Forth Wanderers 1 Shotts Bon Accord 8

Shotts recorded an emphatic 8-1 victory over the Wanderers at Kingshill Park this afternoon. Keeper Glenn Weir was sent off with the game scoreless and Martin Harty took over in goal as Forth were without a substitute keeper on the bench. Chris Newall was also sent off in the second half. The Forth goal was scored by Kenny Govan.

Martin Harty clears.

The game began fairly evenly with the first chance falling to Shotts in the 13th minute when Forth keeper Glenn Weir made a good block with his feet. The keeper was called into action two minutes later making another good stop as Shotts began to exert some pressure. Forth's first chance arrived on 19 minutes when a Chris McGroarty through ball found Craig Crawford but his shot was easily saved. Chris Newall then cleared one off the line before Forth keeper Glenn Weir was adjudged to have handled outside the box and was dismissed. This was a hammer blow for the home side, as with no substitute keeper on the bench, Martin Harty was pressed into service as a temporary keeper.

Kenny Govan on the ball.

Shotts now began to make their numerical advantage count and came close on 27 minutes when a shot flashed past the post. One minute later they were ahead however when a cross from the left was swept home by Brian Jack at the back post.
Shotts made it two on 34 minutes when a good save from Harty resulted in a corner from which Scott put the visitors two up. 10 man Forth kept plugging away though and were rewarded when a Craig Crawford pass found KENNY GOVAN who rounded the keeper and slid the ball into the net to reduce the deficit on 40 minutes.
The visitors increased their advantage on 42 minutes when Jack headed home an inch perfect cross from the right to give Shotts a 3-1 half-time advantage.

Gordon Murphy breaks forward.

The goal of the game arrived two minutes after the restart when Wharton fired in a tremendous shot from fully 30 yards which gave keeper Harty no chance. It was now becoming a stroll in the sun for the visitors and Mackenzie increased their advantage when he beat the offside trap and cooly slotted the ball past Harty. Alan Stevenson then conceded a penalty which Jack converted for his hat-trick to make it  6-1. Finnegan made it 7-1 with a neat finish while for Forth, Gordon Murphy had a shot and Craig Crawford's attempted lob of the keeper was just wide. To make matters worse for the Wanderers, Chris Newall was red-carded and Chris McGroarty retired injured after a hefty tackle. The scoring was completed by Shotts substitute Kerr who made it 8-1 to the visitors. Right at the death, Kenny Govan was poleaxed whilst blocking a free-kick and was still getting treatment as the final whistle sounded.  

Chris McGroarty evades a tackle.

Overall, a proverbial bad day at the office for the Wanderers as Shotts recorded an easy victory. The loss of keeper Weir early on obviously affected the score if not the result.

Back to league business next Saturday when Wishaw come calling, fresh from a 6-2 mauling of Lesmahagow. This is followed by a midweek visit to the 'Gow on Wednesday 11th.

'Mon the Forth

Forth team : Weir,Napier,Gemmell,Newall,Grant,Stevenson,Harty,Govan,Crawford,McGroarty(McKinlay),
Murphy(Mathers)

Shotts Preview

Forth take on near neighbours Shotts Bon Accord at Kingshill Park tomorrow in the 2nd round of the Central League Cup with a 2pm kick-off.

Shotts have become something of Cup specialists in recent years, winning the Surridge League Cup last year and losing in the finals of the Central League Cup and the Evening Times Cup. This year, they lost in the final of the Surridge League Cup to Petershill and have reached the semi-finals of the Scottish Junior Cup where they have been drawn to face Largs Thistle. We wish them well in their quest for glory in the Scottish.

The teams met at the beginning of the season in the Surridge League Cup sections, Shotts winning comfortably 4-1 at Hannah Park, with this season’s leading scorer Craig Miles netting 2 of his 13 goals that night. Miles has been ably assisted this season by Stefan McCluskey, who has scored 11 to date.

Shotts currently lie 10th in the Super League First Division although they have several games in hand over the teams above them, in fact they still have 15 league matches still to play ! They’ve won 6 of their 11 league games to date, losing 3 and drawing the other 2, scoring 28 goals in the process and conceding 15.

The Wanderers are without Barry Canning and the injured Bryan Felvus and it will be interesting to see whether manager Jamie McKenzie takes the opportunity to freshen things up with one eye on the remaining league fixtures.

McBookie Odds :

Forth : 100/30
Draw : 9/2
Shotts : 2/5

'Mon the Forth

Lesmahagow Away Wednesday 11th April

The Wanderers will play Lesmahagow away at Craighead Park on Wednesday 11th April kick off 6:30 pm.

Fixture Change - 7th April

The scheduled home fixture against Rossvale on April 7th, has now been changed to a home fixture against Wishaw, according to the SJFA website.

Forth Wanderers 1 Lesmahagow Juniors 1

Forth and Lesmahagow shared the spoils at Kingshill Park this afternoon, a Paul Gemmell header being cancelled out by a Sullivan goal for the 'Gow on the stroke of half-time. The visitors will feel aggrieved not to have won the match, spurning a host of chances and facing a home keeper, Chic Clark,  in inspired form.

Man of the Match, Chic 'Safehands' Clark in action

Lesmahagow signalled their attacking intent in the first minute when a long ball almost caught out the Forth defence and only an excellent Marc Napier tackle moments later broke up another 'Gow attack, after good interplay between the visiting forwards. The Wanderers first chance came from a corner awarded after good work from Kris Jarvie. Chris McGroarty floated the ball in and Paul Gemmell flashed a header wide, with the 'Gow defence nowhere to be seen. At this stage, the 'Gow's  use of the early long ball was causing the Forth defence problems but a mixture of resilient defending and the form of keeper Chic Clark was keeping them at bay.

Alan Stevenson plays it through.

The 'Gow keeper was called into action when a Chris McGroarty ball sent Gordon Murphy through but he was equal to the shot.  The visitors number 10 was then caught narrowly offside when racing through on goal before play raced down to the other end where Lewis McKinlay fired an overhead kick wide after a free kick had been blocked. Forth then earned another corner after a Murphy cross was cleared and from McGroarty's corner, PAUL GEMMELL leapt like a salmon to bullet a header past the despairing keeper and into the net. Forth were having their best spell of the match now and only an excellent last ditch tackle stopped Kris Jarvie sending Martin Harty through on goal. Jarvie then appeared to be barged over in the box but the referee waved aside the Wanderers claims.

Kris Jarvie holds it up.

Lesmahagow continued to be a potent attacking force and created several chances in the final 15 minutes of the half  but home keeper Clark was in outstanding form and kept them out on several occcasions.  Just when it looked as though Forth would take their slender advantage in at the break, the 'Gow launched one last attack down the right, deep in injury time and when the cross was delivered to the back post , Sullivan was there to head home . With no time to restart, 1-1 it was at the break. 

Gordon Murphy wins it in the air.

The 'Gow started the second half as they finished the first, with firstly their number 8 shooting wide and then their number 9 shooting over when it seemed easier to score. Forth replied with a Gordon Murphy volley which the visiting keeper did well to touch over, although no corner was given and Martin Harty was booked for his protestations. A minute or so later the same player was sent off, after what seemed like an innocuous challenge and Forth were down to 10 men with around half an hour still to play. However, if  anything, the sending off seemed to galvanise the home players and a superb Marc Napier run and shot was well saved by the 'Gow keeper before Gordon Murphy turned the rebound into the side net. A Kenny Wright cross was then well cut out by the keeper as Chris McGroarty waited to pounce. Home keeper Clark made another couple of saves before the end to ensure the honours ended even.

Craig Crawford on the ball.

Overall, it has to be seen as a point gained rather than two dropped. Had the 'Gow taken their chances and keeper Clark not put in an outstanding display, the scoreline could have been so much different.

The Central League cup match with Shotts is next, followed by a home league match against league newcomers Rossvale the week after.

'Mon the Forth.

Forth team : Clark, Napier,Gemmell,McKinlay,Grant,Stevenson,Traynor,(Crawford),McGroarty,Jarvie(Wright),Harty,Murphy(Govan)

Lesmahagow Preview

The Wanderers take on Lesmahagow tomorrow at Kingshill Park in a match which has the potential to be a cracker. The 'Gow currently sit 4 points behind Forth with 2 games in hand and with both teams harbouring league title/promotion ambitions, a decent crowd is anticipated.

Although the teams have yet to meet in the league this season, the Wanderers have recorded victories over their visitors in both the Clydesdale and West of Scotland Cups earlier in the season, albeit both squads have changed somewhat since then. Forth manager Jamie McKenzie believes that Lesmahagow were the better side on both occasions and is well aware of the potent threat posed by them.

The ‘Gow have played 11 league matches this season, winning 8, drawing 2 and losing only to Carluke in early October, and have scored 34 goals in total, conceding 17. A record all the more remarkable in that,due to drainage problems, they didn't have a home game at Craighead Park for over 4 months until last Saturday's match with Carluke. Forced to play home matches at both Wishaw Sports Centre and Tileworks Park, Stonehouse, Lesmahagow showed their resilience recording comfortable victories in both.

Forth are without the injured Bryan Felvus and Barry 'Crocodile Dundee' Canning as they aim to make it 10 league victories on the bounce.

McBookie Odds :

Forth : 5/6
Draw : 7/2
'Gow : 9/5

'Mon the Forth

 

St Roch's 4 Forth Wanderers 3

A double from Chris McGroarty and a single from Martin Harty were not enough as Forth narrowly exited the West of Scotland Cup at the hands of St. Roch's at Provanmill Park on Saturday.

St. Roch's defend a Wanderers free kick.

Forth were dealt an early blow when striker Bryan Felvus burst clean through on goal after 10 minutes only to pull up with a hamstring injury before he could get his shot away. He was replaced by Craig Crawford. The Wanderers tried to play football on the heavy park but the Candy Rock's more direct approach paid dividends when a cross from the left was neatly turned home by the home striker. Mackie had a further chance when he won the ball in midfield and raced through only for good work by Forth keeper Chic Clark forcing him, and his eventual shot, wide. 

Corner for the Forth.

The game, to this point, was characterised by some hefty challenges, especially on Forth playmaker Chris McGroarty, and inconsistent refereering. However, the Wanderers got back into the game 6 minutes after the restart when a Gordon Murphy cross was headed home by a flying MARTIN HARTY from an acute angle. Forth were now in the ascendancy and it was no surprise when CHRIS McGROARTY fired them into the lead. Lewis McKinlay won the ball and fed a long pass to Craig Crawford who found McGroarty who made no mistake, firing low into the bottom corner.

Martin Harty wheels away after his leveller.

The home side levelled on 65 minutes when a long free-kick was met in the 6 yard box and headed past keeper Clark. Worse was to follow for Forth, as the home side proceeded to score another couple of goals to give them a 4-2 advantage. Forth refused to capitulate however, and a CHRIS McGROARTY shot from 6 yards reduced the deficit on 85 minutes to set up a grandstand finish, with the Wanderers throwing the proverbial kitchen sink at the Roch's. In the last minute, the ball appeared to strike a Roch's elbow in the box but after some hesitation the whistler waved play on and the game was lost.

Back to league business on Saturday with the visit of Lesmahagow, for what should be an intriguing encounter.

Many thanks to Stuart for match details and photos !

'Mon the Forth.

Forth team :  Clark, Napier, Gemmell, McKinlay, Grant, Stevenson, Traynor, McGroarty, Murphy, Felvus (Crawford), Harty

Forth Wanderers 2 Maybole Juniors 0

Forth set up an away tie at St. Rochs in the third round of the West of Scotland Cup after a richly deserved 2-0 victory over Ayrshire side Maybole at Kingshill Park this afternoon. A superb Bryan Felvus free-kick on 33 minutes opened the scoring and a sweet Gordon Murphy volley early in the second half confirmed the victory. The Wanderers could even afford the luxury of a second half penalty miss by Kenny Wright.

Bryan Felvus goes close

Both sides began cagily sizing each other up, but it was the visitors who had the first opportunity when their number 8 shot just wide from the edge of the box after 5 minutes. Forth responded when a slide-rule pass from Chris McGroarty sent Kenny Wright clear but the striker was marginally offside.A Gordon Murphy header then sent Wright scampering down the left wing and his precision cross was met by Bryan Felvus six yards out but the keeper was equal to his shot and turned the ball away for a corner. Maybole responded with a dangerous run from James Gibson, who was prominent at this stage, but excellent defending from Marc Napier cleared the danger.

Alan Stevenson battles in midfield

Lewis McKinlay then fed Kenny Wright just inside the box but again the visiting keeper was equal to the shot and turned it away at the expense of another corner. The resultant corner kick from Chris McGroarty was met by Bryan Felvus at the back post but his header was high over the target. Chic Clark was then called into action, firstly rushing from his box to clear from the onrushing 'Bole number 10 before getting down well to his left to make an excellent save from a rasping shot by the visitors number 6.

Chris McGroarty drives forward

A goal looked to be coming and it duly arrived for the Wanderers on 33 minutes. Kenny Wright was fouled on the left hand edge of the box and BRYAN FELVUS stepped up to unleash an unstoppable shot high to the keepers right from 20 yards. Maybole certainly weren't out of the game and just before the interval a dangerous cross from the right took out keeper Clark but Gibson was unable to finish at the back post under pressure from the Forth defence. The Wanderers therefore took their slender advantage in at the break.

David Grant in action.

Forth began the second half brightly and a dangerous Kenny Wright cross from the left almost produced an own goal, with the defender happy to see his clearance flash wide for a corner. David Grant headed over from the resultant corner kick. The Wanderers were not to be denied though and increased their lead on 54 minutes. Bryan Felvus beat the offside trap and fed Kenny Wright on the right and his cross was volleyed home by GORDON MURPHY from 10 yards. Forth were now dominating and clearly looking to put the tie to bed and the visiting keeper denied both Felvus and Murphy in quick succession.

Add your own caption ...

Credit to Maybole though, rather than let their heads go down they contrived to have their best spell of the match. They won several free kicks in and around the Wanderers box and only a combination of good goalkeeping, resolute defending and poor finishing kept the home goal intact. Forth then had the opportunity to kill off the tie in the 80th minute, when Tony Traynor was bundled over in the box for a clear penalty. Kenny Wright stepped up and blasted the ball high to the keepers right but the 'Bole stopper made an excellent save. The fine save was marred somewhat by the stoppers reaction to Kenny Wright and he was duly booked for his trouble. Tony Traynor had a couple of chances which he put wide as did Kenny Govan as the Wanderers finished on the front foot.

The Maybole keeper saves Kenny Wright's penalty

Another fine team performance, with everyone in a red shirt playing their part as the Wanderers march through to a 3rd round meeting with St. Roch's at Provanmill Park. Happy days at Kingshill Park for the ever increasing Wanderers support.

'Mon the Forth


Forth Team : Clark,Napier,Gemmell,Grant,McKinlay,Stevenson,Traynor(Govan),McGroarty,Felvus(Jarvie),Wright,Murphy

Congratulations to Chic, Chris and Bryan

Congratulations to goalkeeper Chic Clark, defender Chris Newall and forward Bryan Felvus on the recent additions to their families, in Chic's case his first. If they're looking a bit tired, I suppose they have an excuse this time!

Best wishes from all at Forth Wanderers and bear in mind I'm partial to a wee cigar ...

Maybole Preview

The Wanderers face Maybole Juniors tomorrow afternoon at Kingshill Park in the 2nd Round of the West of Scotland Cup.

The 'Bole are currently joint top of the Ayrshire District League with Troon and have won 11 of their 13 league games so far, scoring 35 and conceding 15 in the process and keeping 5 clean sheets. They also had a decent run in the Scottish, losing narrowly 3-2 to Bonnyrigg Rose after coming back from three down, having comfortably disposed of Brechin Vics, Falkirk Juniors and Fauldhouse United in the previous rounds.

Top scorers this season are Chris Allan with 11 in all competitions, Lloyd Murphy with 9 and John MacDonald with 7. Recent signings Chris Clark, Kenny Parris, Craig Reid and James Gibson have strengthened the Maybole squad since the turn of the year.

Forth are without Barry Canning, who has been impressive lately, due to family commitments,whilst manager Jamie McKenzie will be missing due to work commitments.

It'll be interesting to see whether the Wanderers take the opportunity to freshen things up and rotate the squad  for this Cup tie, bearing in mind our prime objective is promotion. I am however advised, that whatever team is selected, it will be one chosen to win the game and hopefully progress and it will not be a case of simply fulfilling the fixture.

'Mon the Forth