INFO
BLACKBURN UNITED JUNIORS 2-3 AIRDRIE UNITED XI
FRIENDLY
DATE � SUNDAY 27 JULY 2008
STARTING 11
1 � LEE HOLLIS, 2 � DARREN SMITH, 3 � PAUL LOVERING, 4 � SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN, 5 � BOBBY DONNELLY,
6 � TRIALIST RYAN MCALDON, 7 � TRIALIST JUANJO, 8 � TRIALIST MICHAEL BROWN - 1 GOAL, 9 � STEPHEN MAGUIRE,
10 � TRIALIST MURRAY JOHNSTONE, 11 � KEVIN WATT
SUBS -ALL USED
12 � CHRIS MCMENAMIN FOR 5 � BOBBY DONNELLY,
14 � KEIRAN DONAGHY - 2 GOALS - MAN OF THE MATCH FOR 10 � TRIALIST MURRAY JOHNSTONE,
15 � CALLUM BRADY FOR 6 � TRIALIST RYAN MCALDON, 16 � PADDY MCCABE FOR 2 � DARREN SMITH
MAN OF THE MATCH
14 - KEIRAN DONAGHY
MATCH REPORT
AN AIRDRIE UNITED XI TOOK ON BLACKBURN UNITED JUNIORS IN CRAIG SPENCE�S TESTIMONIAL AT MURRAYFIELD PARK AND WON 3-2 THANKS TO A GOAL FROM TRIALIST MICHAEL BROWN AND TWO GOALS FROM UNDER 19S PLAYER KEIRAN DONAGHY.
FOR THE GAME SEVEN MEMBERS OF THE FIRST TEAM SQUAD AND FOUR TRIALISTS WERE IN THE STARTING 11 AND ON THE SUBSTITUTE�S BENCH WERE ANOTHER TWO MEMBERS OF THE FIRST TEAM SQUAD AND TWO MEMBERS OF THE UNDER 19S SQUAD.
FIRST HALF
BLACKBURN GOT THE GAME OFF TO A GREATS START AS ON THE 4TH MINUTE GARY PEEBLES WAS PLAYED THROUGH ON GOAL AND HE COOLLY CURLED THE BALL BY LEE HOLLIS AND INTO THE NET TO GIVE THEM THE LEAD. NINE MINUTES LATER TRIALIST MICHAEL BROWN HAD THE DIAMONDS FIRST CHANCE OF THE GAME AS HE HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 30 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT JUST OVER THE BAR. SHORTLY AFTER THIS STEPHEN MAGUIRE SENT A LOW CROSS INTO THE BOX WHICH KEVIN WATT GOT ONTO THE END OF WITH A SHOT BUT IT WAS BLOCKED BY THE BLACKBURN DEFENCE AND THE BALL FELL TO TRIALIST MURRAY JOHNSTONE AND HE HIT A SHOT BUT IT WENT INTO THE SIDE NETTING.
ON THE 23RD MINUTE BLACKBURN HAD THERE NEXT CHANCE OF THE GAME AS THEY HIT A SHOT FROM THE EDGE OF THE BOX BUT LEE HOLLIS TURNED IT AROUND THE POST AND FROM THE RESULTING CORNER WE CLEARED THE DANGER. TWO MINUTES LATER THE DIAMONDS WON A CORNER AND FROM IT TRIALIST JUANJO CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND BOBBY DONNELLY SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT IT WENT WIDE. THREE MINUTES AFTER THIS KEVIN WATT CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BACK POST WHERE TRIALIST MICHAEL BROWN WAS AND HE EXCELLENTLY VOLLEYED THE BALL INTO THE BOTTOM CORNER OF THE NET FOR THE EQUALIZER AND TO GIVE THE BLACKBURN GOALKEEPER NO CHANCE.
THE NEXT SIX CHANCES OF THE GAME WERE ALL TO BE FOR THE DIAMONDS. FIRSTLY ON THE 29TH MINUTE TRIALIST MURRAY JOHNSTONE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT THE BLACKBURN GOALKEEPER TURNED IT BEHIND FOR A CORNER AND FROM THE RESULTING CORNER TRIALIST JUANJO CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND AN UNMARKED PAUL LOVERING SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT IT WAS CLEARED OFF THE LINE AND THE BALL WENT OUT OF PLAY FOR ANOTHER CORNER. FROM THIS CORNER TRIALIST JUANJO CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AGAIN AND TRIALIST RYAN MCALDON SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS BUT IT WENT WIDE. FIVE MINUTES LATER TRIALIST JUANJO HAD A GO FROM THE EDGE OF THE BOX BUT THE BLACKBURN GOALKEEPER TURNED THE BALL BEHIND FOR A CORNER AND FROM IT BLACKBURN CLEARED THE DANGER. SHORTLY AFTER THIS FROM INSIDE THE BOX PAUL LOVERING GOT ONTO THE END OF A DARREN SMITH CROSS WITH A HEADER BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. THEN WITH ONLY TWO MINUTES OF THE HALF REMAINING TRIALIST JUANJO HAD ANOTHER GO FROM THE EDGE OF THE BOX BUT THIS TIME IT WENT OVER THE BAR. DURING THE FINAL MINUTE OF THE HALF ANDY MCQUILLAN HAD A GO FOR BLACKBURN FROM THE EDGE OF THE BOX BUT LEE HOLLIS MADE THE SAVE AND THE TEAMS WENT INTO HALF TIME DRAWING 1-1.
SECOND HALF
THE FIRST CHANCE OF THE HALF CAME ON THE 54TH MINUTE FOR THE DIAMONDS WHEN TRIALIST MURRAY JOHNSTONE GOT ONTO THE END OF A KEVIN WATT CUTBACK WITH A SHOT BUT IT WAS SAVED BY THE BLACKBURN GOALKEEPER. TWO MINUTES LATER KEVIN WATT HAD A GO OF HIS OWN AS HE HIT A VOLLEY SHOT FROM ABOUT 30 YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT FLYING OVER THE BAR. SHORTLY AFTER THIS KEVIN WATT WAS INVOLVED IN THE ACTION AGAIN AS HE CUT THE BALL BACK TO STEPHEN MAGUIRE INSIDE THE BOX AND STEPHEN HIT A SHOT BUT IT WAS PARRIED BY THE BLACKBURN GOALKEEPER AND CLEARED BY HIS DEFENCE.
BLACKBURN HAD THERE FIRST CHANCE OF THE HALF ON THE 63RD MINUTE AS THEY WON A FREE KICK ABOUT 20 YARDS FROM GOAL AND FROM IT ALAN BROWN HIT A SHOT BUT IT WAS SAVED BY LEE HOLLIS. A MINUTE LATER PAUL LOVERING HAD A CHANCE FOR THE DIAMONDS WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT TOOK A DEFLECTION ON ROUTE TO GOAL AND WAS SAVED BY THE BLACKBURN GOALKEEPER. SHORTLY AFTER THIS TRIALIST MURRAY JOHNSTONE HAD ANOTHER GO FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT THIS TIME HIS SHOT WENT OVER THE BAR. THEN ON THE 70TH MINUTE TRIALIST MICHAEL BROWN GOT ONTO THE END OF A CROSS ABOUT A FEW YARDS OUT WITH A HEADER BUT IT WENT JUST OVER THE BAR. THE DIAMONDS THEN MADE THERE FIRST THREE SUBSTITUTIONS OF THE GAME AS UNDER 19S PLAYER PADDY MCCABE AND FIRST TEAM PLAYERS CALLUM BRADY AND CHRIS MCMENAMIN CAME ON FOR DARREN SMITH, BOBBY DONNELLY AND TRIALIST RYAN MCALDON.
ON THE 75TH MINUTE KEVIN WATT HAD THE NEXT CHANCE OF THE GAME WHEN HE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT WIDE. A MINUTE LATER BLACKBURN WON A CORNER AND FROM IT THE BALL WAS CROSSED INTO THE BOX AND ANDY MCQUILLAN BEAT HIS MARKER TO THE BALL AND SENT A HEADER INTO THE NET FROM ABOUT SIX YARDS OUT TO RESTORE THE LEAD FOR BLACKBURN.
BEFORE THE RESTART THE DIAMONDS MADE THERE FINAL SUBSTITUTION OF THE GAME AS UNDER 19S PLAYER KEIRAN DONAGHY CAME ON FOR TRIALIST MURRAY JOHNSTONE AND THIS PROVED TO BE AN IMPORTANT SUBSTITUTION AS KEIRAN PLAYED A PART IN MOST OF THE REMAINING CHANCES IN THE GAME. FIRSTLY ON THE 39TH MINUTE KEIRAN HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 30 YARDS OUT AND IT WENT FLYING INTO THE TOP CORNER OF THE NET TO GIVE THE BLACKBURN GOALKEEPER NO CHANCE AND FOR THE EQUALIZER. THREE MINUTES LATER TRIALIST MICHAEL BROWN CHIPPED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND STEPHEN MAGUIRE GOT ONTO THE END OF IT WITH A SHOT BUT IT WAS TURNED BEHIND FOR A CORNER AND FROM IT TRIALIST JUANJO CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND IT WAS NOT CLEARED PROPERLY BY THE BLACKBURN DEFENCE AND THE BALL FELL TO KEIRAN DONAGHY AND HE DRILLED A SHOT INTO THE NET FOR HIS SECOND GOAL OF THE GAME AND TO WIN THE GAME 3-2 FOR THE DIAMONDS.