Category: Results

The last time Tom Burns faced Colin Berry he swept to a 6-0 victory. Tonight, however, it was a completely different story. It was the Woodend Handicap Cup (Holder, Baver Bari) and Berry had the benefit of a 2-0 start against the league champion. Burns started with aggression but it was Berry who had the best chance in the early stages, a chance which he failed to take. For the rest of the half Burns continued to press but most of his opportunities came from wide angles. But Berry was dangerous on the break and he scorned two further really good chances. The second half continued in the same vein but as the game wore on more errors began to creep into Burns’ game. As the tension mounted dubious decision making by Berry began putting him under more pressure and finally Burns found the net but with only just over a minute remaining. Berry kicked off and managed to hold possession until the final whistle blew. On Burns Night it wasn’t Burns’ night. It was a fine victory for Berry who now faces Willie Fleming in the next round.

Up until tonight John Halpin has had seven draws in the league. He was still searching for his first league win. One of those draws was against Willie Fleming who was Halpin’s opponent again this evening. Fleming dominated the first half but could not find the net. Halpin was much better in the second and mid-way through he took the lead. There was some controversy around the goal with Fleming not convinced that the ball had fully entered the shooting area. The referee, however, was adamant that the ball had indeed crossed the line. Time was running out as Fleming pressed for an equaliser. It looked as if Halpin would record his first league victory but with only FIVE SECONDS remaining Fleming scored! Seven draws had become eight for the dejected Halpin.

Before tonight Fleming had the belief that he was still in the title race but two points dropped to Halpin did not help his cause. His title aspirations were dealt a further blow when he dropped two more points, this time against Dave Gladman. This was a slow tactical game played in the middle of the park with few shots on goal. Fleming though, did take the lead but was pegged back only a couple of minutes later. Thereafter neither player was able to create any further chances.

Prior to Colin Berry’s epic match against Tom Burns, he played in the league against Dave Gladman. As Gladman struggled to find any rhythm to his game, it was Berry who dominated the first half and it was he who took the lead on the stroke of half-time. Gladman started the second period with much more purpose and soon drew level. It looked as if it would be a share of the spoils but Berry missed an easy ball just outside his own shooting area. Gladman was quick to capitalise and the three points were his.

League

Halpin	1	1	Fleming
Berry	1	2	Gladman
Gladman	1	1	Fleming

 

Woodend Handicap Cup

Berry

2

1

Burns

 

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In the title race Malcolm Lees dropped two points tonight. It was Lees’ second league encounter with Dave Gladman and it finished with the same scoreline as the first, 1-1. Gladman led 1-0 at half-time after firing home at close range. Straight from the second half kick-off Lees drew level. Both players had chances to win the game but the draw was a fair result. Lees went on to pick up three points against Ronnie McKenzie who started the game well with good possession. Midway through the first half, however, Lees took the lead and went on to add two further goals before the end. Scoring the first goal was crucial although McKenzie could consider himself unlucky in the manner by which he conceded two of them. At the top of the league Lees now has a four point lead over Burns and has a game in hand. Willie Fleming could overtake Burns should he win all the games he has in hand.

McKenzie had better luck against Baver Bari although he only just survived a second half onslaught. McKenzie played really well in the first period and fully deserved his 3-0 half-time lead. But this was a game of two halves and it was a different Bari who emerged after the break. He pulled two goals back but ran out of time to complete the comeback.

Colin Berry has been having a good league campaign up until now, having lost only two matches. Tonight, however, his number of defeats doubled. Admittedly they were against top players but he will be very disappointed with the 6-0 defeat to Tom Burns. He was definitely not pleased when later in the evening he was drawn against Burns in both cup competitions. His other defeat was to Willie Fleming in their first meeting of the season. In his third match Berry had to come from behind to draw with Baver Bari.

League

Fleming	3	1	Berry
Lees	1	1	Gladman
R McKenzie	3	2	Bari
Burns	6	0	Berry
Berry	2	2	Bari
R McKenzie	3	2	Bari

 

 

 

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Only five players turned up for the first night of the new year and only three matches were played. Baver Bari was to suffer a new year hangover with two defeats but they were to the two leading players, Malcolm Lees and Tom Burns. Both players seemed intent on improving their goal difference, chalking up big scores of 6-0 and 8-1. It is therefore ‘as you were’ at the top of the table. Bari can be really good in possession and his shooting can be a powerful weapon but the defensive part of his game needs improvement. He allowed his opponents far too many shots at goal. He often doesn’t use his defensive flicks productively and sometimes doesn’t use them at all. Until he focuses on defensive tactics he will struggle against the top players.

Dave Gladman defeated John Halpin 1-0 in a close fought encounter. Both players’ attacks repeatedly broke down as they failed to get clear scoring opportunities. Chances, therefore, were few but it was Gladman who was able to convert one of them.

Lees	6	0	Bari
Gladman	1	0	Halpin
Burns	8	1	Bari

 

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This was the last club night of 2015 and Malcolm Lees remains in top spot in the league. Two wins for Tom Burns tonight reduced the Lees’ lead to just three points but Burns has played two games more than his rival for the title. Lees dropped points at the start of the campaign but since topping the league on the 2nd November he has not looked back. It’s now unlikely that Dave Butler will compete further this season in the league and with everyone else continuing to take points off each other, Lees must be strong favourite to become champion.

Tom Burns has re-found his scoring touch recently and tonight he found the net nine times times in his two matches against John Halpin and Ronnie McKenzie. Halpin had his moments against Burns and was well in the game at 1-1 but he couldn’t convert any of his further opportunities into goals. In McKenzie’s previous encounter against Burns he scored four times but this time he could only take one of his chances. With Burns’ attacking style of play an opponent will always have opportunities himself but he must also defend well.

It was a good night and indeed it has been a good season so far for Colin Berry. He has lost only two league matches and these were to the leading pair, Lees and Burns. Six points tonight lifted him four places up the table. Berry led 3-0 against John Halpin and managed to withstand a Halpin fightback to win 3-2. Then followed a 2-0 victory over the improving Fraser McKenzie.

Dave Gladman also moved up the table after gathering four points. First came a 3-1 win against Bave Bari. The players were locked at 1-1 at half-time but Gladman managed to gain control in the second half to take the points. Gladman then drew with Ronnie McKenzie in a match not without controversy. McKenzie dominated most of this match though Gladman did have a few really good opportunities to score. Both goals came in the closing minutes first by McKenzie with a shot which came out of the goal so quickly that the referee wasn’t absolutely sure that the ball had completely crossed the line. McKenzie was convinced and he did have the best viewing angle. Then after McKenzie had missed a chance to seal the game at 2-0, Gladman broke away to equalise.

Prior to his defeat by Colin Berry, Fraser McKenzie lost to Willie Fleming in the league and Malcolm Lees in the Glasgow Cup, each time with a scoreline of 2-0. McKenzie continues to improve. He is good in possession and his defensive play is much more solid. He is also creating chances but these chances are not yet becoming goals. He is starting to compete well against the top players but he must improve his shooting skills if he is to start taking points from them.

In a crucial Glasgow Cup match Willie Fleming lost 3-0 to Malcolm Lees. After a goal-less first half, Fleming lost his way after the break. Getting the first goal was all important in this game and Fleming, like Fraser McKenzie is not taking his chances when they come along. Lees has almost secured qualification from Group A but it is still possible for Lees, Fleming and Barry Corr to all finish on nine points.

 

League

Berry	3	2	Halpin
F McKenzie	0	2	Fleming
Burns	5	1	R McKenzie
Gladman	3	1	Bari
Halpin	1	4	Burns
F McKenzie	0	2	Berry
R McKenzie	1	1	Gladman

 

Glasgow Cup

Fleming	0	3	Lees
Lees	2	0	F McKenzie

 

 

 

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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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