INFO
ROSS COUNTY 0-0 AIRDRIE UNITED
LEAGUE GAME 26
VENUE � VICTORIA PARK
KICK OFF TIME � 3:00PM
DATE � SATURDAY 28 FEBRUARY 2009
STARTING 11
1 � STEPHEN ROBERTSON, 2 � WILLIAM MCLACHLAN, 3 - DAVID NIXON, 4 - MARC SMYTH (CAPTAIN), 5 - BOBBY DONNELLY,
6 - SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, 7 - DARREN SMITH - MAN OF THE MATCH, 8 - STEPHEN MCKENNA, 9 � PAUL DI GIACOMO,
10 � STEPHEN MAGUIRE, 11 - MATTHEW HAZLEY
SUBS - USED
12 - MICHAEL BROWN FOR 7 - DARREN SMITH, 14 - SIMON LYNCH FOR 9 - PAUL DI GIACOMO,
15 - JOHN BAIRD FOR 10 - STEPHEN MAGUIRE
SUBS - NOT USED
16 - KEVIN WATT, 17 - LEE HOLLIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
7 - DARREN SMITH
MATCH REPORT
AIRDRIE UNITED KEPT A CLEAN SHEET FOR THE SECOND GAME IN A ROW AS THEY HELD ROSS COUNTY TO A 0-0 DRAW UP AT VICTORIA PARK.
FOR THE GAME AIRDRIE MADE ONE CHANGE TO THE STARTING ELEVEN FROM THE CLYDE GAME SIX DAYS AGO AS DARREN SMITH CAME INTO THE STARTING ELEVEN TO REPLACE THE SUSPENDED KEVIN MCDONALD AND THIS ALSO MEANT KEVIN WATT WAS NAMED ON THE SUBSTITUTE�S BENCH.
FIRST HALF
ROSS COUNTY HAD THE MAJORITY OF CHANCES IN THE GAME AND THE FIRST OF THESE WAS FOR SEAN HIGGINS DURING THE OPENING MINUTE OF IT AS HE HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE. SIX MINUTES LATER RICHIE HART HAD A GO FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE AT HIS NEAR POST. CRAIG BREWSTER AND SEAN HIGGINS BOTH HAD GOES FROM DISTANCE BUT NONE OF THEM HIT THE TARGET. ON THE 18TH MINUTE ROSS COUNTY HAD THEIR BEST CHANCE OF THE GAME SO FAR AS STEVEN CRAIG WAS PLAYED THROUGH ON GOAL AND HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON EXCELLENTLY PARRIED THE BALL AWAY AND THE DEFENCE CLEARED THE DANGER.
ON THE 24TH MINUTE CRAIG BREWSTER HAD A SECOND SHOT OF THE GAME WHEN HE HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE. FOUR MINUTES LATER AIRDRIE HAD THEIR ONLY CHANCE OF THE HALF WHEN SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE. SEAN HIGGINS HAD ANOTHER GOOD CHANCE ON THE 31ST MINUTE FOR ROSS COUNTY AS FROM A CROSS TO THE BACK POST HE SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT IT WENT WIDE. FIVE MINUTES LATER STEVEN CRAIG HAD A GO FROM ABOUT 25 YARDS OUT WHICH WENT JUST WIDE HOWEVER THE REFEREE AWARDED A CORNER AND FROM IT SEAN HIGGINS CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND CRAIG BREWSTER SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT IT WENT WIDE. THEN WITH ONLY ONE MINUTE OF THE HALF REMAINING AIRDRIE LOST POSSESSION CHEAPLY AND THIS ALLOWED STEVEN CRAIG TO NIP IN ON GOAL AND HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT FLYING OVER THE BAR AND THE TEAMS HEADED INTO HALF TIME LEVEL.
SECOND HALF
ROSS COUNTY CONTINUED THERE SEARCH FOR THE OPENING GOAL OF THE GAME BY HAVING THE FIRST CHANCE OF THE HALF ON THE 50TH MINUTE AS CRAIG BREWSTER HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. FOUR MINUTES LATER SEAN HIGGINS HAD A GO FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT WELL WIDE AND BEFORE THE GAME COULD RESTART ROSS COUNTY MADE THEIR FIRST SUBSTITUTION AS ADAM STRACHAN CAME ON FOR MARTIN SCOTT. ON THE HOUR MARK ROSS COUNTY HAD ANOTHER GOOD CHANCE AS FROM A MARTYN CORRIGAN CROSS INTO THE BOX AN UNMARKED SEAN HIGGINS SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT STEPHEN ROBERTSON MADE THE SAVE WITH EASE.
AIRDRIE MADE TWO SUBSTITUTIONS ON THE 64TH MINUTE AS SIMON LYNCH AND JOHN BAIRD CAME ON FOR PAUL DI GIACOMO AND STEPHEN MAGUIRE AND A FEW MINUTES LATER ROSS COUNTY MADE ANOTHER SUBSTITUTION AS MICHAEL GARDYNE CAME ON FOR SEAN HIGGINS. ON THE 70TH MINUTE AIRDRIE HAD THEIR ONLY CHANCE OF THE HALF AS A SIMON LYNCH PENALTY APPEAL WAS TURNED DOWN AND THE BALL ENDED UP WITH MATTHEW HAZLEY AT THE TOP OF THE BOX AND HE HIT A SHOT BUT IT WAS FLYING HIGH AND WIDE. WITH ONLY TEN MINUTES OF THE GAME REMAINING BOTH TEAMS MADE THEIR FINAL SUBSTITUTIONS AS MICHAEL BROWN CAME ON FOR THE IMPRESSIVE DARREN SMITH FOR AIRDRIE AND AS SCOTT MORRISON CAME ON FOR RICHIE HART FOR ROSS COUNTY HOWEVER NEITHER TEAM WAS ABLE TO CREATE A CHANCE DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE GAME AND IT FINISHED 0-0.