JUNIOR FOOTBALL: Gamekeepers turn poachers for Kilwinning Rangers

Dec 23 2011 by John Woods, Irvine Herald

VETERAN defenders Neil Shearer and Roland Fabiani were initially brought in to add their experience to a youthful Kilwinning Rangers back line.

But the move to Abbey Park seems to have injected the Golden Oldies – dubbed “Jack and Victor” by Buffs boss George Grierson – with a new lease of life as they once again popped up with the goals which earned their team a fourth round clash with Glenafton.

The Kilwining committee worked tirelessly to get the game on but although their efforts proved successful, they now have a gargantuan task on their hands to get the pitch ready for its next match after Saturday's encounter left it looking like a ploughed field at the end of 90 hard-fought minutes.

Blantyre adopted a very physical approach from the start and could easily have been reduced to ten men after just four minutes when Gary Bonham steamed in on Stuart Hannah with a two-footed, studs-first lunge which, to the home fans' fury, didn't even earn him a yellow card from what looked like a very inexperienced referee in David Dunne.

However Buffs exacted full revenge when, from the resulting free kick, David Smith's cross was flicked on by Fabiani for partner in crime Shearer to bundle the ball home at the near post.

Fabiani and Bruce McMaster were flattened in quick succession before Mr Dunne finally booked Darren O'Donnell for an off the ball flick at Barry Fleeting, then when we got round to the football, McMaster and Fleeting combined brilliantly down the left only for the latter's cross to be punched to safety by keeper Kevin Macklin.

Home keeper Ross Lundie did well to cut out the danger after a good O'Donnell run and cross but, with 19 minutes gone Buffs doubled their tally.

A Ben Lewis shot was blocked at the expense of a corner and, when Hannah's right wing flag kick came over, Shearer rose highest to power in a header which crossed the line despite the efforts of Gary Ward on the far post.

A desperate Paul Gray challenge robbed Fabiani as he went for a Lewis cross, Paul Mulholland was booked for a foul on McMaster then, as the interval approached, Michael Hart timed his run perfectly to beat the Vics offside trap but, instead of going in on goal, shot wide from the edge of the box.

Vics made a couple of substitutions at the start of the second half in an attempt to salvage the tie but it was keeper Macklin who was to keep their hopes alive with quickfire saves from Hannah and Hart twice, as Buffs went for the kill.

Smith became the first Kilwinning player to be booked then suddenly Vics shocked their hosts in 57 minutes when a low right wing cross was turned back across goal by Colin Boyle to the unmarked O'Donnell who smashed the ball past Lundie.

Suddenly Buffs looked rattled and although Hart had a chance to calm the nerves, he headed over from 12 yards with only the keeper to beat.

As play swung back to the other end an O'Donnell effort shaved the post, Bonham saw his shot kicked off the line and Vics had a strong appeal for a penalty waved aside before Gray handed the advantage back to Buffs courtesy of a completely brainless sending off.

Booked seconds earlier for one bad tackle too many, he then lost the plot when Kilwinning were awarded a further free kick for a foul on Smith, stupidly booted the ball out of the park and was rightly shown a second yellow.

Just minutes later Buffs won a corner on the left and Fabiani took full advantage of Gray's absence to burst through the visiting defence and hook the ball home from six yards and round off a good day's work for the Abbey Park outfit.