Super League Premier Division

GLENAFTON ATHLETIC 4

IRVINE MEADOW 2

STRUGGLING Meadow crashed to a third successive league defeat to leave them rooted to bottom spot.

Meadow made a lively start and came close to taking the lead within two minutes after Gary McCann’s cross from the right was cut across the face of goal and Shaun Fraser’s drive beat keeper Brian McGarrity only for Ally Park to be in the right place to head the ball of the line.

The hosts then began to enjoy some good possession with surging runs from deep and some fine interplay between Andrew and John Paul Boyle up front catching the eye.

In 14 minutes Boyle’s pressure wide on the left forced Jamie Darroch into a fluffed pass-back and the Glens striker quickly snapped up the gift and burst into the box before slipping the ball beyond the outstretched leg of Graeme Shepherd to give Glens the lead

Three minutes later the visitors drew level following a quick break down the left by Fraser and cross to the back post which was headed back by McCann and looked to be cleared by McGeoghegan only for a poor touch to give possession away and the ball snapped by Liam Finnegan and quickly squared to Ross McPherson with time and space to pick his spot and fire home from six yards out.

As in the first half the visitors started off strongly after the break and a break down the left by Michael Keenan set up a one-two in the box between Finnigan and Fraser which ended with a well-timed tackle by Park on the former.

Back-to-back corner kicks concluded with the second being partially cleared and the ball quickly lobbed back into the danger area where MacPherson headed the ball back to Grant Evans in acres of space and defender calmly slotted the ball beyond McGarrity. Home protests for offside were instantly dismissed and the visitors were ahead after 52 minutes.

In 58 minutes Glens drew level with an excellently executed goal beginning with the architect Boyle. He shook off Robert Halliday before skipping to the right hand side of the box and after feigning to square the ball to a team-mate he accelerated past Darroch to the bye-line and chipped a glorious ball into the danger area taking three blue shirts out of play and could look on to watch Joe Andrew rise above Evans and bullet a downward header home.

Glen started to take the game to the visitors and the pressure paid off on 72 minutes after Boyle slipped the ball to Wardrope on the left and after cutting into the box he threaded the ball to Andrew who swivelled to thrash the ball between two defenders and the flat-footed Shepherd into the welcoming net.

Dan Orsi then recovered a ball and rolled it back to Jamie McGeoghegan who took a touch before launching the ball from 35 yards over the keeper and into the back of the net.