Campbeltown Pupils FC 4
Royal Albert FC 2
WOSFL – Division Four
Campbeltown Pupils were given top marks by a bumper crowd – and a beaming management team – last Saturday after a deserved victory over visitors Royal Albert.
The Pupils shared the points with the Larkhall side on the opening game of the season back in July, but this encounter was a more one-sided affair, with the Pupils edging out their visitors in both halves to seal a precious three points.
The Pupils stamped their authority on the match in the opening minutes when a long throw by right back Lorne Paterson was flicked on by the head of Scott Souden at the near post, directed across goal where it nestled in the bottom left corner of the net to make it 1-0.
Disappointingly, a penalty concession, which has been one of the hallmarks of the Pupils’ season, presented ‘The Albert’ with the chance to equalise, and they did so with their forward’s precise low spot kick evading the grasp of Pupils keeper Alasdair Ferguson.
However, the McFadyens-sponsored Pupils had a penalty opportunity of their own when attacking midfielder Ryan Deans was felled in the box by a lunging tackle.
Deans stepped up himself and sent the keeper the wrong way, striking it in the visiting keeper’s top right-hand corner.
The Pupils then made it 3-1 when lone striker Donald McCallum latched on to Scott Souden’s flicked header, and placed a delicate shot with the outside of his right foot into the net beyond the approaching keeper, from just inside the 18-yard box.
The Pupils could have found themselves even further ahead but the Albert keeper did well to tip another Deans effort over the bar for a corner.
Disappointingly for the hosts, their lead was halved when Albert’s number 11 beat the Pupils’ offside line to guide a controlled header beyond Ferguson after meeting a fine cross from the right flank.
Into the second half, the Feathers Inn-sponsored Pupils were determined to protect their lead, and the central defensive pairing of captain Keith Mitchell and John McCallum, supported by full backs Paterson, and Craig Lamont, were alert to the danger posed by Albert’s busy front three as they went all-out attack.
Meanwhile, midfield anchors Stuart Crossan and Kyle Danson showed great energy to push the team forward while doing their best to dig in and protect the defence.
The final word would be set piece specialist Deans’, however, as he dusted himself down after being fouled at the edge of the box to clip a delightful free kick over the wall and into the net, low at the Albert keeper’s right-hand side, with little more than ten minutes to play, enthralling the strong home support.
The Pupils looked relaxed in the closing stages and content to protect their two-goal cushion, with the skill of the Pupils’ front four of Souden, McCallum, Deans, and also Calum Ellis on the left-hand side, too much to handle on a stellar day for the team.
Finally, a fizzing shot from Albert in added time looked to cause trouble for the home defensive ranks but keeper Ferguson pulled off a top save low to his left, to deny the visitors a nerve-inducing third goal, and seal the points for the Pupils.
The Pupils will be hoping for a similarly strong performance against bottom side Saltcoats Victoria tomorrow (Saturday) at Kintyre Park, the team’s penultimate home match of the season. Kick off is 2pm.
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