INFO
PARTICK THISTLE 0-1 AIRDRIE UNITED
ALBA CHALLENGE CUP SEMI FINAL
VENUE � FIRHILL
KICK OFF TIME � 2:00PM
DATE - SUNDAY 12 OCTOBER 2008
STARTING 11
1 � STEPHEN ROBERTSON, 2 � BOBBY DONNELLY, 3 � DAVID NIXON, 4 � DARREN SMITH, 5 � PAUL LOVERING (CAPTAIN),
6 � STEPHEN MCKENNA � MAN OF THE MATCH, 7 � STEVEN MCDOUGALL, 8 � SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN,
9 � PAUL DI GIACOMO � 1 GOAL, 10 � SIMON LYNCH, 11 � JOE CARDLE
SUBS
USED
14 � MICHAEL BROWN FOR 7 � STEVEN MCDOUGALL, 15 � STUART NOBLE FOR 10 � SIMON LYNCH
NOT USED
12 � MATTHEW HAZLEY, 16 � KEVIN WATT, 17 � LEE HOLLIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
6) STEPHEN MCKENNA
MATCH REPORT
AIRDRIE UNITED PRODUCED AN EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE BY WINNING 1-0 AGAINST PARTICK THISTLE THANKS TO PAUL DI GIACOMO GOAL TO SET UP AN ALBA CHALLENGE CUP FINAL WITH ROSS COUNTY.
FOR THE GAME THE DIAMONDS WERE FORCED TO MAKE TWO CHANGES TO THE PREVIOUS WEEKS STARTING ELEVEN AS MARC SMYTH AND KEVIN MCDONALD WERE SUSPENDED AND THIS MEANT DARREN SMITH AND SIMON LYNCH WHO WERE ON THE BENCH THE PREVIOUS WEEK WERE HANDED STARTS. MEANWHILE IN THE PARTICK THISTLE STARTING ELEVEN WERE FORMER AIRDRIE PLAYERS STEPHEN MCKEOWN AND MARK ROBERTS
FIRST HALF
AIRDRIE GOT THE GAME OFF TO A FANTASTIC START AS DURING THE 3RD MINUTE PAUL DI GIACOMO DRILLED A SHOT INTO THE BOTTOM CORNER OF THE NET TO MAKE IT 1-0 DESPITE CRAIG HINCHCLIFFE GETTING A HAND TO IT. A MINUTE LATER STEPHEN MCKENNA HAD A GO FOR THE DIAMONDS FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT FLYING OVER THE BAR. ON THE 13TH MINUTE AIRDRIE NEARLY INCREASED THEIR LEAD AS PAUL DI GIACOMO PLAYED THE BALL TO STEVEN MCDOUGALL AND FROM INSIDE THE BOX HE HIT A SHOT BUT CRAIG HINCHCLIFFE MADE THE SAVE.
PARTICK HAD THEIR FIRST CHANCE OF THE GAME ON THE 16TH MINUTE WHEN CHRIS TURNER DRILLED A SHOT GOALWARDS FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON PARRIED THE BALL AWAY AND FROM THE REBOUND STEPHEN MCKEOWN WAS UNABLE TO GET THE CORRECT CONTACT ON THE BALL AND THE DEFENCE CLEARED THE DANGER. SEVEN MINUTES LATER JOE CARDLE HAD A CHANCE FOR AIRDRIE WHEN HE WENT BY A MAN AND HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT FLYING HIGH AND WIDE. PAUL DI GIACOMO WAS TO COME CLOSE FOR AIRDRIE FIVE MINUTES LATER WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT CRAIG HINCHCLIFFE MADE THE SAVE. THEN ON THE 30TH MINUTE PAUL LOVERING SENT A CROSS INTO THE BOX AND SIMON LYNCH GOT ONTO IT WITH A HEADER BUT IT WAS SAVED. PARTICK HAD THE NEXT AND FINAL CHANCE OF THE HALF ON THE 44TH MINUTE WHEN DAVID ROWSON HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR AND AIRDRIE WENT INTO HALF TIME WITH A DESERVED ONE GOAL LEAD.
SECOND HALF
BEFORE THE SECOND HALF COULD BEGIN PARTICK THISTLE MADE A SUBSTITUTION AS PAUL PATON CAME ON FOR FORMER AIRDRIE PLAYER STEPHEN MCKEOWN. PAUL PATON WAS TO BE INVOLVED IN THE FIRST CHANCE OF THE HALF ON THE 56TH MINUTE AS HE SENT A CROSS INTO THE BACK POST WHICH SIMON DONNELLY HEADED GOALWARDS BUT IT WENT WIDE. THREE MINUTES LATER KEVIN MCKINLAY CAME WITHIN INCHES OF EQUALIZING AS FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT HE SENT A SHOT GOALWARDS BUT IT RATTLED THE CROSSBAR AND THE DEFENCE CLEARED THE DANGER. A MINUTE LATER PARTICK MADE THERE SECOND SUBSTITUTION OF THE GAME AS LIAM BUCHANAN CAME ON FOR FORMER AIRDRIE PLAYER MARK ROBERTS.
ON THE 71ST MINUTE AIRDRIE MADE THEIR FIRST SUBSTITUTION OF THE GAME AS MICHAEL BROWN CAME ON FOR STEVEN MCDOUGALL. HOWEVER IT WAS PARTICK THISTLE WHO HAD THE NEXT CHANCE A MINUTE LATER WHEN LIAM BUCHANAN HIT A SHOT FROM THE EDGE OF THE BOX BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. SIMON STOREY WAS TO HAVE THE NEXT CHANCE OF THE GAME FOR PARTICK THISTLE SEVEN MINUTES LATER WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE. BEFORE THE GAME COULD RESTART AIRDRIE MADE THEIR FINAL SUBSTITUTION OF THE GAME AS STUART NOBLE CAME ON FOR SIMON LYNCH. HOWEVER IT WAS PARTICK THISTLE WHO HAD THE NEXT CHANCE AGAIN AS FROM A CROSS KEVIN MCKINLAY SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON EXCELLENTLY TIPPED THE BALL OVER THE BAR AND FROM THE CORNER THE BALL WAS CROSSED INTO THE BOX AND DARREN SMITH CLEARED THE DANGER.
ON THE 81ST MINUTE PARTICK THISTLE MADE THEIR FINAL SUBSTITUTION AS SCOTT CHAPLAIN CAME ON FOR DAVID ROWSON. HOWEVER SIX MINUTES LATER STUART NOBLE WAS BROUGHT DOWN IN THE BOX BY IAN MAXWELL AND THE REFEREE AWARDED A PENALTY AND FROM IT GOALSCORER PAUL DI GIACOMO BLASTED THE BALL DOWN THE MIDDLE OF THE GOAL BUT DESPITE CRAIG HINCHCLIFFE DIVING TO HIS RIGHT HE WAS ABLE TO MAKE A TERRIFIC SAVE WITH HIS LEGS. SHORTLY AFTER THIS PAUL DI GIACOMO WAS PLAYED IN ON GOAL AND FROM INSIDE THE BOX HE HIT A CURLING SHOT GOALWARDS BUT CRAIG HINCHCLIFFE EXCELLENTLY TIPPED THE BALL OVER THE BAR AT FULL STRETCH AND FROM THE CORNER THE BALL WAS CLEARED. PARTICK THISTLE WERE TO HAVE THE FINAL CHANCE OF THE GAME DEEP INTO INJURY TIME WHEN THEY WON A CORNER AS FROM IT THE BALL WAS CROSSED INTO THE BOX AND INITIALLY CLEARED BY THE DEFENCE BUT THE BALL WAS PLAYED BACK INTO THE BOX AND SCOTT CHAPLAIN HIT A SHOT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON SAVED THE BALL ON HIS LINE AND AIRDRIE ADVANCED TO THE FINAL OF THE ALBA CHALLENGE CUP.