Gasworks Park, Larkhall
Larkhall Thistle v Shettleston
McBookie.com West Region – League One
Shettleston have been the best team in the league this season and went into this game two points behind leaders Port Glasgow but with six games in hand so this was always going to be a difficult task for Thistle.
After a lively start with neither team really on top the Jags task became a whole lot more difficult when they lost centre half Dom Chiedu for a handball on the line. It was a tame cross/shot that shouldn’t have troubled the defence but it was heading in and Chiedu reacted to prevent the goal. The referee had no option but to give a penalty and McGrotty sent David Cherry the wrong way to give Shettleston the lead.
Great credit to the remaining ten players though, they rolled up their sleeves and got on with it and to a man gave it their best effort to try and save the game. Jack Currie had his usual thankless task of trying to hold the ball up against two or three defenders at every turn but he did brilliantly to wriggle free from three Shettleston men and fire in Thistle’s best effort of the first half, a low shot that the keeper did well to reach.
Minutes later Thistle were on the attack again through Currie who span his defender and raced onto a good ball down the line from Taylor Scott, Scott kept the run going and got into the middle to take the return ball and found Mark Cuthbertson at the back post whose low shot was blocked by the keeper. Thistle were pressing hard for an equaliser and nearly got one when Scott was in again on the keeper after a horrendous error from the centre half trying to head clear, he had options with Currie in the middle but chose to shoot early and gave the keeper too much of a chance.
The game could have been over in the 38th minute as Shettleston broke clear but star man McGrotty fired just over from the edge of the box, instead Thistle broke back up the park and Currie won a free kick on the left. Scott Cowan swung in a good ball and the referee spotted a foul on Ben Elliot and awarded Larkhall a penalty. Scott stepped up and despatched the ball confidently into the corner for the equaliser.
The visitors were none too happy at having lost the lead and set about regaining it with some good pressure on the Jags goal. A great move finished with a nice reverse pass that split the Thistle defence but the striker put the ball just past the post and a minute later Cuthbertson had to look lively to poke the ball clear to prevent a tap-in.
Half time came without any further damage being done and the teams went in level.
Half time: Larkhall Thistle 1 Shettleston 1
The bombardment of the end of the first half continued into the start of the second and Adam Boyle had to make a fantastic sliding tackle to prevent a certain goal after a neat Shettleston move but the dam burst in the 57th minute. A throw in on the left found McGrotty in space, he collected the ball and ran across the 18 yard line making space and hit a low shot past Cherry.
The difference between the teams was illustrated five minutes later with an almost identikit move for Thistle, a throw found Taylor Scott on the edge and although he did well to make space his shot trundled weakly into the arms of the keeper.
Thistle introduced a couple of youngsters, Connor Phairs and Steven Kyle and neither looked out of place with both of them making lively contributions but it was all over when the game’s outstanding player McGrotty claimed his hat trick on 75 minutes, a ball over the top wasn’t defended and he ran on to place the ball past Cherry.
No lack of effort today but the game was killed by the early sending off of Dom Chiedu, the better team won and in all probability will go on to win the league. There were no failures in the Thistle team but Jack Currie looked back to his best with a heroic display up front and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet.
Full time: Larkhall Thistle 1 Shettleston 3
Larkhall Thistle:
Cherry; Cowan (Kyle 82), Chiedu, Stewart, Adam; Cuthbertson (Phairs 60), Boyle, Grenfell, Elliot, Currie, Scott (Wilson 75)
