Gasworks Park, Larkhall
Larkhall Thistle v Irvine Meadow
West of Scotland Cup
With Thistle and Irvine Meadow in the same league this season, the teams found themselves in the unusual position of meeting each other for the first time at the end of March with the two league games also still left to play. The Jags went into the game on the back of two consecutive home wins for the first time this season while Irvine Meadow went into the game high on confidence after an excellent result last week, a 2-0 win against high-flying Cambuslang Rangers.
The Jags were still missing Graham Gracie, Ryan Innes and Craig Forbes, while Declan Doyle who came on as a sub last week kept his place at right back.
Thistle were first to threaten after seven minutes when David Reid broke down the left side and whipped in a cross that Johnny McStay just failed to connect with, Irvine Meadow’s first attempt came five minutes later when a cross was cushioned into the path of their number 8 who half-volleyed over the bar from 25 yards.
Larkhall keeper Johnny Duncan was called into his first serious action midway through the half when he got down well to save a shot from the right after Niall Reynolds had been caught out of position. Minutes later another cross from the right found the Meadow number 9 isolated in the middle of the box and Duncan did well to come out and block what would have been a certain goal. Reid burst forward in reply and kept going down the left, getting a decent shot away that cleared the far post.
Both teams were going for it in an open cup tie and the game flowed from side to side with not much let up throughout the first half. The referee however was coming under fire from the home contingent for a series of questionable decisions, most notably failing to book an Irvine player for grabbing Reid round the throat and throwing him down just minutes after he’d booked Doyle for a softer foul the other way and a couple of bad advantage decisions that he failed to let go.
Johnny McStay had possibly Thistle’s best chance of the half to take the lead with a header from six yards, in fairness to him it had taken a touch off a defender before it reached him and he got slightly underneath it. Meadow’s centre half rounded off the half with a shot again from the right that flew just over the bar.
Half time: Larkhall Thistle 0 Irvine Meadow 0
Thistle got off to a bit of a flyer in the second half with Mark KcKeever bringing out a good save after he had been put in by Brian Jack, that was followed by a Reid shot that was heading for the roof of the net but was again saved well. Another run by Reid ended when he was fouled twenty yards out and took the free kick himself, this time straight at the keeper.
Seventy minutes into the game the tide started to turn the way of Irvine who brought out another two good saves from Duncan in quick succession. The first half had been even with both teams making chances but neither being able to take them and the game was crying out for somebody with a bit of spark who was going to make the difference. Why Eddie McTernan only came on as a substitute was a bit of a mystery as he was by far the visitors best player on the day and single handedly changed the game.
Meadow took the lead with 16 minutes left just as the game looked to be heading for a stalemate. A ball in from the left was missed by Liam Mushett in the middle and the ball fell perfectly for McTernan who slotted it across Duncan into the far corner.
The goal signalled a collase in the home defence and a further three goals in an eight minute spell gave the game a somewhat surreal final score line. McTernan got his second with the goal of the game, cutting across the edge of the area before curling a shot into the top corner then set up the third when he took the ball wide after the Jags defence had failed to deal with a long ball, squaring across the six yard box for a back post tap in for Boyd. The scoring was completed by Carson who finished a cross from the right with a scuffed shot that squeezed just inside the post.
David Reid picked up a second yellow card minutes before the end.
It was a day to forget for Thistle but although Irvine Meadow were the better team on the day and deserved the win, it should never have been a four goal defeat on the balance of play and chances created. Hopefully some lessons to be learned ahead of the teams meeting in the league in a couple of weeks.
Full time: Larkhall Thistle 0 Irvine Meadow 4
Larkhall Thistle:
Duncan 64; Doyle (Robb 73), Brown, Mushett, Reynolds; Canning; McKeever (Payne 66) Jack, Reid; G McStay (Clarke 66), J McStay. Subs: Thomson (GK), Cuthbertson
Booked: Doyle, Mushett
Sent off: Reid
MoM:
The defence is clearly a problem for the Jags with Andy Brown the only one who looks able to compete with the better teams at this level and he did his best to mount a one-man resistance today with a great performance, just shading it from Johnny Duncan who had several very good saves and not much chance with the goals.