McBookie Premiership

AUCHINLECK TALBOT 1

BEITH 0

A SOLITARY goal from a well-taken free-kick was enough to secure the points for the hosts in a hard-fought contest at Beechwood.

Beith were again without some key personnel, but nonetheless played well and will be disappointed not to have taken something home for their efforts.

The visitors opened brightly, passing the ball well but Talbot had the first scoring opportunity but a dangerous cross into the box was headed well wide by Dwayne Hyslop. At the other end Andy Leishman had to be alert to turn a speculative Joe Bradley shot behind.

Beith were seeing more of the ball, but Talbot looked the more dangerous up front and they went close when Jamie Glasgow fired in a dipping volley from outside the box narrowly over the bar.

The visitors continued to press but their lightweight attack was getting little change from a solid Talbot back line and the clearer chances fell their way with Ross Harvey and Dwayne Hyslop missing the target with virtually free headers from corners and Graham Wilson shooting at Stephen Grindlay when he got clear and through on goal. Beith won a total of 13 corners in the first half but couldn’t make the breakthrough but the hosts did in the last minute of the half. Talbot were awarded a soft free-kick a few yards outside the box and Mark Shankland stepped up to beat the wall and the keeper with a well struck shot to give his side the lead.

Talbot opened the second half on the offensive and Graham Wilson had a shot in the box blocked before Grindlay turned another on target Shankland free kick behind.

A controversial incident then stopped play for a considerable amount of time when Beith defender Kevin Green was pole-axed by a reckless challenge by Talbot striker Graham Wilson. The offender was extremely fortunate to only receive a caution for his offence while the victim limped out of the game after unsuccessful treatment with Nicky Docherty replacing.

Beith gradually built up some momentum in search of an equaliser and they couldn’t have come closer when Darren Christie smashed a spectacular right foot volley off the upright that Leishman would have been unlikely to stop. Nicky Docherty also saw a decent effort deflected for a corner.

However the visitors generally continued to struggle to make things happen in the final third and had little at their disposal to change things apart from replacing well policed striker Collins with young Peter Haggarty for the last 15 minutes. Try as they did, Beith were allowed few sights of goal by the solid home defence who saw out the remainder fairly comfortably to gain some revenge for losing out to their opponents in last season's dramatic title run-in.

AUCHINLECK TALBOT: Leishman; Lyle, Pope, Harvey, McPherson, S Wilson, Hyslop, White, G Wilson, Shankland, Glasgow. Subs: McIlroy, McCracken, Armstrong, Kemp, Hewitt (gk)

BEITH: Grindlay; R Docherty, Noble, Green, Sheridan, Wilson, Christie, McGlinchey, Collins, Bradley, Milliken. Subs: Haggarty, N Docherty, MacDonald, Middleton, Miller (gk).