Larkhall Thistle 5 Port Glasgow 2 – 1st June, 2013

Stagecoach West of Scotland League Central District First Division
Gasworks Park, Larkhall
Larkhall Thistle v Port Glasgow

Larkhall Thistle went in to their final league game of the season knowing that a win would see them promoted to the Super League First Division – if county rivals Lesmahagow failed to win their home game against Dunipace which was taking place at the same time. The Gow had been on a good end of season run and were favourites to complete the task knowing that a win would guarantee them the final promotion slot, so all Thistle could do was win the game and hope for a slip-up at Craighead.

The Jags got off to the best of starts and any early nerves were blown away in the fifth minute. Mark Canning won the ball on the right side of midfield and played it forward to Graham Gracie who flicked it past the onrushing keeper and into the empty net to put the home side one up.

Ten minutes later it was 2-0, The Port Glasgow defence allowed Gracie too much space on the left of midfield and although there looked to be nothing on, the Jags top scorer swung a fierce dipping shot over the keeper and into the far corner of the net from 20 yards out. Gracie almost completed his hat-trick just two minutes later but his header from a Brian Jack cross was well saved by Port keeper Tucker.

The lead was extended after 24 minutes though when Scott Nicholl took a corner on the right and it pinged back and forth before falling for Alan Fleming who drilled it low into the middle of the goals from 10 yards.

Port Glasgow were looking like a team who had played four games in eight days and were relegated already and it took until the 28th minute before they mounted their first real attack of the game but they should have scored with a free header from a corner on the right.

Thistle rounded off the first half scoring with a fourth, three minutes from the interval. Canning again won the ball and drove on before slipping the ball through to Gracie who coolly slipped it past the keeper from 10 yards. The final drama of the half came in injury time when Jags goalkeeper Davie McEwan was forced to handle a careless back-pass six yards out and was booked for the offence. McEwan himself led the charge from the resultant indirect free kick and produced a fine diving save.

Half Time: Larkhall Thistle 4 Port Glasgow 0

Thistle’s last game before this had been against Port Glasgow in the reverse league fixture and although it was almost a month ago, both teams seemed to remember the script. Once again, as at Parklea, Port came out for the second half four goals down but determined to salvage some pride from the game. And like last time they hit back early in the half with a goal in the 51st minute, slack defending allowing Devlin a free header from a free kick swung into the box.

The Jags restored their four-goal advantage six minutes later though when JP Grant latched on to a loose ball and headed over Tucker into the net from 12 yards out. Mark McKeever, playing his last game before retiring, nearly rounded off the day in the 65th minute when he made a good run down the left wing and dinked a shot over the keeper but just over the bar. The Jags were searching for a sixth and came close again when Gracie chested a through ball right into the path of Canning who took it in his stride and ran in but blasted his shot over the bar.

McKay pulled another goal back for the visitors in 71 minutes with a low drive from the edge of the box that gave McEwan no chance. Thistle replied ten minutes later when substitute Scott McLachlan – who replaced Brian Jack – nicked in and stole the ball from a weary looking Port defender before making for the by-line and cutting the ball back for Gracie. The striker’s shot though for once was weak and easily saved.

The final chance of the game fell to Port Glasgow seven minutes from time and again it was a corner that led to another free header which was cleared off the line by Scott Nicholl.

Thistle won their game then as they had to do but meanwhile a few miles south on the M74 Lesmahagow had turned round a 0-1 half-time deficit to run out 4-1 winners and scupper the Jags promotion hopes. Like last season Thistle had beaten Port Glasgow in the last game to stay in the league, this time however it was for the wrong reason.

So the Jags wrapped up their season with a win that summed up the campaign. Five goals scored made it a round 100 for the season in all competitions and 80 in the league – by far the best. However the two goals conceded told another story, a poor defensive record was what cost promotion in the end.

Full Time: Larkhall Thistle 5 Port Glasgow 2
Thistle Scorers: Gracie 3, Fleming, Grant

Larkhall Thistle Team:
McEwan; Brown, Kelly, Fleming, Nicholl, McKeever, Canning, Grant, Jack; McGeachie, Gracie. Subs: Russell, McLachlan, Moss

Port Glasgow:
Tucker; Casement, McDonald, Coyle, McGuire; Jamieson, Brown, Haggerty, Frizzell, Devlin, McKay. Subs: Smith, Beattie, Boyland

Best for Thistle on the day was Gracie with a good performance too from Canning, and a special mention and thanks for his years of service to the club to Mark McKeever, all the best for the future Mark.

Larkhall Thistle 4 East Kilbride 1 – 1st May 2013
Port Glasgow 1 Larkhall Thistle 4 – 4th May 2013

Due to various factors there were no more fixtures  in May and we had to wait till June 1st to play the last game of the season.

These factors included freak weather for the time of year causing postponements, Port Glasgow having a massive backlog of fixtures and playing them all before playing Thistle and Royal Albert sharing the park and having to fulfil their fixtures.

Larkhall Thistle kept up their promotion push with the win they needed today at the new Parklea sports complex and with Lesmahagow losing it turned out to be a very good day for the Jags. The situation at the top of the league is now more clear-cut, St Anthony’s have finished their programme and are on 49 points and only Thistle and Lesmahagow can overtake them. If Thistle win their last game – also against Port Glasgow – they will finish on 50 points, Lesmahagow need to win their remaining four games to reach 52 points so if the Gow drop any points and we win our last game then we will be promoted.

It’s all ifs and buts and the only thing Thistle can do is concentrate on winning the last game, whenever that is scheduled. There will need to be a bit of an improvement from today’s second half performance though because if Port Glasgow carry on where they left off today they could cause an upset.

The Jags started looking determined to get the job done and the points tied up and were four goals up in a devastating 11 minute spell before Port knew what had hit them. Ross McGeachie had served an early warning of what was to come, after only six minutes Mark McKeever took the ball on the right wing after a well worked move and put in a great cross for McGeachie to see his header fly past the left post. Port Glasgow’s only real threatening move of the early stages came a couple of minutes later when a high ball over the top caught out the Thistle defence and as the Port striker raced clear with Hugh Kelly, the Jags man fell over and took him down as well inside the box but the home side’s loud penalty claims were waved aside.

JP Grant opened the scoring for Thistle after 13 minutes, a free kick on the right of the goal was swung in by Scott Nicholl and his header flew into the top left hand corner of the net.

Two minutes later the Jags doubled their lead, a long ball out of defence was flicked on by McGeachie for Graham Gracie to run on to, the big striker sprinted past the defence from 40 yards and took the ball in on the keeper before slotting it low into the net. The home side were claiming offside but he had clearly started his run from between two Port Glasgow defenders.

Three minutes later it was 3-0 and still only 18 minutes played. Grant looked to have lost the ball in midfield but did well to recover and collect it before playing it out wide to the right, McKeever took on the defender but the ball went out and again the home side were up in arms as they felt it was their throw. Canning managed to get the ball across into the box and McGeachie found a yard of space to get his head to it and score.

Thistle were enjoying themselves now and Dean Richardson set off on a great run after 24 minutes, playing a neat one-two before bursting into the box and to be honest running into the back of a home defender. This time the Port Glasgow players and fans were entitled to their protests as the referee awarded a penalty which was converted by the reliable Grant who kept up his excellent scoring record from the spot this season.

Port Glasgow had a couple of chances just after the fourth goal, the first through a long ball which found a Port striker and as he was bearing down on goal only a fantastic last gasp tackle from Richardson kept the clean sheet intact. Richardson was forced into another similar challenge ony two minutes later and again won the ball cleanly to avert any danger.

Thistle looked content to see out the rest of the first half with their four goal lead and the only other time they came close was ten minutes from the interval when a good interchange between Richardson, Grant and Mark Canning set up Richardson for a shot which went just over the bar.

Half Time: Port Glasgow 0 Larkhall Thistle 4

The second half began with news that Lesmahagow were two goals down and whether or not that had an effect on the performance, it was low-key to say the least. It was a half that was best forgotten for the Jags as they lost a goal and were under pressure throughout, and could have lost even more on another day.

Port Glasgow got on the scoresheet after 61 minutes and it was a goal their play had deserved. A ball down the right wing wasn’t closed down and from the cross a straightforward header in the middle gave keeper McEwan no chance.

Thistle hit back quickly and Ross McGeachie reacted first to take a quick free kick which he played to Canning, the midfielder looked up and hit a long shot from 25 yards just over the bar.

Port Glasgow pushed again looking to close the gap further but in the 70th minute Jags manager Dunky Sinclair knew that the game was won, bringing on Brian Jack for Mark Canning. Andy Brown, who had been out with a hamstring injury, also got a run out in place of Mark Russell.

Richardson got involved in the opposition half again three minutes later when he played another one-two and went down in the box in a carbon-copy of the first half penalty incident. This time however there was no penalty claim and the referee didn’t see it as a foul.

Thistle were under the cosh again 11 minutes from time when Port Glasgow won a series of corners that were defended a bit desperately, eventually the ball was scrambled clear and broke out to Jack in the middle of the park but his scooped pass out wide under no real pressure went out of the park and the move broke down.

Larkhall made a final substitution bringing on Stuart McFarlane for Scott Nicholl nine minutes from the end and were lucky to escape again two minutes later when Kelly made a desperate last gasp tackle with the Port Glasgow striker through on goal. The Jags had one more attempt at goal left with three minutes to go when McKeever set up Gracie for a run into the box and low left foot shot but the keeper saved comfortably.

So a bit of an anti-climax in the end as far as the actual game went but a great result that keeps Thistle firmly in the hunt for the other promotion spot, Port Glasgow can escape relegation mathematically but look to have too much to do, Dunipace only need three points from their remaining six games to send them down.

Full Time: Port Glasgow 1 Larkhall Thistle 4

Thistle Scorers: Gracie, Grant 2, McGeachie

Larkhall Thistle Team:
McEwan; Russell, Fleming, Kelly, Richardson; McKeever, Canning, Grant, Nicholl; McGeachie, Gracie. Subs McFarlane, Weir, Jack, Brown, Moss

Best for Thistle on the day was Dean Richardson, but Ross McGeachie also put in a great performance topped with a well-taken goal

Unfortunately a combination of heavy rain, snow and frost meant that there were hardly any junior football games played anywhere in Scotland during December 2012.

In common with a lot of other clubs, Larkhall Thistle didn’t manage to play any games in the whole of the month. Games against Greenock, East Kilbride Thistle,  Shettleston, Port Glasgow and Benburb were all due to be played but fell foul of the weather.