WHAT’S NEW

Malcolm Lees took over at the top of the league tonight after two victories over Baver Bari and Fraser McKenzie.

Although Lees ran out a comfortable winner, McKenzie made him work hard for his victory. It took Lees most of the first half to make a breakthrough but McKenzie had a number of chances to equalise. However a combination of good goalkeeping from both players kept the score at 1-0 to midway through the second half. There was almost a serious injury to McKenzie when he caught the corner of the park when rushing round the table to take a shot which caused a Force 10 earthquake to hit the park………… McKenzie can be proud of his efforts but Lees looks like a serious title contender.

Dave Butler was surprisingly held to a 0-0 draw by John Halpin. Halpin’s tournament experience over the last year is starting to show in his results.

Bari 1  1 Halpin

In a game which swung from end to end for the entire thirty minutes both players might have thought they could have won it. Bari took the lead early in the second half only for Halpin to grab a quick equaliser. With a minute remaining Halpin got the ball in the box and a good shot followed. The ball did go in the net but to Halpin’s dismay, the goal was disallowed for having two hands on the table. A draw was probably a fair result.

Burns 5  0 Berry

The score suggests a one-sided game but it definitely wasn’t. Berry vhad two or three early chances before Burns began to play and create some good chances. He hit the bar four times but scored twice in the first half. The second half continued in a similar vein and with some clinical finishing Burns added three more.

Butler 7  0 R McKenzie

Butler’s finishing in this game was deadly. McKenzie did play well at times but could not capitalise on his good play.

Bari 0  0 F McKenzie

This was an end to end affair but neither player could find a goal. It was McKenzie’s first pont on the board.

F McKenzie 1  4 R McKenzie

In the last game of the evening, the McKenzie Derby, Ronnie punished his son with some well taken goals. Fraser had some great spells but his play was littered with costly errors. He’s young but improving and will cause a few problems for his more experienced rivals.

The opening night of the new season saw Dave Gladman topping the league at the end of play. All six players who attended got points on the board but all six also dropped points. Also tonight Malcolm Lees played his first games as a GTSA player. Lees will shortly be heading to Italy to represent Scotland in the World Cup and tonight he was provided with a couple of tough matches as preparation.

Barry Corr led Colin Berry 1-0 at half-time but in an exciting second half it was honours even with a 2-2 draw. Last season Colin Day won both his matches against Dave Gladman but tonight the tables were turned.The only goal was scored in the first half when Gladman managed to squeeze a shot between goalkeeper and post. A draw would probably have been a fair result although both players missed second half opportunities.

Malcolm Lees couldn’t have been given a tougher first match than League Champion, Tom Burns. It was Burns who took the lead but he couldn’t hold it and both players had to settle for a share of the points in a match which had its fair share of uncharacteristic errors. Next up for Lees was Dave Gladman. As in his first match Lees went behind and as before the match finished 1-1. Gladman had more of the possession but Lees certainly had the better chances, Gladman’s goalkeeper having some fine saves.

In the final match of the evening Tom Burns met Colin Day. Burns was eager to get his first win after dropping points to Malcolm Lees whilst Day wanted to get his first points on the board. Twice Burns was ahead and twice he was pegged back. Both Burns’ goals were of high quality, the end products of swift movement. Day’s first equaliser was a very powerful acute angled shot and his second a quick finish after good possession play.

It promises to be quite an exciting season.

League results

On the final night of the season Baver Bari secured his first GTSA trophy with a 1-0 victory over John Halpin in the final of the Woodend Handicap Cup.

Three games remained in the Handicap Cup. Colin Berry and Fraser McKenzie had to replay their quarter-final match which they had drawn 2-2. Berry started with a 2-goal deficit but managed to reduce that to one before the half-time whistle. McKenzie held on until 5 minutes from the end when his defence was breached again. Right at the end Berry missed a glorious chance to win and so the match went to shots. Both players failed to convert their first 5 attempts but then McKenzie scored from his sixth shot from out wide. Berry couldn’t follow suit and McKenzie was in the semi-final.

Fraser McKenzie now took on Baver Bari and once again McKenzie started with a 2-goal lead. Bari began well and it wasn’t long before he made it 2-1. He continued to dominate till half-time but the McKenzie defence stood firm. After the break McKenzie came much more into the game with good periods of possession and then carving out a great opportunity which produced a fine save by Bari. If that chance had been converted, McKenzie would surely have been in the final. But with time running out Bari scored the goal which took the game to extra-time and the golden goal. With more chances created in normal time Bari was favourite to score in the extra period. So it proved as after only 4 minutes the McKenzie resistance was broken. Bari was through to the final to play John Halpin.

Both Halpin and Bari had the same handicap and so the game started level. Colin Day was appointed referee. The first half belonged to Bari. He played well, rarely missed the ball, was composed in possession and created several good chances, one of which found the back of Halpin’s net. Halpin couldn’t pull his game together. Possession was loose and sometimes hurried and wrong choices were made. In truth the game could have been over by half-time but fortunately for Halpin his goalkeeper was in good form and the Bari lead remained only one goal. As in his game against Fraser McKenzie, Bari’s second half level of performance dropped and Halpin started to enjoy much more possession. Chances came but either the woodwork or Bari’s ‘keeper prevented Halpin finding the equaliser which would have take the game to extra-time. A single goal decided this cup final and gave Baver Bari a deserved first GTSA trophy.

Woodend Handicap Cup

Quarter-final replay

McKenzie wins 1-0 on shots

Semi-Final

Bari wins 3-2 with golden goal

Final

It was a night of two cup finals and both involved new league champion, Tom Burns. First up was the Association Cup, a trophy not previously won by either competitor, Tom Burns and Dave Gladman. It turned out to be a rather one-sided affair with Burns running out 4-1 winner. Gladman had started well but indecision after a corner led to loss of possession and Burns racing upfield to take the lead. Then just before half-time carelessness by Gladman’s kicking goalkeeper left a simple tap-in for Burns. Thereafter the decision by Gladman to press forward resulted in frequent errors which Burns was able to further exploit. Burns played well in this match and thoroughly deserved the win but poor decision-making and careless play contributed to Gladman’s downfall. The match was never the close contest that was expected.

With the League and Cup double in the bag for Burns, the possibility was there for a treble if he could add the Glasgow Cup to his spoils. First Burns had to play Dave Houston in the semi-final. Houston had been showing good form recently with league victories and the famous draw against Dave Butler. Burns found it difficult against the old campaigner but eventually broke his resistance with five minutes remaining.

So to the final where Colin Day was waiting. This was another close encounter and a single goal was enough to win the cup. Burns’ block flicking had been excellent in his previous two matches and it was again for most of this match. But it was a bad choice of block flick which allowed Day the space for the shooting opportunity which resulted in that single goal. Burns did have chances to equalise but Day also had chances to go further ahead. Day held possession well throughout the match and probably just deserved this cup win. For Burns, the treble was lost. Having played two pressure matches earlier in the evening, this was perhaps a match too far.

There was also some league action tonight. Willie Fleming returned to the club with a win against Baver Bari. He had to work for it though, recovering from a half-time deficit to win 3-2. Bari lost in a second match, this time against Dave Houston who confirmed his recent good form with a 2-0 win.

Association Cup

Glasgow Cup

Semi-final

Final

League

Tom Burns is the new GTSA League Champion! But he wasn’t at tonight’s club night to witness how this came to pass. In his final match Dave Butler had to defeat Dave Houston in order to retain the title but an exciting match finished with a scoreline of 2-2. Butler had only conceded 4 goals in his previous 19 matches whereas Houston had only twice scored more than one goal in his previous 17! No-one had expected such a result. Burns wins by just one point.

Houston opened the scoring after only a few minutes. With a cluster of players around the ball, it seemed unlikely that Houston would get a clean connection in his first goal attempt. But he did. The shot wasn’t a strong one but it took the goalkeeper by surprise and Houston was ahead. Houston now had to show stout defensive qualities in the face of a Butler onslaught on his goal. A goal had to come but only one did before the half-time whistle blew.

The second period continued in the same vein with the occasional Houston foray up the park. Then, with five minutes remaining Butler thrust through the middle of the Houston defence. It seemed, however, that Butler had taken the ball too close to the ‘keeper but a cute little chip found the back of the net. Surely now, the title was Butler’s? Perhaps he should have tightened his defence, slowed the game, maintained possession. But he didn’t. With less than three minutes on the clock, Butler lost possession. Houston, spotting an inviting gap on the right side of the Butler defence broke quickly and after some accurate passing, fired in a powerful equaliser. Butler threw everything forward but was unable to create a further scoring opportunity.

It was a thrilling climax to the league campaign. Butler had completed his fixtures without a single defeat. But it was not enough. Too many draws had been his failing. Congratulations, therefore, to Tom Burns who wins the 43-year old trophy for the first time! Burns’ only defeat was to Dave Butler but it was his consistency against other players which gave him the title.

Later Dave Houston secured a further three points against Fraser McKenzie, scoring the winning goal in the final minute.

There was also action in the Glasgow Cup, once again involving Dave Houston who took the surprising decision to play this match with flats.  Houston needed a draw against Ronnie McKenzie to progress. McKenzie needed to win. It was Houston who took the lead and held it until half-time. McKenzie did manage to equalise but not until two minutes from the end. Houston now faces Tom Burns in the semi-final.

The other semi-final saw a clash between Colin Day and Dave Gladman. Day started well but soon Gladman took control and laid siege on the Day goal. Just before half-time, however, Day broke up-field and, taking advantage of gaps in the Gladman defence, fired in the opener with a little assistance from the ‘keeper. There was no time to take kick-off. In the second half the onus was on Gladman to attack leaving him vulnerable to the counter. It was Day who was able to double his lead. Near the end Gladman pulled one back and then an excellent Day block denied Gladman a final scoring opportunity. Day now awaits the winner of the Burns/Houston semi-final.

League

Glasgow Cup

Group match

Semi-Final

Six games were played this evening, all from either the Association Cup or the Woodend Handicap Cup. In the Association Cup both semi-finals took place. In the first Dave Gladman took on Colin Berry. Gladman led 1-0 at half-time and really should have made the result beyond doubt. As the game wore on Gladman became more nervous and careless in possession and with only two minutes remaining Berry found space through the middle and scored the equaliser which took the match to a replay. There was no rest for the players, however, as they immediately kicked off in that replay. This time Gladman was more convincing and ran out 3-0 winner.

In the final he will face Tom Burns, victor over Colin Day in the other semi. Burns played a really good match in the first half and took a two-goal lead. It was a better performance by Day after the break but he could only claw back one goal.

In the Woodend Handicap Cup quarter-final Ronnie McKenzie faced Baver Bari with a two-goal deficit. McKenzie managed a first-half goal to narrow that deficit but Bari held out to secure a semi-final place against either Colin Berry or Fraser McKenzie. McKenzie started with a two-goal lead but a goal in each half earned Berry a replay. The opportunities were there for McKenzie to win the match but he was a little too hurried and careless at times.

Whoever wins the semi-final will play John Halpin in the final. Halpin had a fine semi-final victory over Tom Burns. Halpin’s handicap was fixed earlier in the season at +3 and it’s a measure of his improvement that this seems pretty generous. Had Burns been able to convert one of his excellent first half chances it might have been a different story. But each time he hit woodwork. Halpin grew in confidence, maintaining good possession and running out a comfortable winner. He’ll be hard to beat in the final.

Association Cup Semi-Finals

Replay

Woodend Handicap Cup

Quarter-Finals

Semi-Final