WHAT’S NEW

John Halpin moved ahead of Tom Burns as the top draw specialist in the league. Tonight he recorded his seventh league draw of the season this time against Dave Houston in a game where neither player was able to find the net. Having scored only six goals in eleven matches, Halpin is still looking for his first win. He’s creating opportunities but a low percentage are being converted. The draw was enough to move Houston up another place in the league table. He now lies seventh.

The only other league match this evening also ended in a draw, this time between Ronnie McKenzie and Willie Fleming. McKenzie, Houston and Baver Bari are now all tied on nine points with Colin Berry only a point behind. Fleming moved to fourth place courtesy of this draw. McKenzie took a first half lead when a long ball found an attacker in space in the middle of the shooting area and McKenzie finished coolly. It was late in the second half before Fleming found the equaliser. McKenzie had come close to a second goal which would probably have sealed the points but a draw was probably a fair result.

Two matches, played in the Glasgow Cup, decided the outcome of Group B. Tom Burns, already qualified, topped the group with a win over Ronnie McKenzie. Burns led 2-0 at half-time and although McKenzie had chances to get back into the match after the break, he couldn’t convert. Burns therefore won all four of his matches and three of them against players to whom he had dropped points in the league. Burns has been unstoppable in his Glasgow Cup group but those dropped league points have much reduced his chances of retaining the league title.

McKenzie then faced Dave Gladman in a match which McKenzie had to at least draw. Gladman started well and scored straight from the kick-off. He continued to dominate and added a second before half-time. The second half was in contrast to the first with McKenzie doing the pressing in the Gladman half. But despite many corners and throw-ins around the Gladman goal, McKenzie could not find the net and the game finished 2-0. With three wins Gladman is now assured of qualification in second spot and will play the winner of Group A.

 

League

Houston	0	0	Halpin
Fleming	1	1	R McKenzie

 

Glasgow Cup

Burns	2	0	R McKenzie
Gladman	2	0	R McKenzie

 

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Tonight it was the Glasgow Cup which took centre stage with six matches being played, two in Group A and four in Group B.

In Group A, Baver Bari got off to a bad start against Malcolm Lees. It’s not often that Bari will get the better of Lees and this was no exception. Bari had lost six goals against Lees in the league and this loss was to be repeated tonight. This time Lees did concede one goal. If Bari was lacking belief against Lees, he had much more of it in his match with Willie Fleming. But it was still no points gained as he unluckily lost to Fleming by the only goal of the game. Bari must now win both his remaining matches if he is to have any chance of qualifying.

In Group B, Tom Burns ensured qualification with two further wins in the competition. The matches were won in style as he crushed both John Halpin and Colin Berry with five goals. Halpin will be particulary disappointed since his recent matches with Burns have been close encounters. Berry has been pretty competitive in most of his matches this season and has become a dfficult player to beat. But he is just not able to do this against Burns. In his second Glasgow Cup match Berry lost narrowly to Dave Gladman. Despite having most of the pressure Gladman could not add to his single goal and Berry came very close to an equaliser in the closing stages. Gladman took a big step towards qualification with a 2-0 defeat of John Halpin. Halpin might feel that his goalkeeper could have done more to stop the goals but Gladman did have the bulk of the play in this match and kept possession well.

While the Glasgow Cup was being played Dave Houston was able to catch up with a couple of league matches. It must be at least thirty years since Houston had played Malcolm Lees but this fixture was played out again tonight. It was a convincing win in the end for Lees but Houston contributed much to the game. At 3-1 down he missed a fine chance to reduce the deficit but as the chance was scorned, Lees moved up the park to finish the game 4-1.  In his second match, Houston shared the points with Colin Berry. Houston took the lead but Berry immediately responded to draw level. After the heavy defeats which both players suffered earlier in the evening they were content to play out a 1-1 draw. Both players moved up one place in the league table.

 

Glasgow Cup

Group A

Lees	6	1	Bari
Bari	0	1	Fleming

Group B

Burns	5	1	Halpin
Gladman	1	0	Berry
Berry	0	5	Burns
Halpin	0	2	Gladman

League

Lees	4	1	Houston
Houston	1	1	Berry

 

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Dave Houston returned to action this evening and will probably be satisfied with his haul of six points from a possible nine. His first match against John Halpin couldn’t have started better with Houston netting in the opening minute. He didn’t have many shots after that but he didn’t need them. Halpin huffed and puffed but couldn’t find any rhythm to his game. Poor finishing and good Houston defence meant there was no further scoring.

Next up for Houston was Willie Fleming. Fleming dominated this match but Houston in defensive mode is difficult to break down. Only once did Fleming manage to breach those Houston defences but in Fleming’s mind once was enough.

Houston will be most pleased with his 3-1 win over Dave Gladman if only for the fact of scoring that number of goals. Houston went straight from kick-off to have a first attempt at the Gladman goal. Thereafter Gladman dominated possession and really should have made more of the opportunities he created but the scoreline remained blank. It was Houston, however, who took the lead not long after the re-start. Two heavy Gladman block flicks allowed space for Houston to shoot from a central position and go ahead. Shortly after, an improbable shot from distance doubled Houston’s lead. Two minutes from the end Gladman pulled one back after a corner but as he strove for an equaliser he loosely gave away a throw-in from which Houston restored his two goal advantage. Victory moved Houston three places up the table.

One Glasgow Cup match was played where Tom Burns beat Dave Gladman 2-1. Gladman employed a faster and more expansive style of play than normal and took the game to Burns. For most of the first half he seemed the more likely to score but as so often happens the opening goal came against the run of play and it was a lead that Burns held until half-time. In the second half Burns found he had much more possession than he would normally have against Gladman and he made it count by going further ahead not long into the half. Gladman did reduce the Burns’ lead later in the half but after creating many more chances than he normally would against Burns, he would have hoped for a better return than that single goal.

League

Halpin	0	1	Houston
Houston	0	1	Fleming
Houston	3	1	Gladman

Glasgow Cup

Burns

2

1

Gladman

 

 

 

Only two league matches were played tonight. Dave Gladman extended his unbeaten run to six games by holding Tom Burns to a 1-1 draw. Burns secured the early goal he was looking for, hoping that Gladman would come forward and leave gaps which Burns could then exploit. Gladman was more adventurous but he was still able to keep possession well. Burns grew frustrated as he looked for the second goal which did not materialise. Midway through the second half Gladman equalised with a deflected shot and after that he rarely allowed Burns possession of the ball. Burns has now recorded six draws, twice as many as last season and he trails Malcolm Lees by six points. So far Lees has been able to win matches which Burns has drawn. Lees is going to be difficult to catch. He is undefeated but has drawn with Burns, Gladman and Colin Day.

John Halpin has also clocked up six draws this season but tonight he experienced defeat at the hands of Baver Bari. Halpin created lots of chances but could not find the net and more often than not could not even find the target. Bari, however, showed much more composure in front of goal and was certainly deserving of his 2-0 victory. This win lifted him three places up the table. Halpin is still searching for his first victory.

League results

Burns	1	1	Gladman
Halpin	0	2	Bari

 

 

 

 

Malcolm Lees consolidated his position at the top of the league after a dismal night for Tom Burns. Lees had two difficult matches but he came through with six points. Colin Berry was very unlucky not to record a better scoreline against Lees. Berry played well and moved the ball nicely around the pitch. Lees, however, went ahead seconds before half-time. Berry’s block intercepted a long ball from Lees which seemed to have been over-hit. From the resultant free-kick Lees took the lead. In the second half Berry had an excellent chance to equalise but after his shot hit the inside of the post, Lees broke away to make it 2-0. Lees had an even tougher match against Willie Fleming. Lees led 1-0 at half-time but Fleming despite exerting much pressure on the Lees’ goal, could not find the equaliser. Fleming had earlier managed a 1-0 win over Barry Corr.

Tom Burns might look back and think that this was the night that he surrendered the league championship. He didn’t play at his best against Barry Corr but perhaps the 2-0 scoreline flattered his opponent a little. Corr led 1-0 at half-time after a clever acute angled chip into the far corner. As Burns pressed for an equaliser it was Corr who extended his lead. Burns was to find his shooting boots later against Ronnie McKenzie as he scored four times. Unfortunately for Burns, Mckenzie was also on scoring form as he also netted four times.

Dave Gladman missed an opportunity to move further up the league, drawing his two matches against John Halpin and Colin Berry. Gladman took a first minute lead against Halpin who was to equalise before half-time with an excellent shot from distance. The result could have gone either way but Halpin will have been disappointed not to make more of an attack near the end against a 3-man Gladman defence. With the amount of pressure Gladman had against Colin Berry he should have earned three points. Whilst Berry was always a threat on the break, a combination of poor Gladman finishing and good Berry defence kept the scoreline blank.

League results

Lees	2	0	Berry
Corr	0	1	Fleming
Lees	1	0	Fleming
Burns	0	2	Corr
Halpin	1	1	Gladman
Burns	4	4	R McKenzie
Gladman	0	0	Berry

 

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Malcolm Lees returned to the top of the league after two victories over Barry Corr and Ronnie McKenzie. Whilst his win over McKenzie was comfortable he had to work very hard against Corr. There were no goals in the first half and though both players had second half opportunities it was Lees who netted twice.

If Corr was unlucky against Lees he had some cause to be aggrieved in his second match against John Halpin. The match finished goal-less with Corr probably having the better chances. There was a moment of controversy two minutes from the end of play. Corr played the ball towards Halpin’s shooting area whereupon Halpin’s block flick knocked the ball away. The ball had stopped and so the referee declared a ‘back’. But he wasn’t convinced that the ball had crossed the shooting line and so ruled that the ball had not been completely in. Corr had one flick remaining with his figure and so would have had an excellent opportunity to score. The ball may have crossed the line as Corr believed but without the time to ascertain whether this was so and with Halpin also uncertain, the referee had no option but to rule that it hadn’t.

Willie Fleming remains undefeated after five games but it was two draws he added to his league record tonight. The first was a goal-less draw against Dave Gladman. This was Gladman’s first game for a month and was he determined not to lose after two defeats in his previous matches. He employed a tactic of keeping possession and didn’t set up a shot until the second half. Fleming was limited to only a few opportunites but on the balance of chances he will consider this two points dropped. Fleming’s other draw was a tousy 2-2 draw with Tom Burns. Fleming scored early and led at half-time. The draw meant Burns losing his lead at the top of the table.

Seven points for Dave Gladman saw him rise seven places up the league. After gaining a point against Willie Fleming he then faced Baver Bari. Gladman started well and sqaundered a few early chances. Bari came more into the game and it was he who took the lead before half-time. In the second half both players had shots on goal but in a match which could have gone either way, it was Gladman who scored twice to take the points. In the final match of the evening Gladman took on Fraser McKenzie. McKenzie started with an ultra-defensive line-up but when Gladman scored it looked like a comfortable win would follow. But Gladman could not find a second goal. McKenzie became more adventurous and it was Gladman who finished the game on the backfoot. With a little bit more composure and better judgment McKenzie could have earned himself a share of the points.

League results

Fleming	0	0	Gladman
Lees	2	0	Corr
Burns	2	2	Fleming
Halpin	0	0	Corr
Lees	4	1	R McKenzie
Gladman	2	1	Bari
Gladman	1	0	F McKenzie

 

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Tom Burns joined  Colin Day at the top of the league after a 3-0 win over Dave Houston. After losing his opening game against Dave Gladman, Day remained undefeated until tonight when he went down by a single goal to Colin Berry. It was a late October start of the league campaign for both Wille Fleming and Dave Houston. Houston faced a tough first night against Barry Corr and Tom Burns but got a point on the board against Corr. Fleming remains undefeated after three matches though he will be disappointed with the two draws. John Halpin has become the draw specialist having now clocked up four one pointers.

Fleming returns to action

 

Referee Berry makes his decision

League results

Day	0	1	Berry
Corr	1	1	Houston
Fleming	2	0	Bari
Halpin	1	1	Fleming
Burns	3	0	Houston
Berry	1	1	Bari
Day	0	0	Fleming

 

 

 

 

 

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