INFO
AIRDRIE UNITED 2-2 (3-2 ON PENALTIES) ROSS COUNTY
ALBA CHALLENGE CUP FINAL, VENUE � MCDIARMID PARK, KICK OFF TIME � 3:00PM, DATE � SUNDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2008
STARTING 11 - 1 � ROBERTSON, 2 � SMYTH, 3 � LOVERING (CAPTAIN), 4 � MCDONALD, 5 � DONNELLY, 6 - NIXON,
7 � MCDOUGALL, 8 � MCKENNA � 1 GOAL, 9 - DI GIACOMO, 10 � MCLAUGHLIN, 11 � CARDLE � MAN OF THE MATCH
SUBS - USED - 12 � SMITH FOR 6 � NIXON, 14 � HAZLEY FOR 3 � LOVERING, 15 � LYNCH FOR 7 � MCDOUGALL
SUBS - NOT USED - 16 � NOBLE, 17 � HOLLIS
MAN OF THE MATCH - 11 - CARDLE
MATCH REPORT
AIRDRIE UNITED WON THE ALBA CHALLENGE CUP AGAINST ROSS COUNTY ON PENALTIES AFTER DRAWING 2-2 OVER 120 MINUTES. FOR THE GAME KENNY BLACK MADE TWO CHANGES TO THE STARTING 11 THAT DREW WITH LIVINGSTON IN THE LEAGUE EIGHT DAYS AGO AS BOBBY DONNELLY AND STEVEN MCDOUGALL WERE IN THE STARTING 11 AT THE EXPENSE OF DARREN SMITH AND SIMON LYNCH WHO WERE ON THE SUBSTITUTE�S BENCH.
FIRST HALF
THE GAME GOT OFF TO A FAST START AS DURING THE FIRST MINUTE OF IT ROSS COUNTY WON A CORNER AND FROM IT RICHARD BRITTAIN CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND ANDY DOWIE SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON EXCELLENTLY PARRIED THE BALL AWAY AND THE DEFENCE CLEARED THE DANGER. A FEW MINUTES LATER MICHAEL GARDYNE HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT WHEN HE HIT A CURLING SHOT BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. AIRDRIE�S FIRST CHANCE OF THE GAME CAME ON THE 9TH MINUTE WHEN THEY WON A FREE KICK ABOUT 30 YARDS FROM GOAL AND FROM IT JOE CARDLE CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND DAVID NIXON SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT TONY BULLOCK EXCELLENTLY PARRIED THE BALL AWAY AND HIS DEFENCE TURNED IT OUT FOR A CORNER AND FROM IT THE BALL WAS CROSSED INTO THE BOX AND PAUL LOVERING TURNED THE BALL GOALWARDS BUT IT WAS CLEARED OFF THE LINE BY THE ROSS COUNTY DEFENCE. ON THE 16TH MINUTE MARC SMYTH BECAME THE FIRST PLAYER TO BE YELLOW CARDED FOR A LATE CHALLENGE ON ROSS COUNTY�S ADAM STRACHAN. A FEW MINUTES LATER RITCHIE HART HAD A CHANCE FOR ROSS COUNTY WHEN HE GOT ONTO THE END OF A LONG BALL WITH A HEADER FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT WIDE. AIRDRIE�S NEXT CHANCE CAME ON THE 21ST MINUTE WHEN THEY WON A CORNER AS FROM IT STEVEN MCDOUGALL CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND PAUL LOVERING SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. BEFORE THE END OF THE HALF THERE WERE THREE CHANCES. FIRSTLY SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HAD A GO FROM DISTANCE ON THE 26TH MINUTE FOR AIRDRIE BUT TONY BULLOCK MADE THE SAVE. A MINUTE LATER SEAN HIGGINS HAD A GO FROM DISTANCE FOR ROSS COUNTY BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. WITH ONLY TWO MINUTES OF THE HALF REMAINING ROSS COUNTY HAD THE FINAL CHANCE OF IT WHEN THEY WON A FREE KICK ABOUT 20 YARDS FROM GOAL AS THEY HIT A SHOT FROM IT BUT IT WENT FLYING OVER THE BAR AND GAME REMAINED GOALLESS HEADING INTO HALF TIME.
SECOND HALF
AIRDRIE WAS DEALT A BLOW ONE MINUTE INTO THE HALF AS CAPTAIN PAUL LOVERING HAD TO GO OFF INJURED AND DUE TO THIS MATTHEW HAZLEY CAME ON. IT WAS ROSS COUNTY WHO HAD THE FIRST CHANCE OF THE HALF A FEW MINUTES INTO IT WHEN SEAN HIGGINS TRIED TO TURN THE BALL INTO THE NET FROM ABOUT SIX YARDS OUT BUT EXCELLENT DEFENDING BY DAVID NIXON PUT OFF SEAN AND HIS SHOT WENT WIDE. SHORTLY AFTER THIS ROSS COUNTY HAD ANOTHER CHANCE WHEN RICHARD BRITTAIN HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE. MICHAEL GARDYNE WAS NEXT TO HAVE A GO FOR ROSS COUNTY ON THE 51ST MINUTE WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM THE TOP OF THE BOX BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON TURNED THE BALL AROUND THE POST AND FROM THE CORNER THE DANGER WAS CLEARED. ROSS COUNTY CONTINUED TO KEEP UP THE PRESSURE AND ON THE 54TH MINUTE RITCHIE HART HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT WIDE. FIVE MINUTES LATER DISASTER STRUCK FOR AIRDRIE AS FROM A DANGEROUS CROSS INTO THE BOX THE BALL ENDED UP HITTING DAVID NIXON AND GOING INTO HIS OWN NET TO GIVE ROSS COUNTY THE LEAD. DURING THE NEXT FIVE MINUTES MICHAEL GARDYNE AND SEAN HIGGINS HAD GOES FOR ROSS COUNTY BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON SAVED BOTH EFFORTS. ON THE 66TH MINUTE JOE CARDLE HAD AIRDRIE�S FIRST CHANCE OF THE HALF WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE. AIRDRIE MADE THEIR SECOND SUBSTITUTION AFTER THIS AS SIMON LYNCH CAME ON FOR STEVEN MCDOUGALL. A FEW MINUTES LATER SIMON LYNCH HAD A GREAT CHANCE AS FROM A FANTASTIC MATTHEW HAZLEY CROSS INTO THE BOX SIMON HIT A SHOT ON THE VOLLEY BUT IT WENT JUST OVER THE BAR. AIRDRIE MADE THEIR FINAL SUBSTITUTION AFTER THIS AS DARREN SMITH CAME ON FOR DAVID NIXON. THE LIVELY JOE CARDLE WAS TO HAVE AIRDRIE�S NEXT CHANCE WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM THE TOP OF THE BOX BUT TONY BULLOCK TURNED THE BALL AROUND THE POST AND FROM THE RESULTING CORNER THE BALL WAS CLEARED. WITH ONLY SIXTEEN MINUTES OF THE GAME REMAINING SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN WAS SHOWN A YELLOW CARD. A FEW MINUTES LATER RITCHIE HART HAD A CHANCE FOR ROSS COUNTY FROM DISTANCE BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. WITH ONLY ELEVEN MINUTES OF THE GAME AIRDRIE HAD A CHANCE WHEN PAUL DI GIACOMO SKINNED TWO ROSS COUNTY DEFENDERS BY GOING THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THEM AND CUTTING THE BALL BACK TO AN UNMARKED STEPHEN MCKENNA AND HE UNLEASHED A STUNNING SHOT WHICH WENT FLYING INTO THE TOP CORNER OF THE NET FOR THE EQUALIZER AND TO GIVE TONY BULLOCK NO CHANCE. ROSS COUNTY RESPONDED TO THIS BY HAVING THE NEXT CHANCE WHEN MARK MCCULLOCH HIT A SHOT FROM DISTANCE BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE. SHORTLY AFTER THIS JOE CARDLE WAS YELLOW CARDED. WITH ONLY THREE MINUTES OF THE GAME REMAINING MICHAEL GARDYNE HAD A CHANCE FROM THE EDGE OF THE BOX BUT IT WENT WIDE. A MINUTE LATER JOE CARDLE HAD AIRDRIE�S FINAL CHANCE OF THE 90 MINUTES WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM DISTANCE BUT IT WENT WIDE. DURING INJURY TIME KEVIN MCDONALD WAS YELLOW CARDED AND ROSS COUNTY HAD A STRONG APPEAL FOR A HANDBALL INSIDE THE BOX TURNED THE GAME AND THE GAME FINISHED 1-1 AND HEADED INTO EXTRA TIME.
EXTRA TIME
FIRST HALF
AIRDRIE DOMINATED THE OPENING HALF OF EXTRA TIME AND ON THE 94TH MINUTE HAD THE FIRST CHANCE WHEN PAUL DI GIACOMO HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT TONY BULLOCK MADE THE SAVE. ALEX KEDDIE BECAME THE FIRST ROSS COUNTY PLAYER TO BE YELLOW CARDED A FEW MINUTES LATER. THEN ON THE 98TH MINUTE A DANGEROUS CROSS BY JOE CARDLE HAD TO BE TIPPED OVER THE BAR BY TONY BULLOCK AND FROM THE CORNER THE BALL WAS CLEARED. WITH ONLY TWO MINUTES OF THE HALF REMAINING MATTHEW HAZLEY SENT A LOW CROSS INTO THE BOX WHICH JOE CARDLE TRIED TO DIVERT GOALWARDS BUT IT HIT OFF OF ROSS COUNTY�S ANDY DOWIE AND WENT FLYING INTO THE NET TO SPARK WILD CELEBRATIONS AMONGST THE AIRDRIE SUPPORT AND SEND THEM INTO HALF TIME WITH THE LEAD.
SECOND HALF
DURING THE HALF THERE WAS ONLY TO BE TWO CHANCES AND ON THE 113TH MINUTE ROSS COUNTY WON A DISPUTED CORNER AND FROM IT THE BALL WAS CROSSED INTO THE BOX AND HEADED GOALWARDS AND TURNED INTO THE NET BY LOCAL LAD SEAN HIGGINS FOR THE EQUALIZER. WITH ONLY TWO MINUTES REMAINING A FREE KICK WAS WON AND FROM IT THE BALL WAS CROSSED INTO THE BOX AND A SHOT WAS SENT GOALWARDS BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE AND THE GAME HEADED TO PENALTIES.
PENALTIES
SO PENALTIES IT WAS AND FROM BOTH TEAMS FIRST PENALTIES BY DAVID WINTERS AND SIMON LYNCH BOTH OF THEM WERE SAVED BY THE GOALKEEPERS. LOCAL LAD SEAN HIGGINS WAS NEXT UP FOR ROSS COUNTY AND FROM HIS PENALTY HE SCORED. SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN THEN STEPPED UP FOR AIRDRIE AND SENT TONY BULLOCK THE WRONG WAY AND THE BALL INTO THE NET TO TIE THINGS UP. RITCHIE HART NETTED ROSS COUNTY�S THIRD PENALTY AND MATTHEW HAZLEY ATTEMPTED TO LEVEL THE SCORE BUT HIS PENALTY WAS SAVED BY TONY BULLOCK. ROSS COUNTY HAD THE ADVANTAGE AND STEPPING UP FOR THERE FOURTH PENALTY WAS SCOTT MORRISON BUT FROM IT HE RATTLED THE BAR AND AIRDRIE�S KEVIN MCDONALD TIED THINGS UP TO SEND IT TO THE LAST PENALTY. MARTIN SCOTT HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE ROSS COUNTY THE ADVANTAGE BUT FROM IT STEPHEN ROBERTSON GUESSED THE CORRECT WAY AND MADE THE SAVE.
THIS MEANT IF MARC SMYTH SCORED HIS PENALTY AIRDRIE WOULD WIN THE CUP AND FROM IT HE SENT TONY BULLOCK THE WRONG WAY AND BALL INTO THE NET TO WIN THE ALBA CHALLENGE CUP AND SPARK WILD CELEBRATIONS AMONGST THE AIRDRIE PLAYERS AND SUPPORTERS WHICH WOULD LAST LONG INTO THE NIGHT.