Ayrshire Weekly Press Cup First Round

MUIRKIRK 3

DALRY THISTLE 3

(Dalry won 6-5 on penalties)

THISTLE blasted back from behind to edge out the East Ayrshire side in a thriller at Burnside Park.

'Kirk took the lead in their first attack of the game. A ball over the top of the defence found Condon and he took a touch and scored from 15 yards.

Dalry responded straight from the restart and a shot from Greg McVeigh was saved,

Dalry then conceded a free kick right on the edge of the box but the shot was into the wall and it was cleared.

It was 1-1 in 11 minutes when Dalry were awarded a penalty. McVeigh was wide on the left and skinned the defender on the bye line as he raced into the box. he was caught from behind and the referee pointed to the spot. McVeigh himself took the kick and made no mistake.

Muirkirk then restored their lead in 20 minutes when a high loping ball into the box appeared to be in the hands of young keeper Dunlop but he lost control when challenged and the loose ball was sent into the net from a very tight angle.

Dalry came out much more determined after the break and were well on top in the first 15 minutes of the half.

In 50 minutes a Mark Archdeacon shot went just wide, then in a fast move down the right a Stuart cross was begging for someone to get on the end of it but it went past the far post.

Then in 63 minutes it was 3-1 when in a rare foray forward Muirkirk won a corner and when it was played in the tall Condon got above everyone to head home.

That could have been game over, but Dalry put up a fight. Just after the goal a Liam Hood shot was saved.

A couple of substitutions saw David Mills and Gray come on in place of Anderson and Hood and it was this combination who created and scored the second for Dalry in 80 minutes. Gray created the space for the cross on the right and it found Mills who drove the ball low into the net.

Just three minutes later it was all square. Dalry won a free-kick on the half way line wide left on the touch line. McFadzean played the ball in to the crowded box and a defender took a swing only to see it loop into the air and behind the keeper into the net for an own goal.

Into the shootout and both teams scored their first two with McVeigh and Archdeacon scoring for the hosts before Muirkirk missed, McIntyre firing side. However Dalry couldn't take advantage as Brown's kick was saved.

Muirkirk scored the next three, matched by Mills, Guthrie and Gray.

Keeper Dunlop then saved Muirkirk kick number seven before Gallacher stepped up to score and put Thstle through.

DALRY THISTLE; Dunlop, Gallacher, McFadzean, Brown, Butler, Guthrie, Stuart, Anderson, Archdeacon, McVeigh, M. Hood. Subs, Mills, McMunn, Marshall, McLuckie, Gray.