McBookie League Two

ARDEER THISTLE 3

VALE OF LEVEN 2

ARDEER picked up a long overdue and well-deserved victory over Vale of Leven in new manager Blair Gilmour's first home game in charge.

The visitors had scored 10 goals in their previous two matches but out-of-form Ardeer started the game brightly.

Vale goalie Andrew Campbell seemed to struggle with high balls and was forced to palm away Franny Kilpatrick's corner kick early on. Kilpatrick should have really opened the scoring minutes later,from Mark Beveridge's long throw but Campbell parried away his shot from close range.

With the half hour approaching, Ricky Hay came close for the hosts as he shot just over from the edge of the area. The breakthrough came in 31 minutes, Jack Ewing playing a fine pass to send debutant Scott Colvin through on goal and he finished well past Campbell. Four minutes later the Ardeer fans were in dreamland when they went 2-0 up, Colvin using his head to flick a cross on to Kilpatrick who powered a shot home at the back post.

Visiting midfielder Butler had another effort on goal as the visitors tried to get a goal back, his low drive being parried for a corner by Johnston. However, Ardeer looked the more likely to score and Lee McCrea threatened from distance with Campbell collecting his effort after initially spilling it. Despite the hosts looking rather comfortable, Vale reduced the deficit just before the break, Andrew Clark's half volley looping into the top of the net, and although Thistle manager Gilmour was aggrieved that Vale's throw-in which started the move was taken about 10 yards further forward than it should have been, referee Jim Burns was uninterested.

Thistle were forced into two changes early in the second period, Marc Farrell replacing Donnie Campbell at left-back, Campbell having picked up a knock after manfully stepping into the starting line up at short notice, with Jack Shields coming off the bench in place of Kilpatrick who was also struggling with injury. Despite the enforced changes, Ardeer remained the better side and went 3-1 up in 63 minutes, Colvin sealing a debut brace when he rose well to get the better of the visiting keeper and head home a Farrell cross.

The hosts seemed en route to a relatively comfortable victory but were hindered when Farrell was sent off with slightly more than 10 minutes left. He had received an earlier caution for a mis-timed tackle and was given a second after reacting to provocation from Vale's Christopher Jackson. The visiting player benefited from the lack of assistant referees as he spent much of the next few minutes trying to antagonise other Ardeer players, kicking out at least once off the ball out of the referee's sight.

Vale had the upper hand in the last 10 minutes and pulled a goal back in 86 minutes, a header across goal coming into the path of Butler who knocked the ball home from close range.

Based on the full 90 minutes it would have been daylight robbery had the visitors drawn the match, but they really should have twice in stoppage time. With the attack overloaded, a back post header from a cross somehow went wide, and in the last action, Butler had a clean shot on goal less than six yards out, but Johnston secured victory for the hosts by both saving and holding his effort.

Ardeer fans were jubilant to see their team win for the first time since the opening day of the season, having been unlucky in defeat on numerous occasions.

ARDEER THISTLE: Johnston; Beveridge, Campbell, Smith, McKay, Hay, Dempsey, McCrea, Colvin, Ewing, Kilpatrick. Subs: Farrell, Shields, Miller, Murdoch, McKee.