ACA Sports Superleague – 14th January 2012 Camelon 1 – Linlithgow Rose 1 Camelon – Hogarth, Bell, Fullerton, McGown, Cringean, Gillespie, Batchelor, Ure, Allison, Donaldson, Young Subs used – Desmond (Donaldson), Knox (Allison), Brass (Young) With the top of the Superleague being hotly contested it was two of the teams who are in the hunt for the title who were on show at Carmuirs and Camelon were looking for payback following their 4-1 defeat at Linlithgow earlier this season. Camelon started the match the better team and an early corner from the left floated all the way across the face of the goal with nobody there to knock the ball into the net. Linlithgow then had their only chance of the first half as a ball fell to Strickland at the edge of the box but his shot was fired directly at Hogarth and didn’t trouble the Mariners stopper. Camelon surged forward and some dazzling interplay between Batchelor, Allison and Gillespie found the ball played into Ure inside the box. The former Shire mans shot was saved low to his right by a stretching Allison in the Rose goal. Ure would have the next chance for Camelon as a Young cross into the box was knocked into the path of Ure but this time his shot was easily saved by Allison. Lumbering Linlithgow centre half Scott Walker gave away a free kick 20 yards from his own goal, Donaldson played a clever ball behind the wall to Batchelor but his run was blocked and the chance was lost. With the half winding down an Allison cross was headed over by Young and then a Young cross was poorly cleared by Walker and the free ball was knocked over the bar by an inrushing Batchelor. The Linlithgow Number 7 found himself the only person in the referees notebook as the first half ended 0-0. The home side had dominated with the midfield bossing the game and setting up chance after chance for the Mariners but with no end product. The second half started slowly and the first action of note was the previously booked Rose number 7 being substituted after picking up a knock. Ten minutes into the half and a ball from the Camelon half was fired into the Rose box, around 6 players went for the ball and from the enclosure side of the pitch a clear pull on a Camelon jersey could be seen as players fell to the ground – PENALTY. With the Mariners penalty record this season the home faithful were on tenterhooks as Fullerton lined up to hit the spot kick. There was to be no repeat of the continual misses that have blighted the season so far as Fullerton fired an inch perfect penalty into the right hand side of the goal whilst sending Allison the wrong way. The goal seemed to finally wake Linlithgow up and a free kick from the left found an unmarked Tommy Coyne six yards out but his header was poorly directed and floated well past the post. Sensing the game slipping away new Rose manager Mark Bradley made his final 2 substitutions and also saw Benton booked. Camelon continued to put pressure on the Rose rearguard and Andy McGown fired over the bar from a Ure cross. Ure would find himself as the finisher rather than the creator of the next chance as a poor clearance from some Camelon pressure saw the ball fall to him 20 yards out but his shot went the wrong side of the post for the home faithful. Camelon made their first change of the afternoon as Desmond replaced Donaldson. Desmond was soon in the thick of the action as a lofted ball into the box found him at the back post but his net bound effort was well saved by Allison. Derek Ure then found his way into the referees’ notebook for a high tackle. Camelon made a second change as the home teams Allison was replaced by Knox. Sadly this heralded an equaliser almost straightaway as in the 79th minute Roddy MacLennan went on a mazy run down the left that saw him skip past two defenders and his cross from the by-line was expertly placed down the corridor of uncertainty and it fell kindly onto the head of one of the substitutes who just had to glance the ball into the net from a couple of yards. Camelon heads dropped at this point and another opportunity arose for the visitors, a free kick was awarded to the Rose 25 yards out, Batchelor was booked in the aftermath – as he hadn’t been involved in the foul I can only assume it was for dissent, the free kick was blazed goal wards and rebounded into play off the face of the bar with Hogarth beaten but MacLennan poked the rebound across the goal and narrowly past the post. Rose defender Alan Benton was then sent off for a second bookable offence after a cynical foul on an inrushing Desmond. In the remaining couple of minutes Camelon again pressed forward but efforts from Desmond and Knox didn’t trouble the Allison in the Rose goal and it was a relieved away support when the referee blew for full time. A 1-1 draw but Camelon will be by far the more disappointed of the two teams as they had more than enough chances to put the result beyond doubt before Rose had their 5 minute purple patch.

Match Report courtesy of Quincy MD