INFO
EAST STIRLING 3-1 AIRDRIE UNITED XI
FRIENDLY
DATE � TUESDAY 22 JULY 2008
MATCH REPORT
AN AIRDRIE UNITED XI TOOK ON EAST STIRLING�S FIRST TEAM TONIGHT AT FIRS PARK AND LOST 1-3. UNDER 19S PLAYER STEFAN MCCLUSKEY SCORED OUR GOAL.
FOR THE GAME FOUR UNDER 19S AND SEVEN TRIALISTS WERE IN THE STARTING 11 AND ON THE SUBSTITUTE�S BENCH WERE SEVEN UNDER 19S AND ONE TRIALIST.
FIRST HALF
THE FIRST HALF OF THIS GAME WAS DOMINATED BY EAST STIRLING AS DURING IT THEY HAD NINE CHANCES TO THE DIAMONDS ZERO. FIRSTLY ON THE 5TH MINUTE THEY HIT A SHOT FROM THE EDGE OF THE BOX BUT IT WENT WIDE. FIVE MINUTES LATER EAST STIRLING WON A FREE KICK ABOUT 25 YARDS FROM GOAL AND FROM IT COLIN CRAMB EXCELLENTLY CURLED THE BALL OVER THE TOP OF THE WALL AND INTO THE NET TO GIVE EAST STIRLING THE LEAD. A FEW MINUTES AFTER THIS EAST STIRLING HAD A GREAT CHANCE TO DOUBLE THERE LEAD AS THEY HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT SIX YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE.
EAST STIRLING�S FOURTH CHANCE OF THE HALF CAME ON THE 21ST MINUTE WHEN THEY SENT A CROSS INTO THE BOX WHICH ANOTHER PLAYER GOT ONTO WITH A HEADER ABOUT TEN YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE. SIX MINUTES LATER EAST STIRLING HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT WIDE. SHORTLY AFTER THIS THEY WON A FREE KICK ABOUT 20 YARDS FROM GOAL OUT ON THE LEFT WING AND FROM IT FORMER AIRDRIE UNITED PLAYER DAVID DUNN CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND AN UNMARKED COLIN CRAMB SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS FROM ABOUT SIX YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. A MINUTE AFTER THIS EAST STIRLING SHOULD HAVE DOUBLED THERE LEAD AS A TRIALIST GAVE AWAY POSSESSION CHEAPLY IN DEFENCE AND THIS LED TO TWO PLAYERS RACING IN ON BOBBY WEIR�S GOAL AND THE BALL BEEN PASSED ACROSS THE BOX TO THE OTHER PLAYER AND HE HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT SIX YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE DESPITE IT LOOKING EASIER TO SCORE.
ON THE 30TH MINUTE EAST STIRLING ROBBED A TRIALIST OF POSSESSION IN DEFENCE AGAIN AND THIS LED TO HIM CHIPPING BALL INTO THE BOX FOR A TEAM-MATE AND FROM ABOUT SIX YARDS OUT HE HIT SHOT BUT IT WAS TURNED AROUND THE POST BY BOBBY WEIR AND FROM THE CORNER WE CLEARED. THEN WITH ONLY TWO MINUTES OF THE HALF REMAINING EAST STIRLING�S COLIN CRAMB BROKE IN ON GOAL AND CALMLY PLACED A SHOT BY BOBBY WEIR AND INTO THE NET TO SEND THEM INTO HALF TIME WITH A 2 GOAL LEAD.
SECOND HALF
BEFORE THE SECOND HALF BEGAN THE DIAMONDS MADE SIX SUBSTITUTIONS AS PADDY MCCABE, MARK FITZPATRICK, NORMAN CRUICKSHANK, DOUGIE MACKAY, KEIRAN DONAGHY AND STEFAN MCCLUSKEY CAME ON FOR GRAEME FOX, PAUL BYRNE AND TRIALISTS GARY MUSTAPHA, SCOTT MCKECHNIE, MARK PINTO AND PETER MAGOULIS.
IT WAS EAST STIRLING WHO HAD THE FIRST CHANCE OF THE HALF THOUGH AS ON THE 49TH MINUTE THEY HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. THREE MINUTES LATER KEIRAN DONAGHY HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT WHICH EAST STIRLING GOALKEEPER PARRIED AWAY WEAKLY AND THIS LED TO STEFAN MCCLUSKEY RACING IN AND TAPPING THE BALL INTO THE NET TO BRING THE DIAMONDS BACK INTO THE GAME. A FEW MINUTES LATER ANOTHER CHANCE WAS CREATED WHEN TRIALIST GARY MUIR CHIPPED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND TRIALIST MURRAY MARTINS GOT ONTO IT WITH A DIVING HEADER AND IT WENT INTO THE NET BUT IT WAS CHOPPED OFF FOR OFFSIDE. THEN ON THE 61ST MINUTE THE DIAMONDS MADE ANOTHER SUBSTITUTION AS CHRIS MCKEE CAME ON FOR TRIALIST RYAN MCALDON. A MINUTE LATER TRIALIST MURRAY MARTINS SENT A LOW CROSS INTO THE BOX WHICH STEFAN MCCLUSKEY GOT ONTO WITH A SHOT FROM A FEW YARDS OUT BUT IT WENT WIDE.
EAST STIRLING HAD THERE SECOND CHANCE OF THE HALF ON THE 69TH MINUTE WHEN THEY HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT IT WENT WIDE. THE DIAMONDS THEN MADE THERE FINAL TWO SUBSTITUTIONS AS DAVID TAYLOR AND TRIALIST DARREN SMITH CAME ON FOR STEVEN MACMILLAN AND TRIALIST MURRAY MARTINS. HOWEVER IT WAS EAST STIRLING WHO HAD THE NEXT CHANCE WHEN DEREK URE HIT A SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX AND IT WENT INTO THE NET TO GIVE BOBBY WEIR NO CHANCE AND INCREASE THE GAP BETWEEN THE TWO TEAMS TO TWO GOALS.
SHORTLY AFTER THIS THE DIAMONDS WON A CORNER AND FROM IT NORMAN CRUICKSHANK CROSSED THE BALL INTO THE BOX AND TRIALIST DARREN SMITH SENT A SHOT GOALWARDS BUT IT WENT WIDE.
THERE WAS TO BE FOUR MORE CHANCES DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE GAME AND THE FIRST THREE OF THESE WERE FOR EAST STIRLING. FIRSTLY ON THE 79TH MINUTE THEY HIT A SHOT FROM THE TOP OF THE BOX BUT IT WENT OVER THE BAR. A MINUTE LATER THEY HIT ANOTHER SHOT FROM INSIDE THE BOX BUT BOBBY WEIR WAS ABLE TO TIP THE BALL OVER THE BAR AND FROM THE CORNER WE CLEARED THE DANGER. SHORTLY AFTER THIS THEY HIT A SHOT FROM ABOUT 20 YARDS OUT BUT BOBBY WEIR MADE ANOTHER SAVE. THEN ON THE 83RD MINUTE THE DIAMONDS HAD THE LAST CHANCE OF THE GAME WHEN TRIALIST DARREN SMITH SENT A HEADER GOALWARDS FROM A TRIALIST GARY MUIR CROSS INTO THE BOX BUT IT WENT WIDE AND EAST STIRLING WON THE GAME.