First half action

By Graham Barnstaple
July 28 2012

Airdrie progressed to the second round of the Ramsden’s Challenge Cup with a 1-0 win over Lanarkshire rivals Hamilton at New Douglas Park.

First half possession was dominated by the home side as they passed the ball well, the only disappointment for them was their lack of cutting edge in the final third. Their only chance in the opening half came when visiting keeper Kenny Arthur’s weak punch was headed goal wards by Martin Canning only to be cleared off the line by Marc Warren.

It took Airdrie time to get into the game but when they did they were more productive in the final third. They saw three shots just slip narrowly wide before the break, with Nathan Blockley, Gavin Griffin and Marc Warren all coming close.

The opening stages of the second half were poor with neither side really looking like scoring. At this stage there was an over reliance on the long ball which saw both sides lose possession a little too easily.

With about 20 minutes to go things changed and there was more goal mouth action as both sides tried to ensure they would progress to the next round. Conner McGlinchey’s shot from the edge of the box was well saved by Kenny Arthur in the Airdrie goal.

Airdrie’s attempts were a bit more desperate at this stage with Sean Lynch seeing yellow for a dive as he tried to win his side a penalty. In the end it was a former Accies man who came of the bench to win the tie for the visitors.

Willie McLaren was found at the edge of the box by a clever pass from Blockely, he took a couple of touches to settle himself before firing a low left foot shot past the stranded Kevin Cuthbert. McLaren savoured the moment as he celebrated in front of the home fans who had been giving him stick earlier as he warmed up as a sub.

Accies boss Billy Reid was please the way his young players had played but was disappointed at the lack of cutting edge when the go forward. But he does believe he has a crop of youngster who will be exciting to watch in the first division this year.

His counterpart Jimmy Boyle of Airdrie was delighted his side kept a clean sheet after a season last season when he felt they gave away too many cheap goals. He felt this was in part down to the experience of Michael Hart and Man of the Match David Lilley helping keep the shape his side had worked on all week.