Report

MATCH REPORT:  JIM McAULEY.  PHOTO’S:  SARAH-JANE HOY

Guys Meadow passed a late inspection for this league tie and after 90 minutes of turgid football the vast majority of the travelling support would have wished referee Ryan Kennedy has put a line through the fixture as Bot fans who made the journey would no doubt have been much more happy sitting in front of Jeff Stelling on a dismal Saturday afternoon.

The gluepot surface and the steady drizzle did little to enhance the game, but in the opening minute the home side came straight out the traps where Young got enough room to flash a shot over the head of Leishman and off the bar with the big keeper left rooted to the spot. If the crowd expected more to come then they were to be bitterly disappointed as this was one of the few talking points of the game as Talbot’s day was somewhat encapsulated with Boyland flagged offside,  a trait that was to follow the Talbot players throughout the game.

It took 20 minutes for Talbot to mount a serious attack on the home goals when Armstrong’s cross into the box was tamely headed into the hands of McAllistar. Rob Roy picked up a couple of cheap bookings when an over exuberant McNab received a card for leaving the foot in while Young tripped Graham Wilson as the forward tried to move the ball forward. Armstrong made sure that the two Rab’s players’names were not lonely in the referee’s book as he was later carded for a push in the middle of the park. The rest of the half soon petered out in a flurry of fouls, throw-ins, and by-kicks as the players  who to their credit tried to manage the conditions and produce some sort of excitement.

Talbot introduced Mason to the fray at the expense of Graham Wilson at the start of the second half while Cairns found himself carded early doors to put the Rab’s tally at three yellows. Talbot should have taken the lead in the 55th minute when a ferocious low cross by Mason cannoned of Bronsley into the path of Samson where the striker hammered the ball over the bar. Talbot were trying their best to release the two strikers as keeper McAllistar was struggling badly due to kicking the ground as he attempted a clearance late in the first half and was definitely going to pick up a last place on a one on one situation. Stafford was first to try his luck  at turning the home defence when he dinked a pass slightly in front of Samson who looked favourite to reach the ball before the keeper but O’Halloran managed to clear before Samson could get any control on it. The same fate befell Mason who had sprung the offside trap but Bronsley cleared the danger with Mason just pipped to the post.

A minute later a loose ball cleared from the Talbot defence was intercepted by Gilday and his shot rippled the side of Leishman’s net but the keepers posture showed that the shot was spectacular but of no immediate threat. On the hour Talbot amazingly forced their first corner where Wardrope found Taylor with a short pass but the defender tried to knock the ball into the near corner  of the net where McAllistar managed to thwart Samson and gather the ball at the second attempt. Talbot again proved dangerous from the corner flag when on 63 minutes Wardrope’s cross was headed out to Taylor who swung it back into the danger area but the ball pinballed around the six yard box until the referee decided a foul against Talbot was warranted. The home side made a couple changes to shore the midfield, but it was the Talbot substitution that was the talking point when Leishman went up to catch a corner kick and fell crumpled to the ground. The physio spent a few minutes with the stricken keeper but it was clear he couldn’t carry on and with the reserve keeper also injured the gloves were handed to Mark Shankland.

Sensing the fact that Shankland was one of the smallest players in the Talbot squad Gilday tried his luck from well out but his shot ended up in the midriff of the stand in keeper much to the howls of encouragement by the supporters in the shed. Although it was a poor performance all  the team have to be applauded for keeping the Rab’s well away from troubling Shankland as well as trying to nick the points as the game went into the last 20 minutes. Talbot were finding space down the left and a Boylan cross was intercepted by the keeper as Mason who had just been booked tried to get a head on the ball as it came into the danger area. As the game wound down another dangerous cross into the box was missed by everyone except Armstrong who ballooned the ball over the bar. The game ended with a chance for Boylan who after managing to get the ball to his left foot the front man sliced his shot so badly it went out for a home throw.

The final whistle was greeted by silence from the visiting support who were trudging towards their buses and cars while the Rab’s fans looked on as keeper McAllistar was carried to the pavilion finally succumbing to his first half injury. Definitely a lost chance to put pressure on Beith and Darvel and possibly a headache for the Talbot backroom staff if Andy Leishman’s injury proved to be serious.

Rob Roy: McAllistar, Walker, P’Halloran, Martin, Bronsley, Cairns, Hughes, Anderson, McNab, Young, Gilday, Subs: Barclay, Gordan, McCaffer, Woodhouse, Granger and Campbell.

Talbot: Leishman, Stafford, Taylor, McPherson, McCracken, Armstrong, Boyle, Wardrope, G. Wilson, Samson, Boylan. Subs: Mason, Shankland, Smith, Healy, Crawford and Sinnaman.