INFO
AIRDRIE UNITED 1-1 DUNFERMLINE
LEAGUE GAME 31
VENUE � EXCELSIOR
KICK OFF TIME � 3:00PM
DATE � SATURDAY 04 APRIL 2009
STARTING 11
1 � STEPHEN ROBERTSON, 2 � MARC SMYTH (CAPTAIN), 3 � WILLIAM MCLACHLAN � MAN OF THE MATCH,
4 � KEVIN MCDONALD, 5 � BOBBY DONNELLY, 6 � DAVID NIXON, 7 � STEVEN MCDOUGALL, 8 � STEPHEN MCKENNA,
9 � PAUL DI GIACOMO, 10 � JOHN BAIRD, 11 � SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN
SUBS - USED
12 � DARREN SMITH FOR 7 � STEVEN MCDOUGALL, 15 � SIMON LYNCH FOR 9 � PAUL DI GIACOMO,
16 � KEVIN WATT FOR 10 � JOHN BAIRD
SUBS - NOT USED
14 � MICHAEL BROWN, 17 � LEE HOLLIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
3 - WILLIAM MCLACHLAN
MATCH REPORT
DUNFERMLINE SCORED AN EQUALIZER TO MAKE IT 1-1 VERY LATE INTO STOPPAGE TIME TO DENY AIRDRIE A CRUCIAL THREE POINTS.
FOR THE GAME AIRDRIE MADE TWO CHANGES TO THE STARTING ELEVEN FROM THE PREVIOUS GAME AS KEVIN MCDONALD AND PAUL DI GIACOMO WERE HANDED STARTS AT THE EXPENSE OF DARREN SMITH AND SIMON LYNCH WHO WERE ON THE SUBSTITUTE�S BENCH ALONG WITH LEE HOLLIS, MICHAEL BROWN AND KEVIN WATT.
FIRST HALF
DUNFERMLINE STARTED THE GAME BRIGHTLY AND DURING THE SECOND MINUTE STEVEN BELL GOT ONTO THE END OF AN AUSTIN MCCANN CROSS INTO THE BOX WITH A HEADER BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. AIRDRIE HAD TO WAIT A FURTHER FIVE MINUTES UNTIL PAUL DI GIACOMO HAD THERE FIRST CHANCE AS FROM INSIDE THE BOX HE HIT A SHOT BUT PAUL GALLACHER PARRIED THE BALL AWAY AND HIS DEFENCE CLEARED THE DANGER. CALLUM WOODS HAD A CHANCE FOR DUNFERMLINE A FEW MINUTES LATER WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM THE TOP OF THE BOX BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. ON THE 14TH MINUTE KEVIN MCDONALD WAS SHOWN THE FIRST YELLOW CARD OF THE AFTERNOON FOR A FOUL ON STEPHEN GLASS. SIX MINUTES LATER WILLIE MCLACHLAN HAD A GO FROM DISTANCE FOR THE DIAMONDS BUT IT WENT WIDE.
DUNFERMLINE THOUGHT THAT THEY HAD TAKING THE LEAD ON THE 22ND MINUTE AS FROM A CALLUM WOODS CROSS INTO THE BOX STEVEN BELL LEANED OVER STEPHEN MCKENNA AND HEADED THE BALL INTO THE NET BUT THE REFEREE DISALLOWED THE GOAL. ELEVEN MINUTES LATER AIRDRIE GAVE POSSESSION AWAY CHEAPLY AND THIS ALLOWED STEVEN BELL TO RACE IN ON GOAL AND HIT A SHOT BUT IT WENT WIDE. WITH ONLY FOUR MINUTES OF THE HALF REMAINING JOHN BAIRD BECAME AIRDRIE�S SECOND PLAYER TO BE SHOWN A YELLOW CARD. TWO MINUTES LATER AIRDRIE HAD THEIR FINAL CHANCE OF THE HALF WHEN THEY WON A FREE KICK ABOUT 25 YARDS FROM GOAL AS FROM IT STEVEN MCDOUGALL CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND JOHN BAIRD SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT IT WENT WIDE. DURING THE FINAL MINUTE OF THE HALF DUNFERMLINE CAME EXTREMELY CLOSE TO TAKING THE LEAD AS FROM ABOUT 40 YARDS OUT STEPHEN GLASS HIT A SHOT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON FLEW THROUGH THE AIR TO SUPERBLY TURN THE BALL AROUND THE POST AND FROM THE CORNER THE DANGER WAS CLEARED AND THE TEAMS HEADED INTO HALF TIME ALL LEVEL.
SECOND HALF
DURING THE OPENING FIVE MINUTES OF THE HALF BOTH TEAMS HAD A CHANCE AND ON THE 49TH MINUTE AIRDRIE HAD THERE CHANCE AS SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT PAUL GALLACHER MADE THE SAVE. A MINUTE LATER DUNFERMLINE HAD A GO FROM THE SAME DISTANCE BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. THEN ON THE 53RD MINUTE AIRDRIE CAME CLOSE TO TAKING THE LEAD AS FROM A WILLIAM MCLACHLAN CROSS INTO THE BOX JOHN BAIRD GOT ONTO THE END OF IT WITH A HEADER BUT PAUL GALLACHER MADE THE SAVE. EIGHT MINUTES LATER JOHN BAIRD GOT ONTO THE END OF ANOTHER WILLIAM MCLACHLAN CROSS INTO THE BOX BUT THIS TIME WITH A SHOT BUT IT TOOK A DEFLECTION AND WENT JUST OVER THE BAR AND FROM THE CORNER THE BALL WAS CROSSED INTO THE BOX AND STEPHEN MCKENNA SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT IT WAS EASILY SAVED BY PAUL GALLACHER.
AIRDRIE CONTINUED TO SEARCH FOR THE OPENING GOAL OF THE GAME AND ON THE 66TH MINUTE KEVIN MCDONALD HAD A GO FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. TWO MINUTES LATER AIRDRIE MADE A DOUBLE SUBSTITUTION AS DARREN SMITH AND SIMON LYNCH CAME ON FOR STEVEN MCDOUGALL AND PAUL DI GIACOMO AND SHORTLY AFTER THIS MARC SMYTH HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WAS SAVED. A FEW MINUTES LATER DUNFERMLINE HAD A GO FROM DISTANCE BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. ON THE 76TH MINUTE AIRDRIE HAD A GREAT CHANCE TO TAKE THE LEAD AS FROM A DANGEROUS DARREN SMITH CROSS INTO THE BOX SIMON LYNCH GOT ONTO THE END OF IT WITH A SHOT JUST OVER SIX YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR.
WITH ONLY NINE MINUTES OF THE GAME REMAINING AIRDRIE MADE THERE FINAL SUBSTITUTION AS KEVIN WATT CAME ON FOR JOHN BAIRD AND TWO MINUTES LATER AIRDRIE WON A FREE KICK ABOUT 25 YARDS FROM GOAL AND FROM IT DARREN SMITH CURLED THE BALL OVER THE WALL AND SENT IT FLYING INTO THE NET TO GIVE PAUL GALLACHER NO CHANCE AND AIRDRIE THE LEAD. DUNFERMLINE WAS TO THROW EVERYTHING THEY HAD LEFT AT AIRDRIE AND A MINUTE AFTER GOING A GOAL DOWN WON A CORNER AND FROM IT THE BALL WAS CROSSED INTO THE BOX AND NOT CLEARED PROPERLY AND THIS LET GRAHAM BAYNE HIT A SHOT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. THREE MINUTES LATER CALLUM WOODS HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT FOR DUNFERMLINE BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR AND THEN LATE INTO STOPPAGE TIME AUSTIN MCCANN SENT A HIGH DIAGONAL BALL INTO THE BOX AND STEPHEN ROBERTSON CAME OUT TO CLAIM THE BALL BUT HE COULD NOT GET IT AND IT HIT A DUNFERMLINE PLAYER AND ENDED UP GOING INTO THE NET OFF OF GREG ROSS�S SHOULDER TO WIN DUNFERMLINE A POINT.