Ashfield 0 Larkhall Thistle 2 – 22nd July 2015

Thistle visited Ashfield for this friendly in a stadium which had been completely revamped. Dunky once again started with a much changed team from Saturday with Declan Doyle, Joshua Payne and Brian Felvus on from the start and Andy Brown returning from holiday also in the eleven.

Thistle started very well, playing attractive football and controlling the game so it was no surprise when they took the lead through Felvus who netted after a Mark McKeever corner had only been partially cleared. The Jags continued to control the game and the Ashfield keeper did well to stop shots from Graham Gracie and Felvus, with a header from Payne being scrambled off the line.

Ashfield then came into the game with a 15 minute spell but did not really trouble Stuart Thomson. It was not long into the second half when Dunky started making changes, with Gracie and Felvus being replaced by  Matty Clarke and Gary Daly. Thistle continued to push forward and the keeper had excellent stops from Innes and Clarke. Further substitutions were then made, with Jack, Payne, Doyle and Brown replaced by Hugh Kelly, David Reid, David McPhee and Neil Schoneville.

The game continued with the Jags pushing forward and after an Ashfield defender had handled the ball in the box Matty Clarke despatched the perfect penalty into the left corner of the net. The home keeper then made first a class stop again from Ryan Innes and had one-on-one saves from Clarke and Reid although the second one looked like a penalty.

Ashfield then put some pressure on the Thistle goal and Stuart Thomson received a bloody nose after he managed to stop a net bound shot with his face. Like Saturday the game left the management team with much to ponder.

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