INFO
MORTON 2-0 AIRDRIE UNITED
LEAGUE GAME 15
VENUE � CAPPIELOW
KICK OFF TIME � 7:45PM
DATE � TUESDAY 25 NOVEMBER 2008
STARTING 11
1 � STEPHEN ROBERTSON, 2 � MARC SMYTH (CAPTAIN), 3 � MATTHEW HAZLEY, 4 � KEVIN MCDONALD, 5 � BOBBY DONNELLY, 6 � DAVID NIXON, 7 � JOE CARDLE � MAN OF THE MATCH, 8 � STEPHEN MCKENNA, 9 � PAUL DI GIACOMO,
10 � SIMON LYNCH, 11 � SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN
SUB - USED
16 � STUART NOBLE FOR 10 � SIMON LYNCH
SUBS - NOT USED
12 � DARREN SMITH, 14 - MICHAEL BROWN, 15 � STEVEN MCDOUGALL, 17 � LEE HOLLIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
7 - JOE CARDLE
MATCH REPORT
AIRDRIE UNITED SUFFERED THEIR SECOND DEFEAT IN A WEEK AS THEY LOST 2-0 AGAINST MORTON TONIGHT.
FOR THE GAME AIRDRIE MADE ONE CHANGE FROM THE STARTING ELEVEN AGAINST ROSS COUNTY AS MARC SMYTH RETURNED TO REPLACE DARREN SMITH WHO WAS ON THE BENCH.
FIRST HALF
THE GAME GOT OFF TO A SLOW START AND ON THE 12TH MINUTE JOE CARDLE HAD THE FIRST CHANCE OF IT FOR AIRDRIE WHEN THEY WON A FREE KICK ABOUT 25 YARDS FROM GOAL AS FROM IT HE HIT A SHOT BUT KEVIN CUTHBERT MADE THE SAVE. A MINUTE LATER STEPHEN MCKENNA HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE.
MORTON�S FIRST CHANCE OF THE GAME WAS ON THE 14TH MINUTE WHEN PETER WEATHERSON HAD A GO FROM DISTANCE BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. TWO MINUTES LATER MORTON WON A FREE KICK ABOUT 35 YARDS FROM GOAL AND FROM IT THE BALL WAS CROSSED INTO THE BOX AND PETER WEATHERSON SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. ON THE 21ST MINUTE MATTHEW HAZLEY WAS YELLOW CARDED AND A MINUTE LATER PETER WEATHERSON HAD HIS THIRD CHANCE OF THE GAME FOR MORTON WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON AGAIN MADE THE SAVE.
DISASTER STRUCK FOR AIRDRIE ON THE 34TH MINUTE AS STEPHEN ROBERTSON�S CLEARANCE WAS BLOCKED BY BRIAN WAKE AND THIS LET BRIAN SQUEEZE THE BALL INTO AN EMPTY NET TO GIVE MORTON THE LEAD DESPITE BOBBY DONNELLY�S DESPERATE LUNGE TO CLEAR THE BALL ON THE LINE. A FEW MINUTES LATER JIM MCALISTER HAD A CHANCE FOR MORTON FROM INSIDE THE BOX WHEN HE HIT A SHOT BUT IT WENT WIDE. WITH ONLY THREE MINUTES OF THE HALF REMAINING MORTON HAD ANOTHER CHANCE AS RYAN MCGUFFIE CUT THE BALL BACK TO BRIAN WAKE INSIDE THE BOX AND HE HIT A SHOT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON BRILLIANTLY TURNED THE BALL AROUND THE POST AND FROM THE RESULTING CORNER NO DANGER WAS CAUSED. DURING INJURY TIME BRIAN WAKE HAD ANOTHER CHANCE FOR MORTON AS HE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT WIDE AND THEY WENT INTO HALF TIME WITH THE ONE GOAL LEAD.
SECOND HALF
MORTON NEARLY GOT THE HALF OFF TO A GREAT START AS DURING THE FIRST MINUTE OF IT JIM MCALISTER HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON EXCELLENTLY PARRIED THE BALL AWAY AND FROM THE REBOUND ERIK ERIK PAARTALU'S REBOUND HIT THE POST. AIRDRIE RESPONDED TO THIS BY GOING CLOSE TO EQUALIZING TWO MINUTES LATER AS JOE CARDLE PLAYED SIMON LYNCH IN ON GOAL AND FROM INSIDE THE BOX SIMON HIT A SHOT BUT KEVIN CUTHBERT MADE THE SAVE.
ON THE 54TH MINUTE PAUL DI GIACOMO WAS YELLOW CARDED. FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER MORTON HAD THE NEXT CHANCE FROM DISTANCE BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. THEN ON THE 72ND MINUTE THEY HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE ANOTHER BRILLIANT SAVE BY TIPPING IT OVER THE BAR AND FROM THE RESULTING CORNER THE BALL WAS CROSSED INTO THE BOX AND CLEARED.
SIMON LYNCH HAD ANOTHER FANTASTIC CHANCE TO EQUALIZE ON THE 75TH MINUTE WHEN HE WAS PLAYED THROUGH ON GOAL BUT MORTON HAD A LUCKY ESCAPE AS SIMON�S SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX WENT JUST WIDE. WITH ONLY ELEVEN MINUTES OF THE GAME REMAINING AIRDRIE MADE THEIR ONLY SUBSTITUTION OF THE GAME AS STUART NOBLE CAME ON FOR SIMON LYNCH. AIRDRIE WERE TO HAVE TWO CHANCES AFTER THIS FIRSTLY ON THE 36TH MINUTE MARC SMYTH HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR AND A FEW MINUTES LATER SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HAD A GO FROM THE EDGE OF THE BOX BUT IT WENT WIDE. DURING THE FINAL FIVE MINUTES OF THE GAME JOE CARDLE WAS YELLOW CARDED FOR A LATE CHALLENGE ON JIM MCALISTER. THEN DURING INJURY TIME AIRDRIE WERE CAUGHT OUT ON THE COUNTER ATTACK BY MORTON AS KEVIN FINLAYSON�S PLAYED ALLAN JENKINS THROUGH ON GOAL AND HE CALMLY PLACED THE BALL INTO THE NET TO WIN THE GAME 2-0.