INFO
AIRDRIE UNITED 2-1 PETERHEAD
PLAYOFF SEMI FINAL SECOND LEG
VENUE - EXCELSIOR
KICK OFF TIME - 3:00PM
DATE - SUNDAY 17 MAY 2009
STARTING 11
1 � STEPHEN ROBERTSON, 2 � WILLIAM MCLACHLAN, 3 - PAUL LOVERING (CAPTAIN),
4 - KEVIN MCDONALD - MAN OF THE MATCH, 5 - BOBBY DONNELLY, 6 - MARC SMYTH - 1 GOAL, 7 - STEVEN MCDOUGALL,
8 - STEPHEN MCKENNA, 9 - PAUL DI GIACOMO, 10 - SIMON LYNCH, 11 - SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN
SUBS - USED
12 - DAVID NIXON FOR 5 - BOBBY DONNELLY, 14 - DARREN SMITH FOR 10 - SIMON LYNCH,
15 - JOHN BAIRD - 1 GOAL FOR 9 - PAUL DI GIACOMO
NOT USED
16 - MICHAEL BROWN, 17 � LEE HOLLIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
4 - KEVIN MCDONALD
MATCH REPORT
AIRDRIE UNITED WENT THROUGH TO THE FINAL OF THE PLAYOFFS AFTER WINNING 4-1 ON AGGREGATE AGAINST PETERHEAD IN THE SEMI FINALS AS THEY CAME FROM A GOAL DOWN TO WIN 2-1 IN THE SECOND LEG OF THE GAME THANKS TO GOALS FROM MARC SMYTH AND JOHN BAIRD.
FOR THE GAME AIRDRIE MADE TWO CHANGES TO THE STARTING ELEVEN AS STEVEN MCDOUGALL AND SIMON LYNCH WERE HANDED STARTS AT THE EXPENSE OF DARREN SMITH AND JOHN BAIRD WHO WERE ON THE SUBSTITUTE�S BENCH.
FIRST HALF
AIRDRIE HAD THE OPENING THREE CHANCES OF THE GAME DURING THE FIRST TEN MINUTES OF IT AS KEVIN MCDONALD, SIMON LYNCH AND SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN ALL HAD SHOTS BUT ALL OF THE EFFORTS WERE OFF TARGET. PETERHEAD HAD TO WAIT UNTIL THE 11TH MINUTE FOR THERE FIRST CHANCE OF THE GAME AS FROM INSIDE THE BOX MARTIN BAVIDGE HIT A SHOT BUT IT TOOK A DEFLECTION AND WENT WIDE AND FROM THE CORNER THE BALL WAS CROSSED TO THE BACK POST AND BOBBY MANN SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT IT WENT WIDE.
THE NEXT CHANCE WAS NOT UNTIL THE 26TH MINUTE FOR AIRDRIE WHEN THEY WON A FREE KICK ABOUT 25 YARDS FROM GOAL AS FROM IT SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HIT A SHOT BUT LUCKILY FOR PETERHEAD IT TOOK A DEFLECTION AND WENT OVER THE BAR AND FROM THE CORNER THE DANGER WAS CLEARED. A MINUTE LATER WILLIAM MCLACHLAN WAS YELLOW CARDED FOR AIRDRIE AND THEN ON THE 29TH MINUTE AIRDRIE WERE DEALT A BLOW AS YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR BOBBY DONNELLY HAD TO GO OFF INJURED AND THIS MEANT DAVID NIXON CAME ON.
WITH ONLY SEVEN MINUTES OF THE HALF REMAINING AIRDRIE HAD THEIR FINAL CHANCE OF IT AS PAUL DI GIACOMO GOT ONTO THE END OF A PAUL LOVERING CROSS INTO THE BOX WITH A HEADER BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. JUST BEFORE HALF TIME AIRDRIE WERE DEALT A CRUEL BLOW THOUGH AS PETERHEAD WON A FREE KICK AND FROM IT GRAEME SHARP CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND CALUM MCDONALD FLICKED IT ONTO STUART MCKAY WHO TURNED IT INTO THE NET TO GIVE PETERHEAD THE LEAD. BEFORE THE HALF TIME WHISTLE COULD GO THOUGH PETERHEAD COULD HAVE SCORED AGAIN AS FROM A CROSS INTO THE BOX GRAEME SHARP GOT ONTO THE END OF IT WITH A HEADER BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR AS THE HALF DREW TO A CLOSE.
SECOND HALF
TWO MINUTES INTO THE HALF PETERHEAD HAD AN EXCELLENT CHANCE TO LEVEL THE AGGREGATE SCORE AS FROM A DANIEL MOORE FREE KICK HE CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND BOBBY MANN GOT ONTO THE END OF IT WITH A HEADER BUT IT WENT JUST WIDE. ON THE 59TH MINUTE PETERHEAD HAD ANOTHER GOOD CHANCE WHEN GRAEME SHARP HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT WIDE. PETERHEAD WAS MADE TO PAY FOR NOT TAKING ANY OF THESE CHANCES THOUGH AS ON THE 62ND MINUTE AIRDRIE WON A CORNER AND FROM IT STEVEN MCDOUGALL CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND MARC SMYTH GOT ONTO THE END OF IT WITH A POWERFUL HEADER AND IT WENT FLYING INTO THE NET TO MAKE IT 1-1 AND GIVE PAUL JARVIE NO CHANCE.
BOTH TEAMS WENT IN SEARCH OF THE NEXT GOAL AND ON THE 67TH MINUTE AIRDRIE WON A FREE KICK ABOUT 25 YARDS FROM GOAL AND FROM IT SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HIT A SHOT BUT PAUL JARVIE EXCELLENTLY TURNED IT AROUND THE POST AND THE CORNER WAS CLEARED. FIVE MINUTES LATER PETERHEAD SUBSTITUTE CRAIG GUNN HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE. ON THE 75TH MINUTE AIRDRIE MADE THEIR FINAL TWO SUBSTITUTIONS AS DARREN SMITH AND JOHN BAIRD CAME ON FOR PAUL DI GIACOMO AND SIMON LYNCH. IT WAS PETERHEAD WHO HAD THE NEXT CHANCE THOUGH ON THE 77TH MINUTE WHEN THEY HIT A SHOT FROM THE TOP OF THE BOX BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR.
AIRDRIE FINISHED THE GAME STRONGER AND WITH ONLY AIRDRIE MINUTES OF THE GAME REMAINING DARREN SMITH GOT ONTO THE END OF A PAUL LOVERING CROSS INTO THE BOX WITH A HEADER BUT IT WENT JUST WIDE. ON THE 85TH MINUTE THOUGH AIRDRIE FINISHED THE GAME AS STEVEN MCDOUGALL SENT A CROSS INTO THE BOX WHICH PETERHEAD FAILED TO CLEAR AND THIS LET JOHN BAIRD SQUEEZE THE BALL INTO THE NET TO GIVE AIRDRIE THE LEAD AND SECURE THERE PLACE IN THE PLAYOFF FINAL AGAINST AYR UNITED. BEFORE THE GAME COULD FINISH THOUGH AIRDRIE�S MARC SMYTH AND STEPHEN MCKENNA WERE BOTH SHOWN YELLOW CARDS HOWEVER THERE WAS NO MORE CHANCES AND AIRDRIE WON THE GAME 2-1 AND 4-1 ON AGGREGATE.