Winton lose out

BLANTYRE VICTORIA 4

ARDROSSAN WINTON ROVERS 2

TEN minutes of madness cost Winton as they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory at the KG Stadium.

Vics were on the attack from kick-off and forced a number of early corners which the defence struggled to clear properly in the first couple of minutes. Winton had their first chance in three minutes when Jamie McKenna ran on to a strong headed clearance by Andy McGregor and got into the box but his poor first touch saw the ball run on to Dale Jones in the home goal. Vics then had another chance a minute following a corner when a shot from the edge of the box deflected into the air but Garry Campbell’s header was straight at Chris Lamb.

Blantyre took the lead in 12 minutes when Lewis McDonald ran on to a good header by Nadeem Zeb down the left he then got down the wing and cut inside before shooting under Chris Lamb as he tried to narrow the angle.

Rovers came very close to an equaliser in 22 minutes when Jones made a great save to tip a Jamie McKenna shot from the edge of the box over the bar following some good lead-up play down the right. Two minutes later, a dangerous cross from David Smith on the right went across the face of the goal but was missed by everyone.

Rovers were now playing some good football and creating chances on the difficult surface.

On the half hour Mathew Ashe won the ball on the left and played a good pass on to McKenna who cut inside and his shot deflected off a defender and went narrowly past the near post. Blantyre almost doubled their lead in 35 minutes when Declan Brown got down the right and cut inside and although his shot was saved by Lamb the ball broke to Ross Caldwell whose follow - up shot was cleared off the line by Andy McGregor.

Winton levelled a minute later when they won a throw-in 20 yards out. David Smith’s throw came back to him and he played a dangerous ball into the box where Chris Smith hit a first time shot past Jones from 15 yards and his first goal for the club.

In 49 minutes, David Smith played a dangerous cross across the face of the goal and Sean Mears, who had replaced David Cunningham at half-time was on hand to score from 10 yards to put Winton ahead.

McDonald shot over the bar from a great position with the goal gaping on 53 minutes then Ross McKechnie headed a deep cross wide of goal on 56 minutes.

Winton had a good opportunity to extend their lead in 75 minutes when David Adams got on the end of a good ball but lost control of the ball inside the box.

It all went horribly wrong for the visitors in the last 10 minutes as Blantyre’s pressure began to tell and they equalised in 83 minutes, when David Smith lost control on the left, got entangled with a Vics player on the ground, allowing McDonald a free run in on goal and he made no mistake shooting past Lamb from 10 yards. They controversially took the lead right on 90 minutes when Lamb went up at his back post to catch a cross and although he looked to have been fouled causing him to drop the ball the referee played on and after a goalmouth scramble Caldwell scored from close range.

It got worse two minutes into time added on when Steven Tan, who had come on for David Smith who had been injured in the lead up to the equaliser, lost the ball on the left, allowing McDonald to beat Lamb for his hat-trick.

ARDROSSAN WINTON ROVERS: Lamb; McGregor, Ashe, Wilson, Longair, Wilson, Smith, Cunningham, Adams, McKenna, Cunningham

Subs: Mears, Ballantyne, Tan, Davidson.