Yoker v Whitletts Match Report
YOKER ATHLETIC 4 - WHITLETTS VICTORIA 1
Yoker’s promotion hopes remain alive after they exposed Whitletts' defensive frailties at Holm Park. But for the Ayr club it’s back to the drawing board after a shocking rearguard display confirmed that they will prop up the rest of the division at the end of the season.
All too often on the break Yoker waltzed through a Vics’ midfield that failed to protect a fragile looking defence as they conceded four very bad goals. And some players will need to take a serious look at themselves as they appeared to throw in the towel all too early!
In an attacking sense, Vics’ caused the home defence problems and should have scored more than a Craig Main penalty before the break but it is clear manager Steph McMillan has a big job on his hands as the club prepare for life in the Ayrshire District League next season.
With boss Steph McMillan absent due to work commitments and minus key players Graham Longair, Craig Rodgers and Neil McGinn, Vics’ started brightly and Robert Patterson had the ball in the net after only two minutes but was denied by the assistants flag for offside. But soon the frailties began to show. A Mark Maxwell drive from the edge of the box went close before Michael Rogers all too easily shrugged aside a challenge from Alan Murdoch and although the striker beat Darren Johnson with his effort, it slipped narrowly past the post.
The Vics’ keeper was called into action again in the 12th minute as he parried behind a shot from Gary Vickers after a neat one-two with Gary Arbuckle easily carved open the Vics’ defence. A John Harvey cross then caught a wicked deflection and bounced off the top of the bar but Vics’ looked to have weathered that run of pressure from the home side and began to get a foothold on the game.
Some good interchanging play between Elliot Duffy and Ryan Murphy saw the latter run in on goal but fire narrowly wide but within seconds Vics’ fell behind. A cross from the left caught a defelection and spun viciously into the air and Arbuckle was standing unmarked at the back post to sidefoot the ball home.
The visitors should have been level in the 25th minute when Duffy broke down the right. Yoker keeper Craig Winslow inexplicably raced out of his area and Duffy easily rounded him only to see his shot rebound off the post.
It was Vics’ who were doing most of the pressing as they tried to get back into the game and they almost got back on level terms when Yoker centre half Neil Shoneville almost headed a Patterson cross into his own goal. But the resultant corner was a comedy of errors from a Vics’ perspective and led to the home sides’ second goal. A poor kick from Marc Cameron was cleared and Dom Boyle was easily beaten to the ball by Rogers. As Gary Arbuckle broke from his own area unchallenged he ran onto a pass between two static Vics’ defenders and calmly slotted the ball past the advancing Johnson.
Whitletts needed a break to get back into the game and they got one two minutes before the interval after Duffy was pulled down in the box by Mark McManus and Craig Main fired home from the penalty spot to give the visitors hope.
The Ayr side started the second half strongly and created a couple of chances, the pick of which Boyle scuffed his shot wide when in the clear but ten minutes after the restart, the Holm Park side restored their two goal advantage.
Again Rogers easily beat off a half-hearted challenge from Murdoch as he ran on and fired low past Johnson.
A number of heads went down after that and it was clear that Vics were a beaten side. In attack there were still chances created and James Davidson should have done better after Robert Patterson beat the keeper to the ball but the substitute fired wide of the target.
Yoker almost added a fourth with a 40 yard daisy cutter from Craig Rooney that looked to post no threat but proved to be closer than keeper Johnson envisaged but that only delayed the inevitable when with nine minutes remaining, McManus found himself unmarked ten yards from goal and his shot caught a slight deflection off Murdoch to beat Johnson.
The last two chances of the game fell to the visitors. From a Main free kick, Murdoch took a fresh air swipe at the ball with the goal at his mercy while in the final minute a 30 yard drive from Craig Main rattled the Yoker bar.
At the end of the match, coach Jonathan Baillie, made his feelings known to the players regarding their standard of performance and clearly the Vics’ management team will be re-thinking their plans as they prepare for life in the Ayrshire District next season.
Yoker Athletic 1. Winslow 2. Vickers 3. Harvey 4. Frew (Rooney 63) 5. Shoneville 6. Carson (Collins 81) 7. Maxwell (Stevenson 68) 8. Arbuckle 9. M.Rogers 10. Bissland 11. McManus
Subs (not used) 16. Silva 17. D.Rogers
Whitletts Victoria 1. Johnson 2. Simpson 3. Main 4. Holland 5. Murdoch 6. Cameron 7. Duffy 8. Boyle 9. Murphy (Davidson 59) 10. Patterson 11. Paterson
Subs (not used) 14. Baillie
Referee: David Dickinson
Assistants: Chris Gentles & Peter Laing
Yoker’s promotion hopes remain alive after they exposed Whitletts' defensive frailties at Holm Park. But for the Ayr club it’s back to the drawing board after a shocking rearguard display confirmed that they will prop up the rest of the division at the end of the season.
All too often on the break Yoker waltzed through a Vics’ midfield that failed to protect a fragile looking defence as they conceded four very bad goals. And some players will need to take a serious look at themselves as they appeared to throw in the towel all too early!
In an attacking sense, Vics’ caused the home defence problems and should have scored more than a Craig Main penalty before the break but it is clear manager Steph McMillan has a big job on his hands as the club prepare for life in the Ayrshire District League next season.
With boss Steph McMillan absent due to work commitments and minus key players Graham Longair, Craig Rodgers and Neil McGinn, Vics’ started brightly and Robert Patterson had the ball in the net after only two minutes but was denied by the assistants flag for offside. But soon the frailties began to show. A Mark Maxwell drive from the edge of the box went close before Michael Rogers all too easily shrugged aside a challenge from Alan Murdoch and although the striker beat Darren Johnson with his effort, it slipped narrowly past the post.
The Vics’ keeper was called into action again in the 12th minute as he parried behind a shot from Gary Vickers after a neat one-two with Gary Arbuckle easily carved open the Vics’ defence. A John Harvey cross then caught a wicked deflection and bounced off the top of the bar but Vics’ looked to have weathered that run of pressure from the home side and began to get a foothold on the game.
Some good interchanging play between Elliot Duffy and Ryan Murphy saw the latter run in on goal but fire narrowly wide but within seconds Vics’ fell behind. A cross from the left caught a defelection and spun viciously into the air and Arbuckle was standing unmarked at the back post to sidefoot the ball home.
The visitors should have been level in the 25th minute when Duffy broke down the right. Yoker keeper Craig Winslow inexplicably raced out of his area and Duffy easily rounded him only to see his shot rebound off the post.
It was Vics’ who were doing most of the pressing as they tried to get back into the game and they almost got back on level terms when Yoker centre half Neil Shoneville almost headed a Patterson cross into his own goal. But the resultant corner was a comedy of errors from a Vics’ perspective and led to the home sides’ second goal. A poor kick from Marc Cameron was cleared and Dom Boyle was easily beaten to the ball by Rogers. As Gary Arbuckle broke from his own area unchallenged he ran onto a pass between two static Vics’ defenders and calmly slotted the ball past the advancing Johnson.
Whitletts needed a break to get back into the game and they got one two minutes before the interval after Duffy was pulled down in the box by Mark McManus and Craig Main fired home from the penalty spot to give the visitors hope.
The Ayr side started the second half strongly and created a couple of chances, the pick of which Boyle scuffed his shot wide when in the clear but ten minutes after the restart, the Holm Park side restored their two goal advantage.
Again Rogers easily beat off a half-hearted challenge from Murdoch as he ran on and fired low past Johnson.
A number of heads went down after that and it was clear that Vics were a beaten side. In attack there were still chances created and James Davidson should have done better after Robert Patterson beat the keeper to the ball but the substitute fired wide of the target.
Yoker almost added a fourth with a 40 yard daisy cutter from Craig Rooney that looked to post no threat but proved to be closer than keeper Johnson envisaged but that only delayed the inevitable when with nine minutes remaining, McManus found himself unmarked ten yards from goal and his shot caught a slight deflection off Murdoch to beat Johnson.
The last two chances of the game fell to the visitors. From a Main free kick, Murdoch took a fresh air swipe at the ball with the goal at his mercy while in the final minute a 30 yard drive from Craig Main rattled the Yoker bar.
At the end of the match, coach Jonathan Baillie, made his feelings known to the players regarding their standard of performance and clearly the Vics’ management team will be re-thinking their plans as they prepare for life in the Ayrshire District next season.
Yoker Athletic 1. Winslow 2. Vickers 3. Harvey 4. Frew (Rooney 63) 5. Shoneville 6. Carson (Collins 81) 7. Maxwell (Stevenson 68) 8. Arbuckle 9. M.Rogers 10. Bissland 11. McManus
Subs (not used) 16. Silva 17. D.Rogers
Whitletts Victoria 1. Johnson 2. Simpson 3. Main 4. Holland 5. Murdoch 6. Cameron 7. Duffy 8. Boyle 9. Murphy (Davidson 59) 10. Patterson 11. Paterson
Subs (not used) 14. Baillie
Referee: David Dickinson
Assistants: Chris Gentles & Peter Laing