INFO
PETERHEAD 0-2 AIRDRIE UNITED
PLAYOFF SEMI FINAL FIRST LEG
VENUE - BALMOOR STADIUM
KICK OFF TIME - 7:45PM
DATE - THURSDAY 14 MAY 2009
STARTING 11
1 � STEPHEN ROBERTSON, 2 � WILLIAM MCLACHLAN, 3 - PAUL LOVERING (CAPTAIN) - MAN OF THE MATCH,
4 - KEVIN MCDONALD, 5 - BOBBY DONNELLY, 6 - MARC SMYTH, 7 - DARREN SMITH, 8 - STEPHEN MCKENNA,
9 - PAUL DI GIACOMO, 10 - JOHN BAIRD - 1 GOAL, 11 - SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN - 1 GOAL
SUBS - USED
14 - STEVEN MCDOUGALL FOR 10 - JOHN BAIRD, 15 - SIMON LYNCH FOR 9 - PAUL DI GIACOMO,
16 - MICHAEL BROWN FOR 7 - DARREN SMITH
NOT USED
12 - DAVID NIXON, 17 � LEE HOLLIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
3 - PAUL LOVERING
MATCH REPORT
AIRDRIE UNITED HAVE AN EXCELLENT CHANCE OF QUALIFYING FOR THE PLAYOFF FINAL AFTER WINNING 2-0 AWAY TO PETERHEAD IN THE PLAYOFF SEMI FINAL FIRST LEG THANKS TO GOALS FROM JOHN BAIRD AND SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN.
AIRDRIE RESTORED THE STARTING ELEVEN FROM THE PENULTIMATE LEAGUE GAME AGAINST PARTICK FOR THE GAME AND ONLY MICHAEL BROWN WHO WAS INVOLVED IN THE FINAL LEAGUE GAME OF THE SEASON AGAINST ST JOHNSTONE THREE DAYS AGO WAS INCLUDED IN THE SQUAD AND HE WAS ON THE SUBSTITUTES BENCH.
FIRST HALF
AIRDRIE STARTED THE GAME BRIGHTLY AND DURING THE OPENING MINUTE OF IT JOHN BAIRD RAN DOWN THE WING AND CROSSED THE BALL TO THE TOP OF THE BOX WHERE SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN WAS AND HE HIT A SHOT ON THE VOLLEY BUT IT WENT WIDE. A MINUTE LATER PAUL DI GIACOMO NIPPED IN AND HIT A SHOT BUT A PETERHEAD DEFENDER GOT BACK IN TIME TO CLEAR THE BALL OFF THE LINE. THERE WAS NOTHING PETERHEAD COULD DO ON THE 9TH MINUTE THOUGH AS FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT JOHN BAIRD FIRED A TERRIFIC SHOT INTO THE TOP CORNER OF THE NET TO GIVE AIRDRIE THE LEAD, THE PETERHEAD GOALKEEPER PAUL JARVIE NO CHANCE AND TO BECOME A CONTENDER FOR GOAL OF THE SEASON.
BEFORE THE NEXT CHANCE OF THE GAME ON THE 27TH MINUTE PETERHEAD HAD A PENALTY APPEAL TURNED DOWN WHEN BOBBY MANN CRASHED TO THE GROUND INSIDE THE BOX. IT WAS AIRDRIE WHO HAD THE NEXT CHANCE THOUGH WHEN JOHN BAIRD GOT ONTO THE END OF A SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN CROSS INTO THE BOX WITH A SHOT DESPITE BEEN UNDER PRESSURE FROM A PETERHEAD DEFENDER BUT THIS TIME PAUL JARVIE MADE THE SAVE. A MINUTE LATER PETERHEAD WON A FREE KICK ABOUT 25 YARDS FROM GOAL AND FROM IT THE BALL WAS CROSSED INTO THE BOX AND A HEADER SENT GOALWARDS BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE AN EASY SAVE. THEN ON THE 30TH MINUTE PETERHEAD HAD A SECOND PENALTY APPEAL TURNED DOWN WHEN THERE PLAYER WENT DOWN AFTER TANGLING WITH STEPHEN ROBERTSON BUT THE REFEREE AWARDED AIRDRIE THE FREE KICK. DURING THE FINAL TEN MINUTES OF THE HALF PAUL DI GIACOMO WAS YELLOW CARDED FOR A FOUL ON MARTIN BAVIDGE JUST OUTSIDE THE BOX AND FROM THE RESULTING FREE KICK BOBBY MANN HIT A SHOT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON GOT DOWN LOW TO MAKE THE SAVE AND TO ENSURE AIRDRIE WOULD HEAD INTO HALF TIME WITH A ONE GOAL LEAD.
SECOND HALF
PETERHEAD WON A CORNER DURING THE OPENING MINUTE OF THE HALF AND FROM THE OUTCOME OF IT THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD EQUALIZED AS DANNY MOORE CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND STUART MCKAY SENT A POWERFUL HEADER GOALWARDS BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON SAVED IT ON THE LINE DESPITE HUGE SHOUTS FROM THE PETERHEAD PLAYERS AND FANS TO SAY IT WAS OVER THE LINE. A MINUTE LATER AIRDRIE MADE IT 2-0 AS FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN FIRED A SHOT INTO THE NET FOR HIS SIXTH GOAL OF THE SEASON. MARTIN BAVIDGE HAD A CHANCE FOR PETERHEAD A FEW MINUTES LATER WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON EASILY MADE THE SAVE.
AIRDRIE WON A FREE KICK ON THE 56TH MINUTE AND TOOK IT QUICKLY AS DARREN SMITH PASSED THE BALL TO AN UNMARKED JOHN BAIRD INSIDE THE BOX AND HE HIT A SHOT BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. TEN MINUTES LATER PETERHEAD HAD ANOTHER CHANCE WHEN THEY HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE. SHORTLY AFTER THIS STEPHEN ROBERTSON HAD TO REACT QUICKLY AS FROM A LONG BALL INTO THE BOX STEPHEN HAD TO TIP IT ON THE BAR AND OVER AND FROM THE RESULTING CORNER PETERHEAD FOULED STEPHEN ROBERTSON AND A FREE KICK WAS AWARDED. ON THE 75TH MINUTE AIRDRIE MADE THEIR FIRST TWO SUBSTITUTIONS OF THE GAME AS STEVEN MCDOUGALL AND SIMON LYNCH CAME ON FOR JOHN BAIRD AND PAUL DI GIACOMO. BY THE TIME AIRDRIE MADE THEIR FINAL SUBSTITUTION BY BRINGING ON MICHAEL BROWN FOR DARREN SMITH ON THE 86TH MINUTE THERE HAD BEEN NO MORE CHANCES. DURING STOPPAGE TIME THOUGH PETERHEAD HAD A FINAL CHANCE WHEN ONE OF THEIR SUBSTITUTES HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE AND AIRDRIE WON THE GAME 2-0.