Vale of Clyde FC Scottish Junior Football Club

pre season match report

shettleston v vale of clyde

Pre-Season friendly fixture :

Venue : Toryglen Football Complex

Played : Saturday 18th July

Kick-off 2.00pm

Match Report : Tom "Scoop" Scott

View full sized Vale of Clyde Junior Football Club - Scotland

View full sized Shettleston Junior Football Club - Scotland

Shettleston 0 - 3 Vale of Clyde

Sinclair, Anderson, Mackin

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Toryglen Sports Complex, Glasgow

EXCLUSIVE REPORT

SECOND HALF SUBSTITUTES SINK SHETTLESTON

THREE second half replacements netted three goals in the space of six minutes to give player-manager John Crooks victory against SHETTLESTON at the Toryglen Football Complex this afternoon.

Thomas Sinclair, Derek Anderson and Aldo Mackin did the damage in their 3-0 win, which was watched by a more than decent crowd and several East End people who have had previous links with one or both junior clubs.

The recently opened venue provided a great backdrop to the start of the pre-season friendlies, and Vale fielded a mixed opening line-up of last season's players (including Crooksy), new signings Alan Jack and Robert Dunn, and a handful of trialists. The all-weather 3g playing surface encourages a good tempo, and the Tollcross club settled into a 4-4-2 formation,

Jack and Scott Dunsmore were eager to get on the ball,and the former had four shots charged down - two of the efforts from free kicks - within 20 minutes. Ironically, a young Shettleston squad, who were put through their paces in the pre-match warm-up by Hugh Kelly,

had the first real chance in 24 minutes. Vale 'keeper Stevie Johnstone made a great block and the danger was quickly cleared. Johnstone went off to be replaced by a trialist goalkeeper after 32 minutes,and six minutes later the Tin Pail made a lightening break up the park following a Shettleston corner. Dunsmore released Dunn, who cut inside a defender and his shot was turned aside by ex-Tollcross 'keeper Gary Keenan. Right on half-time, Ryan Connelly made some space for himself with a jinking run inside from the left,but his effort failed to find a way past Keenan.

The Vale backroom staff rang the changes during the interval, and were encouraged to get crosses from wide areas into the Shettleston penalty area as often as possible. Subsititute Craig Halliday tried to oblige with two excellent deliveries from the left, but there were no takers at the back post. The new front-line partnership of Eddie Dearie and Derek Anderson started to find space in which they could turn and run at defenders, and it paid off 11 minutes from time. The pair chased a "lost cause" when the ball looked like going out of play for a Shettleston goal kick. The ball came in from the left, and Thomas Sinclair had continued his run to the back post, where he somehow managed to squeeze a shot under the diving Keenan. The referee, right up with play, had no doubts the ball had crossed the line (which it did), and correctly awarded the goal. Fitness, by this time, had taken over. Eddie Dearie ran away from his marker on the left and unselfishly squared the ball acoss the six-yard box for a first-time finish from Derek Anderson, (82 minutes). The best goal was reserved for last. One-time Everton signing Joe McAlpine, who had come on at left-back during the interval, swung over a terrific diagonal crossball towards the back post area, and Aldo Mackin's controlled side foot volley was a winner from the moment it left his foot!. Another change in the Vale goal, Scott Wilson, managed one save in his 30 minute stint, and the goal tally could have been increased had Derek Anderson managed to direct his low left-foot shot on target instead of past the far post.

Shettleston also took the opportunity to field several substitutes, and they will be looking for more positives next midweek with a game at Cambuslang Rangers before staging their own two-day tournament at Greenfield Park on July 25 and 26.

Vale open the fixtures against Kilwinning Rangers (1pm), and Town follow that by playing Cumbernauld United (3.30pm).

TEAM: Vale of Clyde FC

Johnstone

McLean, McNamee, Bryan Morrison, Crooks

Jack, Lee Morrison, Dunsmore, Shirley

Dunn, Connelly

Subs: Newman(gk), Wilson(gk), McStay, McAlpine, Scott, McDevitt

Halliday, Mackin, McIntosh, Anderson, Sinclair, Dearie

Report courtesy of Tom "Scoop" Scott. Sportswriter journalist. [ Read more of Scoop's Stories in our Newsdesk / Forum ]