Match Report : Annbank v Whitletts
ANNBANK UNITED 2 - WHITLETTS VICTORIA 3
Michael O’Connor celebrated his 26th birthday by scoring a hat trick that gave Whitletts Victoria the points but couldn’t prevent their Ardagh Cup campaign all but ending despite this win at New Pebble Park.
Although it is still mathematically possible the Vics’ can qualify for the latter stages, results elsewhere ensured that Girvan will almost certainly be joined by Maybole in the latter stages of the competition.
It was a match that Vics’ should have won more comfortably given the number of chances that they had against a spirited Annbank side that had to play over an hour with just 10 men following the first half dismissal of James McEwan but in the end the Ayr side had to be thankful for O’Connor’s last minute winner.
Vics’ were missing the injured Raymond Buchanan who has a back problem and the suspended duo of Stevie Kerr and Dominic Boyle while Shaun Allan was unavailable due to work commitments.
Annbank started brightly and with Vics’ still settling into the game, the impressive Scott Johnston ran onto a through ball in the second minute and kept his composure to slot calmly past Fraser Stewart.
It was the perfect start for the home side but Vics’ regrouped and worked their way back into the game. In the 10th minute, O’Connor ran onto a through ball and turned inside a defender but Bankies keeper Danny McColgan was equal to the task.
McColgan then denied Tony Balfour in similar circumstances as Vics’ began to exploit the gaps in the Bankies defence.
Midway through the first half Annbank striker Ryan Hill headed a Craig Rodgers header off the line and then O’Connor crossed for Marc Cameron but the midfielder failed to connect properly and his effort slipped wide.
An equaliser was on the cards and it came in the 24th minute. A superb pass from Connor Simpson split the Bankies defence and O’Connor took a touch before firing high past McColgan from the edge of the box.
Three minutes later the Dam Park side were ahead and the home side were reduced to ten men. As O’Connor raced goalward, he was pulled down inside the box giving referee Grant Irvine no option but to point to the spot. It was clear the referee was also going to show a red card which he duly did to James McEwan although general consensus was that it was the wrong player who was shown the card and that it was Lee Anderson who had actually committed the offence. None of that distracted O’Connor however as he sent McColgan the wrong was from the spot.
O’Connor was a thorn in the side of his former club and looked to turn provider when he capitalised on an error from McColgan and crossed for Neil McGinn but the big strikers volley was cleared off the line by Andrew Brown and Tony Balfour blazed his follow up effort over the bar.
Balfour went close again when he fired just over from the edge of the box after he was set up by McGinn and from the resulting corner, a mishit shot from Rodgers fell kindly for O’Connor six yards out but he couldn’t react quickly enough to get his header on target.
The second half started in a similar fashion with Vics’ pressing forward and O’Connor should have completed his hat trick when he latched onto a Balfour cross but could only fire straight at McColgan.
Scott Johnston was still carrying a threat for Annbank and his neat play set up Jack McDowall but Stewart blocked his effort.
But it was Vics who were still creating the chances and Elliot Duffy should have done better when he raced clear but McColgan was equal to his near post strike.
As the game wore on, Annbank began to take control in the middle of the park but it was still a shock when the home side equalised in the 72nd minute. Tommy Sloan heading home a Craig Fisher corner at his near post against a static Vics’ defence.
That spurred on the home side and they went in search of the third goal that would surely have won them the points. The impressive Johnston was causing the visitors defence problems but their best chance came from a McDowall shot at the edge of the box that flashed just wide of Stewart’s right post.
The game looked set to end in a stalemate when James Davidson fired straight at McColgan but it was O’Connor who was to have the final say in the 90th minute when he beat McColgan to a Davidson cross and lofted the ball over the keeper into the net.
Annbank United
1. D.McColgan 2. McEwan 3. M.McColgan (Logan 83) 4. Robb 5. Anderson 6. Sloan 7. Brown 8. Fisher ( Milligan 78) 9. Hill 10. Johnston 11. McNamara (McDowall HT)
Subs (not used) 15. Gardiner 16. Currie
Whitletts Victoria
1. Stewart 2. Simpson 3. Lawrie 4. Longair 5. Holland 6. Cameron 7. Duffy (Davidson 70) 8. Rodgers 9. O’Connor 10. McGinn (Patterson 77)11. Balfour
Subs (not used) 14. Barr 21. Callaghan
Referee: Grant Irvine
Michael O’Connor celebrated his 26th birthday by scoring a hat trick that gave Whitletts Victoria the points but couldn’t prevent their Ardagh Cup campaign all but ending despite this win at New Pebble Park.
Although it is still mathematically possible the Vics’ can qualify for the latter stages, results elsewhere ensured that Girvan will almost certainly be joined by Maybole in the latter stages of the competition.
It was a match that Vics’ should have won more comfortably given the number of chances that they had against a spirited Annbank side that had to play over an hour with just 10 men following the first half dismissal of James McEwan but in the end the Ayr side had to be thankful for O’Connor’s last minute winner.
Vics’ were missing the injured Raymond Buchanan who has a back problem and the suspended duo of Stevie Kerr and Dominic Boyle while Shaun Allan was unavailable due to work commitments.
Annbank started brightly and with Vics’ still settling into the game, the impressive Scott Johnston ran onto a through ball in the second minute and kept his composure to slot calmly past Fraser Stewart.
It was the perfect start for the home side but Vics’ regrouped and worked their way back into the game. In the 10th minute, O’Connor ran onto a through ball and turned inside a defender but Bankies keeper Danny McColgan was equal to the task.
McColgan then denied Tony Balfour in similar circumstances as Vics’ began to exploit the gaps in the Bankies defence.
Midway through the first half Annbank striker Ryan Hill headed a Craig Rodgers header off the line and then O’Connor crossed for Marc Cameron but the midfielder failed to connect properly and his effort slipped wide.
An equaliser was on the cards and it came in the 24th minute. A superb pass from Connor Simpson split the Bankies defence and O’Connor took a touch before firing high past McColgan from the edge of the box.
Three minutes later the Dam Park side were ahead and the home side were reduced to ten men. As O’Connor raced goalward, he was pulled down inside the box giving referee Grant Irvine no option but to point to the spot. It was clear the referee was also going to show a red card which he duly did to James McEwan although general consensus was that it was the wrong player who was shown the card and that it was Lee Anderson who had actually committed the offence. None of that distracted O’Connor however as he sent McColgan the wrong was from the spot.
O’Connor was a thorn in the side of his former club and looked to turn provider when he capitalised on an error from McColgan and crossed for Neil McGinn but the big strikers volley was cleared off the line by Andrew Brown and Tony Balfour blazed his follow up effort over the bar.
Balfour went close again when he fired just over from the edge of the box after he was set up by McGinn and from the resulting corner, a mishit shot from Rodgers fell kindly for O’Connor six yards out but he couldn’t react quickly enough to get his header on target.
The second half started in a similar fashion with Vics’ pressing forward and O’Connor should have completed his hat trick when he latched onto a Balfour cross but could only fire straight at McColgan.
Scott Johnston was still carrying a threat for Annbank and his neat play set up Jack McDowall but Stewart blocked his effort.
But it was Vics who were still creating the chances and Elliot Duffy should have done better when he raced clear but McColgan was equal to his near post strike.
As the game wore on, Annbank began to take control in the middle of the park but it was still a shock when the home side equalised in the 72nd minute. Tommy Sloan heading home a Craig Fisher corner at his near post against a static Vics’ defence.
That spurred on the home side and they went in search of the third goal that would surely have won them the points. The impressive Johnston was causing the visitors defence problems but their best chance came from a McDowall shot at the edge of the box that flashed just wide of Stewart’s right post.
The game looked set to end in a stalemate when James Davidson fired straight at McColgan but it was O’Connor who was to have the final say in the 90th minute when he beat McColgan to a Davidson cross and lofted the ball over the keeper into the net.
Annbank United
1. D.McColgan 2. McEwan 3. M.McColgan (Logan 83) 4. Robb 5. Anderson 6. Sloan 7. Brown 8. Fisher ( Milligan 78) 9. Hill 10. Johnston 11. McNamara (McDowall HT)
Subs (not used) 15. Gardiner 16. Currie
Whitletts Victoria
1. Stewart 2. Simpson 3. Lawrie 4. Longair 5. Holland 6. Cameron 7. Duffy (Davidson 70) 8. Rodgers 9. O’Connor 10. McGinn (Patterson 77)11. Balfour
Subs (not used) 14. Barr 21. Callaghan
Referee: Grant Irvine