INFO
AIRDRIE UNITED 1-0 MORTON
LEAGUE GAME 19
VENUE � EXCELSIOR
KICK OFF TIME � 3:00PM
DATE � SATURDAY 27 DECEMBER 2008
STARTING 11
1 � STEPHEN ROBERTSON, 2 � WILLIAM MCLACHLAN - MAN OF THE MATCH, 3 - DAVID NIXON, 4 - KEVIN MCDONALD,
5 - BOBBY DONNELLY, 6 - MARC SMYTH (CAPTAIN), 7 - STEVEN MCDOUGALL, 8 - STEPHEN MCKENNA,
9 - SIMON LYNCH - 1 GOAL, 10 - SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, 11 - JOE CARDLE
SUB - USED
12 - DARREN SMITH FOR 11 - JOE CARDLE, 15 - PAUL DI GIACOMO FOR 9 - SIMON LYNCH,
16 - STEPHEN MAGUIRE FOR 7 STEVEN MCDOUGALL
SUBS - NOT USED
14 - MICHAEL BROWN, 17 � LEE HOLLIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
2 - WILLIAM MCLACHLAN
MATCH REPORT
AIRDRIE UNITED RETURNED TO WINNING WAYS TODAY IN THE LEAGUE AS THEY WON 1-0 AGAINST MORTON IN THE 19TH LEAGUE GAME OF THE SEASON THANKS TO A PENALTY FROM TOP GOALSCORER SIMON LYNCH.
FOR THE GAME MANAGER KENNY BLACK STUCK WITH THE SAME STARTING ELEVEN THAT STARTED IN THE PREVIOUS GAME AGAINST ST JOHNSTONE AND MADE ONE CHANGE TO THE SUBSTITUTES AS PAUL DI GIACOMO RETURNED FROM INJURY AND WAS NAMED ON THE BENCH AT THE EXPENSE OF KEVIN WATT.
FIRST HALF
THE OPENING CHANCE OF THE GAME CAME FOR AIRDRIE ON THE 6TH MINUTE WHEN SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT KEVIN CUTHBERT PARRIED THE BALL AWAY AND MORTON CLEARED THE DANGER. THREE MINUTES LATER STEVEN MASTERTON HAD A GO FOR MORTON FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE. THE NEXT CHANCE CAME FOR MORTON�S JAMES GRADY ON THE 17TH MINUTE WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. TWO MINUTES LATER ALLAN JENKINS HAD A GO FROM INSIDE THE BOX FOR MORTON BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON PARRIED THE BALL AWAY AND FROM THE REBOUND JAMES GRADY HIT A SHOT BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR.
SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HAD HIS AND AIRDRIE�S SECOND CHANCE OF THE GAME ON THE 20TH MINUTE WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT JUST OVER THE BAR. A FEW MINUTES LATER STEVEN MASTERTON HAD A GO FOR MORTON FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT IT ALSO WENT JUST OVER THE BAR. A MINUTE LATER JAMES GRADY HAD A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX FOR MORTON BUT IT WENT JUST WIDE. MORTON�S KEVIN FINLAYSON AND PETER WEATHERSON HAD THE NEXT TWO CHANCES BON THE 28TH AND 29TH MINUTES BUT BOTH OF THEIR EFFORTS WERE OFF TARGET.
SIMON LYNCH WENT CLOSE TO OPENING THE SCORING FOR AIRDRIE ON THE 31ST MINUTE WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT TOOK A DEFLECTION ON ROUTE TO GOAL AND KEVIN CUTHBERT WAS ABLE TO GET FINGERTIPS TO IT TO TURN IT AROUND THE POST AND FROM THE RESULTING CORNER THE BALL WAS CLEARED. A MINUTE LATER AIRDRIE WON A CORNER AND FROM IT THE BALL WAS CROSSED TO THE EDGE OF THE BOX AND STEPHEN MCKENNA SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS AND SIMON LYNCH TURNED IT GOALWARDS BUT MORTON CLEARED THE BALL OFF THE LINE. SHORTLY AFTER THIS SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HAD A GO FROM THE TOP OF THE BOX BUT IT WENT JUST WIDE. ON THE 39TH MINUTE SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HAD ANOTHER CHANCE AS HE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT KEVIN CUTHBERT PULLED OFF A TERRIFIC SAVE BY PARRYING THE BALL AWAY AND THE MORTON DEFENCE CLEARED THE DANGER. WITH ONLY A MINUTE LEFT IN THE HALF POOR DEFENDING BY MORTON�S CHRIS SMITH RESULTED IN SIMON LYNCH RACING ONE ON ONE WITH MORTON�S KEVIN CUTHBERT AND SIMON ATTEMPTED TO ROUND HIM INSIDE THE BOX BUT KEVIN CUTHBERT PULLED HIM DOWN AND AIRDRIE WERE AWARDED A PENALTY AND KEVIN CUTHBERT WAS SHOWN A STRAIGHT RED CARD. DUE TO THIS MORTON HAD TO BRING ON GOALKEEPER COLIN STEWART AND HE CAME ON FOR CHRIS SMITH. COLIN STEWART�S FIRST TASK WAS TO PICK THE BALL OUT OF THE BACK OF THE NET THOUGH AS FROM THE PENALTY SIMON LYNCH SENT COLIN THE WRONG WAY AND THE BALL INTO THE NET TO GIVE AIRDRIE THE LEAD AND SEND THEM INTO HALF TIME WINNING 1-0.
SECOND HALF
ON THE 48TH MINUTE MORTON HAD THE OPENING CHANCE OF THE HALF AS PETER WEATHERSON HIT A SHOT FROM THE EDGE OF THE BOX BUT IT WENT WIDE. SEVEN MINUTES LATER MORTON�S JAMES GRADY HAD A PENALTY APPEAL TURNED DOWN. SHORTLY AFTER THIS SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE. IT WAS JOE CARDLE�S TURN TO HAVE A GO FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT A FEW MINUTES LATER WHEN HE HIT A SHOT BUT IT WENT HIGH AND WIDE. THEN ON THE 63RD MINUTE AIRDRIE WON A CORNER AND FROM IT THE BALL WAS CROSSED INTO THE BOX AND NOT CLEARED PROPERLY AND IT FELL TO STEPHEN MCKENNA AT THE EDGE OF THE BOX AND HE HIT A SHOT BUT IT WENT WIDE.
MORTON HAD THEIR SECOND PENALTY APPEAL ON THE 68TH MINUTE TURNED DOWN AND FOUR MINUTES AFTER THIS AIRDRIE MADE THEIR FIRST SUBSTITUTION OF THE GAME AS PAUL DI GIACOMO CAME ON FOR SIMON LYNCH. KEVIN MCDONALD HAD THE NEXT CHANCE FOR AIRDRIE ON THE 74TH MINUTE WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. SHORTLY AFTER THIS JAMES MCALLISTER HAD A GO FROM THE TOP OF THE BOX MORTON BUT IT WAS SAVED BY STEPHEN ROBERTSON. AIRDRIE HAD THE NEXT TWO CHANCES OF THE GAME ON THE 76TH AND 77TH MINUTES. FIRSTLY STEPHEN MCKENNA HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE AND THEN FROM A JOE CARDLE CROSS TO THE BACK POST AN UNMARKED PAUL DI GIACOMO SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT COLIN STEWART PARRIED THE BALL AWAY AND FROM THE CORNER THE BALL WAS CLEARED.
ON THE 83RD MINUTE AIRDRIE MADE THEIR SECOND SUBSTITUTION OF THE GAME AS DARREN SMITH CAME ON FOR JOE CARDLE. FOUR MINUTES LATER PAUL DI GIACOMO WAS YELLOW CARDED. DURING INJURY TIME MORTON HAD ONE MORE CHANCE AS JAMES MCALLISTER HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. TO RUN THE CLOCK DOWN AIRDRIE MADE ONE MORE SUBSTITUTION AS STEPHEN MAGUIRE CAME ON FOR STEVEN MCDOUGALL. STEPHEN MAGUIRE WAS TO GO A RUN WITH THE BALL SHORTLY AFTER HE CAME ON AND AFTER THIS THE FULL TIME WHISTLE WAS BLOWN AND AIRDRIE WON THE GAME 1-0.