McBookie Ayrshire District League

ARDEER THISTLE 0

DALRY THISTLE 3

A DREADFUL second half performance cost Ardeer dearly as Dalry scored three second half goals to claim victory.

The hosts had two of the better chances in the first half. Lee Munro played in Ryan Morrow who took a touch but then slipped when striking his shot at goal, which was saved by visiting goalie Blair Lochhead. Morrow had another attempt later one-on-one against the keeper, his shot being blocked by the keeper and then rebounding off the Ardeer winger and out of play.

Home goalie Blair Lochhead had earlier narrowly avoided embarrassment when he mis-controlled a harmless mis-hit Ardeer long pass, but recovered before the ball was able to roll into the net. Dalry came the closest to scoring before the breakthrough, with Paul McCann saving a goalbound shot from close range right on the goal line, after Ardeer had lost possession on the left flank.

There was all to play for in the second half but Ardeer never really got going when play resumed, and Dalry opened the scoring after a sustained period of attacking play in 51 minutes, Kyle Cumming squaring to to Liam Hood, who finished from close range. Six minutes later the visitors doubled their lead. Donnie Campbell lost possession on the left and a low ball across goal from a visiting player was knocked into his own net by Ardeer defender Jamie Donnelly.

Ardeer couldn't recover from two goals down, and the game already seemed over even before they were reduced to 10 men in 83 minutes when Scott Reid received his marching orders for a second bookable offence. Two minutes later, Kieran McLaughlin confirmed their victory, finishing off a counter after Morrow misplaced an ambitious cross field pass during an Ardeer attack.

ARDEER THISTLE: McCann, McKay, Campbell, Donnelly, Holden, Bruce, Morrow, Loftus-Bird, Munro, Johnstone, Maxwell. Subs: Reid, Robertson, McIntyre, Smith, Sewell.

DALRY THISTLE: Lochhead; Hunter, McGowan, Brown, McGowan, Lavery, Hood, Marshall, Archdeacon, Cumming, Stuart. Subs: Loughlin, McLaughlin, Beech, Morrison.