** Cup Match Report - Knightswood BC 2 - 3 Wishaw Boys Club ** Knightswood v Wishaw BC Sunday 25th January 2015 SYFA Central Region Cup 4th Round Scotstoun Leisure Centre ko 1200 hrs This mornings game was clearly WBCs biggest ever game in their short history. A 4th Round tie in the SYFA Central Region Cup which brought the reward of a Quarter Final for the winners. Knightswood have progressed into the last 8 of the Scottish Cup, and by their own admission have kept their best performances for cup games this season, and they were obviously very confident of their chances of getting the better of Wishaw, and didnt bother to arrange for the pitch to be available for the prospect of Extra Time and Penalties, they were right about not needing Extra Time....... WBC started the game with a tweak to their normal tactics. With the late withdrawal of Morgan Jones through illness, the defence lined up with Dylan Gibson at right back, Iain Hardie at left back and Matthew Hillan and captain Conor Smith in the centre, with Jamie Anderson in goals. Chris MacNeil lined up at the base of a midfield diamond, with Cammy Ballantyne and Chris Bruce either side and Ross Wileman pushing forward to support lone striker Nathan Livingstone, and Ross Park raiding down the wide areas. Connor Bohan, Kieran Duffy, Ross Paton and Douglas Crumley gave the substitutes bench a very strong look indeed. Playing against the wind in the first half WBC were nearly caught cold in the opening minute, with some missed tackles on the right hand side allowing the Kinightswood left winger to cause danger in the area which resulted in the their striker hitting a snap shot which struck the post and went wide. A minute later a neat through ball from the Knightswood midfield found a striker running through on goal but Jamie Anderson was out sharply to save with his feet. It wasnt long before Wishaw were into their stride though. After some good work by Iain Hardie on the left hand side, a free kick was awarded about 30 yards from goal. Chris MacNeil flighted in a wonderful free kick which was glanced over the keeper by Ross Park to open the scoring after 5 minutes. 1-0. This certainly brought more confidence to Wishaw, and knocked Knightswood out of their early stride. A few minutes later, another free kick was conceded by Knightswood in a very similar area, and after Chris put in another excellent delivery, Matthew Hillan hit a shot just wide from 18 yards after the ball had been half cleared. The game settled down a bit after 15 minutes, with Knightswood using the wind to their advantage. They managed to force a succession corners which caused danger to the Wishaw goal, again Jamie was up to the task though, saving well with his feet when a goal looked likely. Most of the game was being played in the Wishaw half at this stage, though Wishaw looked dangerous on the break. After 20 mins Nathan clipped a shot just wide of the post after a quick through ball from midfield. Knightswood continued to pressurise the Wishaw defence in open play, although they failed to produce any clear cut chances to capitalise on their good play. Wishaw were looking dominant at set pieces though, and after a long throw from Chris MacNeil on the left, Chris Bruce rose well to flick on at the near post allowing Ross Park to narrowly loop a header over the bar from 8 yards. The game was very even at this point, with Cammy Ballantyne battling very well in midfield and Iain Hardie making dangerous runs down the left and flying into tackles and headers. Conor, Matthew and Dylan were coping well with the wind and the Knightswood strikers, winning the aerial battles and cutting the space down very quickly as soon as Knightswood pushed forward. It was Iain who had the next chance, having a shot well blocked after a neat lay off from Nathan. It was the next counter attack which produced the second Wishaw goal. After a great ball down the left from Chris Bruce, Ross Park galloped into space and went past the covering Knightswood defenders before squaring an excellent cross for the unmarked Nathan, but just as Nathan was about to pull the trigger a Knightswood defender sliced his desperate clearance and the ball dribbled over the line. 2-0. It was certainly a deserved reward for all the hard effort and good work which Wishaw had put in for the first 40 minutes, although Knightswood nearly grabbed a lifeline right on the stroke of half time. Another free kick was drifted into the WBC penalty area, and from a misdirected headed clearance from a Wishaw player the ball appeared destined to fly agonisingly into the net, but Iain Hardie arrived from nowhere to miraculously head the ball off the line and on to the bar before the ball was scrambled clear as the half time whistle sounded! Half Time 2-0 Wishaw started the second half very brightly, with Ross Wileman firing narrowly over the bar from 18 yards after a good lay off from Nathan. However Knightswood were soon showing a renewed urgency to their play and threatening the Wishaw defence yet again. Within 5 minutes they had reduced the deficit after a good run down their right hand side wasnt cleared properly allowing their striker to smash the ball into the net from 15 yards. 2-1 The next 5 minutes saw Knightwsood put Wishaw under the cosh with numerous attacks. Jamie was called into action after a diving header looked like it was going to sneak into the net, but Jamie managed to tip the ball around the post. However the equaliser came shortly afterwards, when a Knightswood midfielder appeared to control the ball with his arm before driving hard at the heart of the Wishaw defence, and as the Wishaw defence backed off it allowed him to strike a very good low shot which gave Jamie no chance of saving. 2-2 The Knightswood players and supporters thought the game was theirs at this point, although they obviously hadnt counted on the battling spirit which has been prominent throughout WBCs play this season. Within minutes of conceding the second goal, a great ball was played through the inside right channel which Ross Wileman chased down, and despite looking second best to get the ball, Ross won a great tackle against the Knightswood centre back before drifting inside another covering defender and squaring the ball to Nathan who made a difficult finish look very easy, striking the ball, which was slightly behind him, low into the bottom right hand corner of the net. 3-2. The game was still very much in the balance at this point, and Wishaws advantage was dealt a big blow with 20 minutes remaining. After pushing players forward for an attacking free kick Wishaw were caught out by a very fast counter attack down our left, and as Dylan came across from the right to cut out the danger he mistimed his challenge and brought a Knightswood attacker down as he bore down on goal. The referee had no option but to produce a red card for Dylan. No complaints, and it was definitely a case of taking one for the team. The resulting free kick was charged down by Chris MacNeil who flew out of the wall to put his body on the line. At this point it was almost visible to see every WBC player puff out their chest and vow that they would not be beaten. Every player upped their game by the 10% required to make up for their numerical disadvantage. Cammy and Chris Bruce were rock solid in the middle of the park and Conor and Matthew suppressed numerous attacks. With Ross Wileman going back to right back, and Ross Park slotting into a more conventional midfield role, Nathan ran his socks off up front closing down the Knightswood defenders and not allowing them to settle on the ball and build up their attacks. Chris Bruce was next to put his body in the way of a goal bound free kick, followed by Chris MacNeil who suffered a bad knock after being caught high and late after a bad challenge. However it certainly wasnt all one way traffic, and Wishaw were still carrying a significant threat when going forward. Nathan hit a shot over the bar after a long throw on the right caused panic in the Knightswood defence. Then Cammy came even closer soon afterwards, hitting a great shot from the edge of the box with his left foot after a great 50 yard run down the right from Ross Park, but the keeper made a very smart save to keep the ball out of the net and keep Knightswood in the game. In the final 10 minutes Knightswood piled even more pressure on the Wishaw penalty area, forcing some very good defending from Conor and Chris Bruce after a dangerous corner. With 5 minutes to go Ross Park was replaced by Kieran Duffy, and Kieran was straight into the action with a determined run down the left wing which eased the pressure on the Wishaw defence. Nathan was then struck down with cramp as a result of all his hard running, but struggled on after requiring some treatment. There was more great defending from Ross Wileman with a last ditch interception, and from Chris Bruce with a great header from a free kick. As the game entered injury time, Nathan was replaced by Connor Bohan. Knightswood still found time to mount one last attack, but Jamie dived brilliantly to tip an effort around the post. Thankfully, although injury time seemed to last for an eternity the final whistle came without the Wishaw goal being breached, and brought about massive celebrations from the Wishaw bench and supporters. A magnificent display from all involved. Bravery, skill, determination, and once again great team spirit. An outstanding effort. Knightswood were very strong in certain areas of the pitch, but never managed to get the better of a Wishaw team that absolutely refuses to give in. A massive amount of appreciation must go to Ally, Kenny, Robert, Scott and Stevie who went through torture on the touchline today. The progress the squad they have put together continues to make defies all odds. Coaches MOTM was a really hard one this time guys but we all feel the whole team fully deserves MOTM.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 11:26:58 +0000
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