McBookie Ayrshire District League

CRAIGMARK BURNTONIANS 1

ARDROSSAN WINTON ROVERS 3

A TOUSY game at Station Park saw four red cards handed out as leaders Craigmark tumbled to defeat against improving Winton Rovers.

Rovers started well and had a shot go narrowly wide in the three minutes. The home side’s first attempt saw Marc Dyer shoot well wide a minute later. Alan Muir then had a 25 yard free-kick comfortably saved by home goalie Mathew McClymont.

Then in 10 minutes McClymont saved from Jamie McKenna after some good lead-up play by Andy McGregor and Steven Tan.

Winton took the lead three minutes later when the referee awarded a penalty after Jamie McKenna was pulled down in the box. Muir stepped up and fired into the roof of the net although McClymont got a hand to the ball. Winton continued pushing and doubled their lead in 20 minutes when Thomas Donovan got to the line and hit a low cross to the near post where a defender stopped the ball but before he could clear it Jordan Cairnie pounced on the loose ball and fired into the far side of the net.

Rovers were in control and on the half hour a Jordan Cairnie free kick was cleared out to Muir but his ball back into the box was cleared. Three minutes later the hosts pulled a goal back against the run of play when they broke down the right and were awarded a penalty for a foul the Winton defence claimed was outside the box. Ryan McKay gave Bryan Tucker no chance with his spot kick to make it 2-1 in 33 minutes.

The first half was punctuated by a number of fouls and bookings with the home side the main culprits. But as the half wore on ‘Mark came more into the game. A couple of minutes before the break Alistair Boyle shot wide for 'Mark.

The home side made the better start to the second half and in 47 minutes Scott Dempster shot wide from a good position. On the hour Cairnie shot over the bar.

In 63 minutes Tucker got down well at his right hand post to turn a 25 yard Ryan McKay free-kick out. Craigmark then won a free-kick just outside the right side of the box near the bye – line but Andy McGregor headed the danger clear. Winton finally restored their two goal lead with 20 minutes to go when Steven Tan played a through ball to Jamie McKenna who outstripped the defence ran on and shot past the advancing McClymont from just inside the box.

A few minutes later the game which had been seen a lot of fouls and bookings up to this point boiled over when Tan appeared to be caught by an elbow in an aerial challenge in midfield which sparked a pushing and shoving match involving most of the players. It took about five minutes for the referee to sort things out and when it was over he had sent off Muir of Rovers and Stephen McKay and William Hall from Craigmark.

The drama didn’t end with the final whistle as the referee showed home centre half Joe Maxwell a second yellow and sent him off as the teams left the pitch, presumably for something he said.

CRAIGMARK BURNTONIANS: McClymont; Lamont, S McKay, McColgan, Maxwell, Hall, Reid, Dyer, Dempster, R McKay, Boyle. Subs: C Stewart, Whittaker, Steele, Dunlop, Wilson.

ARDROSSAN WR: Tucker; Davidson, Jamieson, Slavin, McGregor, Cairnie, Donovan, Muir, McKenna, Tan, Orr. Subs: McMahon, Lennox, Irvine, McCann.