GOALS at opposite ends of the spectrum added to the entertainment factor of a competitive cup tie at Meadow Park.

The opening strike from a speculative long-range effort from Ross Brash, which was fumbled by home keeper Graeme Shepherd, could best be described as a fluke while Meadow’s equaliser which brought them right back into the match was a contender for goal of the season, Ryan Deas volleying home from outside the box.

Meadow got a noticeable lift from this, while Shotts experienced the opposite effect, and went on to win the match with an equally good goal in the last minute when Gary McCann set up Paul Maxwell after a quickfire passing move had carved open the visitors’ defence.

It was a fitting way to end a match and the fans’ celebratory mood got happier when news filtered through that rivals Auchinleck Talbot had lost to Winton Rovers, who now face Meadow in the next round, but it was appropriate that McCann had been involved in the build up.

He had also set up Meadow’s first attempt on goal in seven minutes when he delivered a decent cross, which just eluded Michael Hughes. The same player did connect with a similar ball from Deas but his header lacked power and was easily saved by Gary White.

Ciaran Donnelly had a chance to open the scoring for Shotts when Mark Staunton brought down Brash but the resultant free-kick cannoned off the defensive wall to safety before Meadow almost took the lead in bizarre circumstances when a mix-up between defender and keeper almost led to a Donnelly own-goal.

There followed a spell of pressure from the home side, culminating in a Kyle Maxwell shot going just over, before Sheppard made a brave save as Andy Cross was about to pull the trigger, then made another one from the same player whose shot swerved in the wind to make the catch more difficult so the scoreline remained blank at half-time.

Ironically Shepherd had just made another great save, from a long-range free kick in 55 minutes, when he dropped his clanger which gave Shotts the lead which was almost doubled ten minutes later when Tony Traynor made advances into the box, only to be stopped in his tracks by a perfectly timed Staunton tackle.

This proved to be a significant intervention as Meadow levelled the match within five minutes when a corner was only cleared as far as Deas, just outside the area, and he sent a sensational volley through a ruck of players which gave the keeper no chance.

The game seemed to open up at this stage, which gave the crowd an exciting last 20 minutes with chances created at both ends although Meadow gradually began to gain the upper hand, with McCann making several threatening runs on the right flank.

Shotts were unable to cope with these and eventually caved in to the pressure with McCann’s slide-rule pass being met by Paul Maxwell to ensure progress to the next round.

IRVINE MEADOW: Shepherd; Keenan, Sideserf, Staunton, Twaddle, McParland (Hall 66), McCann, Kyle Maxwell, Paul Maxwell, Hughes, Deas.

Unused Subs: Reilly, Thompson.

For the full story see this week's Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald.