Recap

Match report

It was a tough trip out to North Ayrshire where Colts started their Lowland League West campaign with a 2-0 defeat to league newcomers Largs Thistle.

This afternoon’s game saw a strong start as both sides settled into the game with bursts of fast-paced play as each team looked to gain the upper hand. The first real chance came from our hosts when new signee David Wilson was called into action, tipping a dangerous ball over the crossbar.

The hosts continued to test Colts’ defence, with another save required midway through the first half before the breakthrough arrived from Jamie Martin in the 24th minute. Largs then doubled their advantage just five minutes later via Travis Stracey. The team looked to secure a comeback with work left to do before the break, but after a shot went wide from Daniel Hatfield, the whistle blew on the first half with Colts trailing by two.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Largs enjoying much of the attacking pressure while Colts’ defence stood firm through a series of saves and blocks inside the box. Approaching the hour point, Harrison Howe and Jude Freel were brought on to replace Olly McDonald and Jack Devlin in an attempt to inject an energy boost into proceedings.

Much of the final thirty minutes was mired by stoppages, with Aiden McLaughlin receiving a yellow card for a foul which ultimately gave away a free kick on the edge of the box that went wide.

Frustrations came to a head in the 69th minute when, due to injury, Jake Williams was replaced by a trialist for a short five-minute stint that came to a premature end when a head knock forced another substitution, replacing him with Mark McCaffrey.

Colts produced their best spell late on, enjoying a sustained burst of attacking play and shared possession around the 78th minute,  before the hosts forced a final save out of David Wilson. Ultimately, despite continuing efforts, Colts were unable to find a way back into the match before the final whistle blew and were left searching for their first result of the season.

Goalkeeper David Wilson was awarded his first Man of the Match for the club.

Full-Time: Largs Thistle 2 – 0 Cumbernauld Colts.