INFO
AIRDRIE UNITED 3-2 DUMBARTON
CHALLENGE CUP ROUND 1
VENUE � EXCELSIOR
KICK OFF TIME � 3:00PM
DATE - 26 JULY 2008
STARTING 11
1 � STEPHEN ROBERTSON, 2 � MARC SMYTH (CAPTAIN), 3 � MATTHEW HAZLEY, 4 � KEVIN MCDONALD, 5 � BOBBY DONNELLY, 6 � DAVID NIXON, 7 � STEVEN MCDOUGALL, 8 � STEPHEN MCKENNA, 9 � PAUL DI GIACOMO � 1 GOAL � MAN OF THE MATCH, 10 � STUART NOBLE � 1 GOAL, 11 � JOE CARDLE � 1 GOAL
SUBS
USED
12 � DARREN SMITH FOR 5 � BOBBY DONNELLY , 14 � SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN FOR 7 � STEVEN MCDOUGALL
16 � STEPHEN MAGUIRE FOR 10 � STUART NOBLE
NOT USED
15 � KEVIN WATT, 17 � LEE HOLLIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
9) PAUL DI GIACOMO
MATCH REPORT
AIRDRIE UNITED PRODUCED AN EXCELLENT SECOND HALF PERFORMANCE TO COME FROM 0-2 DOWN AND WIN THE GAME 3-2 IN THE FIRST ROUND OF THE CHALLENGE CUP TODAY AGAINST DUMBARTON.
FIRST HALF
THE GAME GOT OFF TO A SLOW START AS THE FIRST CHANCE OF IT WASN�T UNTIL THE 14TH MINUTE WHEN PAUL DI GIACOMO GOT ONTO THE END OF A STEVEN MCDOUGALL CROSS WITH A HEADER FROM TEN YARDS OUT BUT IT WAS SAVED BY DUMBARTON�S DAVID MCEWAN. A MINUTE LATER DUMBARTON HAD THERE FIRST CHANCE AS THEY HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. SHORTLY AFTER THIS THE DIAMONDS HAD ANOTHER CHANCE AS PAUL DI GIACOMO GOT ONTO THE END OF A JOE CARDLE CROSS WITH A HEADER FROM TEN YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. DUMBARTON WERE NEXT TO HAVE A GO ON THE 19TH MINUTE WHEN THEY BROKE THROUGH THE DEFENCE AND HIT A SHOT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON PARRIED THE BALL AWAY AND FROM THE REBOUND THEY CONTROLLED THE BALL AND HIT ANOTHER SHOT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON TURNED THE BALL AROUND THE POST AND FROM THE CORNER WE CLEARED THE DANGER.
JOE CARDLE WAS THE NEXT PLAYER TO HAVE A CHANCE IN THE MATCH AS ON THE 24TH MINUTE HE HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE. A MINUTE LATER DUMBARTON WON A FREE KICK ABOUT 40 YARDS FROM GOAL AND FROM IT THEY SENT THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND AN UNMARKED PLAYER FROM ABOUT SIX YARDS OUT SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT IT RATTLED THE POST AND FROM THE REBOUND ROSS CLARK VOLLEYED THE BALL HIGH INTO THE NET TO GIVE DUMBARTON THE LEAD. TWO MINUTES LATER DUMBARTON HAD ANOTHER CHANCE AS ONE OF THERE PLAYERS GOT ONTO A CROSS WITH HEADER ABOUT TEN YARDS FROM GOAL BUT IT WAS SAVED BY STEPHEN ROBERTSON. THEN ON THE 31ST MINUTE DEREK CARCARY HAD AN EXCELLENT CHANCE FOR DUMBARTON AS HE RACED ONE ON ONE WITH STEPHEN ROBERTSON AND HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT INCHES PAST THE POST.
THE NEXT THREE CHANCES WERE THEN ALL FOR THE DIAMONDS. FIRSTLY ON THE 33RD MINUTE DAVID NIXON GOT ONTO THE END OF A STEVEN MCDOUGALL CROSS WITH A HEADER ABOUT SIX YARDS FROM GOAL BUT IT WENT JUST OVER THE BAR. THREE MINUTES LATER PAUL DI GIACOMO EXCELLENTLY PLAYED STEVEN MCDOUGALL IN ON GOAL AND FROM INSIDE THE BOX HE HIT A SHOT BUT IT WAS PARRIED BY DAVID MCEWAN AND CLEARED BY HIS DEFENCE. A MINUTE AFTER THIS PAUL DI GIACOMO SKILFULLY WENT BY THREE DUMBARTON PLAYERS AND HIT A SHOT FROM THE TOP OF THE BOX BUT IT WENT FLYING OVER THE BAR. THEN ON THE 38TH MINUTE KEVIN MCDONALD WAS YELLOW CARDED FOR AN INCIDENT WITH DUMBARTON�S PAUL KEEGAN WHO ALSO WAS BOOKED. WITH ONLY TWO MINUTES OF THE HALF REMAINING DUMBARTON HAD THE LAST CHANCE OF THE HALF AND THEY DOUBLED THERE LEAD THROUGH IT AS FROM A CROSS INTO THE BOX AN UNMARKED DEREK CARCARY SENT A POWERFUL HEADER INTO THE NET.
SECOND HALF
BEFORE THE SECOND HALF BEGAN THE DIAMONDS MADE THERE FIRST SUBSTITUTION OF THE GAME AS DARREN SMITH CAME ON FOR BOBBY DONNELLY.
DURING THE OPENING 15 MINUTES OF THIS THERE WERE THREE CHANCES AND THEY WERE ALL FOR THE DIAMONDS. FIRSTLY ON THE 52ND MINUTE WE WON A CORNER AND FROM IT JOE CARDLE CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND STEPHEN MCKENNA SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT IT WAS SAVED. A MINUTE LATER STUART NOBLE UNLEASHED A ROCKET SHOT FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT AND IT WENT FLYING INTO THE TOP CORNER OF THE NET TO BRING THE DIAMONDS BACK INTO THE GAME AND TO BECOME A CONTENDER FOR GOAL OF THE SEASON IN ONLY THE FIRST GAME OF IT. THEN ON THE 58TH MINUTE THE IMPRESSIVE JOE CARDLE DRILLED A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT INTO THE BOTTOM CORNER OF THE NET FOR THE EQUALIZER.
ON THE 67TH MINUTE MARC SMYTH BECAME THE SECOND PLAYER TO BE BOOKED. A MINUTE LATER DAVID GRAY HAD A CHANCE FOR DUMBARTON AS HE HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. THEN ON THE 75TH MINUTE THE DIAMONDS HAD ANOTHER CHANCE AS PAUL DI GIACOMO CHASED THE BALL DOWN AND FROM THE EDGE OF THE BOX HE COOLLY VOLLEYED THE BALL INTO THE NET TO GIVE THE DIAMONDS THE LEAD.
DUMBARTON WERE TO HAVE THERE LAST TWO CHANCES OF THE GAME WITH THE NEXT TWO CHANCES IN THE GAME. FIRSTLY ON THE 78TH MINUTE THEY WON A FREE KICK ABOUT 35 YARDS FROM GOAL AND FROM IT THEY CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND A HEADER FROM ABOUT TEN YARDS OUT WAS SENT GOALWARDS BUT IT WENT WIDE. TWO MINUTES LATER THEY SENT ANOTHER CROSS INTO THE BOX AND A HEADER FROM SIX YARDS OUT WAS SAVED.
ON THE 83RD MINUTE THE DIAMONDS HAD ANOTHER CHANCE AS STUART NOBLE TURNED A MAN IN THE BOX AND HIT A SHOT BUT IT WENT WIDE. THEN WITH ONLY THREE MINUTES OF THE GAME REMAINING STUART NOBLE PASSED THE BALL ACROSS THE BOX TO JOE CARDLE AND HE HIT A SHOT BUT IT WENT INTO THE SIDE NETTING. WITH ONLY A MINUTE OF THE GAME REMAINING THE DIAMONDS MADE THEIR FINAL TWO SUBSTITUTIONS OF IT AS SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN AND STEPHEN MAGUIRE BOTH CAME ONTO MAKE THEIR AIRDRIE DEBUTS FOR STEVEN MCDOUGALL AND STUART NOBLE. DURING INJURY TIME SUBSTITUTE STEPHEN MAGUIRE HAD THE LAST CHANCE OF THE GAME AS HE SKINNED A DEFENDER AND HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT DAVID MCEWAN PARRIED THE BALL AWAY AND HIS DEFENCE CLEARED THE DANGER AS THE GAME DREW TO A CLOSE.