22/08/2015  |  League

Cumbernauld Colts   0  v  1  Vale of Leithen

Having put in four encouraging performances, claiming two wins including the 4-0 win away at BSC Glasgow last time out, Colts fans would have been full of optimism for a first home win of the season as they welcomed Vale of Leithen to Broadwood.

Managers McKinlay and Orr didn’t have their problems to seek on the day with six players missing, a further two having to be drafted in late from their sick bed (Brown) and paternity leave (Espener).

With Sam George (Queens Park) and David Grant (East Stirling) joining the club on loan it meant four changes from last week’s starting lineup: Selkirk out for Espener, O'Neill out for Black, Duncan out for O'Halloran and Moore out for George in Goal, the latter three making their first competitive starts for the club.

The home side started brightly enough with Kirwan at left back getting forward to deliver a fine ball into the six yard box having breached the defensive line. Unfortunately for the Colts there were no takers and the defence cleared for a corner. From the corner Broadfoot flashed a good ball across the box, again no takers in yellow which would be a feature of set plays on the day.

Johhny Black and Jamie Broadfoot in the thick of the action (click to enlarge)

The hosts were struggling to create anything against a stubborn Vale side who got back into shape well, restricting space and looking to hit their hosts on the counter. It was from one of these counters the best chance of the half fell to the visitors. As the Colts gave the ball away Vale broke quickly on the left, the ball pulled back into the six yard area where it was half cleared to a free player, 12 yards out. The attacker fired with power towards goal, George diving to his right to make a superb one handed stop to keep the scores level.

The Colts, somewhat fortuitously, hit the crossbar as Kirwan crossed from the left, his effort drifting over the helpless keeper but coming back off the bar to be cleared for a Colts corner. From the corner there was another good delivery but again it evaded the home attack.

George in goal had to look smart again to gather a deflected effort low to his right and he was on hand to collect in the 47th minute as the home side nearly conceded on the breakaway having given the ball away cheaply, Ward booked for a foul attempting to stop the fast attack.

The sides went in at 0-0 in what was a quite lacklustre first half display from the home side
Into the second half and things started as they had finished, the Colts giving the ball away from kick-off against a Vale side who were happy to sit deep and look to hit their hosts on the counter, taking the lead in exactly that fashion, little of note to mention from an attacking sense for either side in the opening exchanges of the half prior to this.

Burns crept forward from his holding midfield role and with a two man overload on the left elected to shoot from distance instead, his shot from 25 yards blocked away high. Benton misjudged the clearance which fell to the feet of the Vale player who, with the holding midfielder caught forward, was able to lift a ball over the top unchallenged for the pacey wide man to drive into the Colts final third on the right. Oliver worked hard to get back in ahead of the supporting forward, but the fullback was unfortunate to see a good cross ricochet off his shins beyond George in the home goal who had no chance from 6 yards.

1-0 to Vale of Leithen.

Duncan replaced O'Halloran on the right and Grant came on for Burns in the centre as a series of corners and free kicks were delivered by the home side, the closest they came to levelling from one of these an effort cleared off the line from a low Black ball towards the front post.

Andy Ward and Richard Kirwan (click to enlarge)

Brown replaced Black who was struggling with a calf issue and the young striker saw a shot from 18 yards turned towards the other side of goal by Espener, the keeper adjusting well to save. Brown had another effort blocked from the left as he ran onto a fine pass from Grant, before Grant showed his value at the other end sliding in to make a wonderful tackle as the Vale forward should have made it 2 on the break.

The men in yellow had one chance to steal a point from the game in the 92nd minute, the ball dropping to Espener in the box who struck the bouncing ball first time on the turn towards goal, his effort crashing off the crossbar with the keeper beaten.

A bad day at the office for the home side who to a man didn’t really turn up. They will certainly be hoping for a much better showing in next weekend’s tough away trip to Selkirk.

(Pictures courtesy of Alex Miller)