McBookie League One

ARDROSSAN WINTON ROVERS 2

SHETTLESTON 0

RESURGENT Winton earned praise from boss Stevie Wilson after they bounced back from successive defeats to brush aside the Glasgow visitors.

Wilson said later: "I was impressed with the way we played, we controlled the game and deserved to win although we had a perfectly good goal chalked off.

"It was a big three points for us after the Gartcairn defeat."

Winton gave a debut to former BSC Glasgow and Beith midfielder Jamie Cunningham, who was signed on Monday night.

The boss added: "Jamie is an experienced player who will make a difference."

There was a minute’s silence before the match for former player Jackie Anderson who passed away recently.

Although Winton started brightly the visitors had the first real chance in five minutes when Chris Lamb tipped a long range shot from Craig Johnston onto the bar before the danger was cleared.

In 18 minutes Sean Mears played a good ball inside to Cunningham, who was brought down 25 yards out. Cunningham took the kick which was well saved by Daniel McLean.

It should have been 1-0 to Rovers in 25 minutes when David Cunningham intercepted a pass and played the ball on to David Adams who got into the box and with only the goalie to beat he was brought down by a defender’s last ditch tackle. Although the referee awarded the penalty and it was a last man foul, the referee only booked the defender. Adams took the spot kick which was saved.

Winton began the second half as they had ended the first, on the front foot and in 46 minutes, Chris Wilson headed a Cunningham corner well over the bar.

Winton made the breakthrough on the hour when Adams chased what looked like a lost cause down the right got to the line and hit a low hard ball into the goalmouth and Jack Crumlish, trying to block the cross, only succeeded in diverting the ball into his own net. Home captain Jo Maxwell, who had earlier picked up a foot injury was unable to continue and was replaced by Graham Longair in 62 minutes.

With Rovers looking for a second goal to make things more comfortable, Shettleston had their first real chance of the second half in 69 minutes when Craig Johnston hit a free-kick from out and Lamb dived to his left to punch the ball clear.

It looked as if Winton had doubled their lead in 75 minutes when Andy McGregor headed a Jamie Cunningham cross, following a corner, powerfully home at the back post. For some reason the referee disallowed what appeared to be a perfectly good goal.

Jamie McKenna then replaced David Adams and had an almost immediate impact on the game when he won a free-kick right on the edge of the Shettleston box. However before the kick could be taken the referee sent off Craig Young, reducing the visitors to 10 men. McKenna stepped up and hit a shot that took a slight deflection off the wall and sent the ball past the diving McLean into the net for 2-0 in 83 minutes.

Winton host Glasgow Perthshire on Saturday but Wilson cautioned: "They were hurting after we beat them 7-2 at their ground earlier in the season although they were leading 2-1 at half-time. They will come looking for a result, we have no divine right to win but must look for three points."

ARDROSSAN WR: Lamb; McGregor, Hunter, Wilson, Maxwell, Mears, Cunningham, Smith, Wilson, Cunningham, Adams. Subs: Longair, Ballantyne, McKenna, Watson, Ashe.