McBookie Ayrshire District League

DARVEL 4

ARDROSSAN WINTON ROVERS 3

NINE-man Winton crashed to a second successive defeat against their promotion rivals.

They were looking to bounce back from the previous week's defeat against second-placed Whitletts Vics.

Rovers had the first chance in two minutes when Larry McMahon turned and shot after a Bobby Colligan throw-in to him but former Winton goalie David Markey saved comfortably. Two minutes later the home side took the lead when a short corner was played to Mark Gilmour just outside the box and he played a short cross to an unmarked Jordan Ryan who headed home.

Winton were struggling on a pitch that was cutting up badly and were under pressure from Darvel for much of the first half but they did have their chances. In eight minutes Ryan Caddis shot over the bar from 20 yards.

Darvel finished the half strongly and Mark Armour had a good chance in 31 minutes but the ball was blocked by a defender before John Mullen cleared the loose ball.

In 40 minutes Mullen punched a long throw-in out of the danger area before Larry McMahon shot over the bar from the edge of the box in 42 minutes.

Winton were caught cold again at the start of the second half when Darvel doubled their lead two minutes in. A corner was only cleared out as far as Ian McCreadie who found Murray Johnston and he played the ball into the near post. Mullen blocked Martin Findlay's effort at the near post but the deflection fell to an unmarked Armour who had time and space to shoot home in 47 minutes.

Winton then had their best spell. Firstly Caddis was unlucky when he ran on to a ball from Tam Jamieson and his shot from just inside the box beat Markey and looked netbound but it hit the post and rebounded back to the goalkeeper in 53 minutes.

Winton pulled a goal back on the hour just after Bobby Colligan had run in on goal but his shot had been saved by Markey. A long ball into the box from Marc Davidson was only headed up into the air by Alisdair Gaw and when the ball came back down Colligan volleyed an angled shot home to make it 2-1.

Rovers equalised in 64 minutes after McMahon had won a free-kick just outside the Darvel box. Although Caddis’s set-piece was blocked by McCreadie, he only deflected the ball to Miller who fired home.

Winton undid all their good work four minutes later when they gave away a needless penalty. Armour had picked up the ball and worked his way along the 18-yard line. Although Jordan Cairnie seemed to have him covered Andy McGregor came out to the edge of the area and clattered into him. The resultant spot-kick was converted by Alan Orr in 68 minutes.

Winton’s chances of taking something from the game seemed to have gone when they were reduced to 10 men when Miller was sent off in 77 minutes for an over-the-ball tackle and an attempted head-butt on a player who was on the ground.

Rovers were awarded a penalty after Caddis was brought down in the box. He stepped up and sent Markey the wrong way to make it 3-3 in 80 minutes.

However Winton’s task was made all the harder when they were reduced to nine men after McMahon was sent off for a foul on Johnston near the stand touchline. They looked like holding on for a draw but poor defending with three minutes left saw Darvel grab all three points. Michael Lennox had a fresh-air kick at a ball to the edge of the box and it was worked to Findlay who played it into the six-yard box where it was met by Johnston who fired home to make it 4-3.

Rovers were been denied a second penalty almost on the final whistle when Gilmour appeared to bring down Cairnie as they challenged for a ball in the air.

ARDROSSAN WR:Mullen; Stevenston,Jamieson, Miller, McGregor, Lennox, Colligan, Cairnie, Caddis, McMahon, Tan. Subs: Davidson. Ross, Kelly, Kearns, Donaldson.