking back over the game there was much to be pleased about with the Milanda performance particularly at the start of the second half but there is no getting away from the fact that the ref ruined the game with Murray’s needless sending off. Although Murray should never have sworn at the ref a yellow card would have been enough. I hadn’t realised our refs were such shrinking violets. Having watched Wayne Rooney give the ref a mouthful on Saturday in the FA Cup Final without the ref batting an eye then it’s just as well our ref wasn’t there or no one would have been left on the pitch. Other bookings we can’t really complain about as he clearly wasn’t going to take any dissent but we still persisted with it. Binnie can think himself slightly unlucky as he shut up when told to and then was still booked.

 

Man of the match – Murray up until his sending off was Milanda’s main threat from midfield but in defence Jim Binnie was outstanding and gets the nod this week for website man of the match.

 

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League - Netherpollok

 

AC Milanda 6 Deanpark 0

 

Scorer - Reid (4), Addison, Coyle

 

Team – (4-4-2) C Preston, Fawns, Addison, S Preston, MacKenzie (Dunn), Coyle, Callender, Wilson (Hyslop), Scott, Reid, Williamson

 

Milanda secured third place in the league and finished the season in style with a six goal thumping of Deanpark. Milanda had met Deanpark twice already this season and struggled both times but there was never any real doubt about the result of this game.

 

Milanda controlled this game from the first whistle to the last although Deanpark put up a good fight initially they seemed to collectively lose interest after half time. Milanda’s first chance fell to Williamson who couldn’t quite direct the ball on target after great running by Reid caused confusion in the Deanpark defence and the resultant loose ball was just put past the left hand post when a shot on target would have been a definite goal. Reid’s running was to prove a constant nuisance to the Deanpark defence all morning. Reid’s first goal of the afternoon followed soon after. A long ball out of the Milanda defence was touched on by Williamson and again Reid’s pace took him in behind the Deanpark defence and he rounded the keeper to put Milanda one up.

 

This sparked Deanpark into life and they won a number of corners and free kicks around the Milanda box but Milanda’s defence for once were dealing comfortably with anything delivered into the box. Milanda were forced into a change when Wilson had to be replaced by the veteran’s veteran Hyslop. This saw a formation change with Hyslop playing upfront and Williamson dropping into midfield. Milanda went two up soon after. Another long throw by Fawns was met by the head of Williamson who stole in front of a Deanpark defender and sent an inviting ball across the 6 yard box. The header itself might have gone in but Addison threw himself full length to bury a header behind the Deanpark keeper with their defence left claiming offside. Deanpark continued their claims but the referee correctly waved their protestations away. Milanda finished the half strongly and were unlucky not to add to their lead.

 

Soon after half time Milanda made the game safe when a killer counter attack knocked the stuffing out of Deanpark. A Deanpark corner was cleared out of the box and fell to Hyslop in the centre circle and his perfect header sent Reid tearing away towards the Deanpark box where he once again rounded the keeper and finished calmly from an angle. The goal saw the end of any attempt at a comeback from Deanpark and Milanda were, for the first time in along time, in complete control and began to look as if they could score at will. Reid completed his hat-trick when a break on the left by Callender was knocked to the back post where Reid took his time before sending a left foot shot into the net. Callender himself was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet when after rounding the keeper he left himself too tight an angle and he couldn’t quite get his finish on target.

 

At the other end Preston made a couple of stops as Deanpark tried to keep the score respectable. An incredible stramash in the Milanda goalmouth looked certain to end in a goal but somehow the ball stayed out. For the first time in the game a Deanpark forward got in behind the Milanda defence, his initial shot was blocked by Preston but fell perfectly for an incoming Deanpark forward but his effort was blocked on the line by Williamson but as he tried to clear it hit a Milanda defender and fell to the original Deanpark forward about 2 yards from goal, incredibly his effort was touched onto the post by Preston then the ball rolled along the line and hit the opposite post before the ball was eventually cleared. No one was quite sure how the ball stayed out but for once lady luck was shining on Milanda.

 

Goal number 5 arrived soon after when Reid turned provider and delivered an inch perfect pass to Coyle who let the keeper commit himself before tapping into an empty net. Reid claimed Milanda’s sixth and his fourth soon after and Milanda finished a long and hard season with an emphatic victory.

 

So Milanda finished the season on a winning note and ended a three match losing run. It’s been an up and down, Jekyll and Hyde type of season that has seen Milanda play as much good football as crap but third place is respectable and if we are honest we’d struggle in the first division if we’d made either of the promotion spots.

 

Website man of the match – Given the performance of the team this week it’s a collective team man of the match award. Mark Reid may have scored 4 goals but he’d the first to admit it was down to the effort of the rest of the team that gave him his chances. Scott Preston also performed well at the centre of the Milanda defence and we can’t forget Hyssie turning back time with an exceptional performance that belied his age of 78. All in all a solid team performance that augurs well for next season.