Grammar FPs v Ellon Thistle

Division Two East

Ellon Thistle returned to league duties this week after nearly two months of cup competitions. Grammar FP’s were the opponents at a rain soaked Rubislaw. The long pitch was a midden really. FP’s were looking to avenge the 3-2 defeat they suffered in the reverse fixture in August and would likely be stuffy opposition.

Ellon started badly with Gibson trying to shepherd the ball back to Adamson who in turn missed the ball when he tried to clear but the defence was on hand to mop up after the miscalculation. A close shave for the men in yellow.

It was to get worse when Ellon conceded a sloppy goal. Granted the FP’s striker was offside but the whole Jags team seemed to shut down and stop, leaving the Grammar man to place the ball in the back of the net. Who played the player on is an absolute mystery. Better get Bergerac on the case. But these things happen in football and the Jags were left chasing the game.

Ellon didn’t use the size of the pitch to their advantage and resorted to long punts and a distinct lack of a passing game. Not a pretty sight. Watching the women’s hockey near by was turning into a better idea by the minute!

Ellon did finally create their first real opening of the game when Wild crossed to Ironside who couldn’t convert due to good pressure from the FP’s defender. This sparked Ellon onto life and after great work on the wing from Ironside, WILD found himself on the end of his strike partners cross to knock the ball past the keeper.

Grammar were almost gifted a second when slack play from Henderson easily let the man through on goal only for his pal Anderson to bail him out with a decent challenge. Then Henderson was at it again when he headed a FP’s corner across his own goal line. (You would have thought he had Grammar on his coupon). But from this error Ellon broke out with the move culminating in a decent effort from M. Duncan. Ellon were given a boost when the Grammar goal scorer number 9 was substituted injured.

The last action of the half was a colossal blunder from the referee when for some unexplained reason he failed to award a penalty to FP’s after a glaringly obvious handball by Cruickshanks. An astonishing decision considering the referees position at the time of the indiscretion. Once again a mystery. Bergerac was to be a busy man. The worst decision since the Russian linesman at the World Cup final in 1966.

Half-Time: Grammar FPs 1 Ellon Thistle 1

The Jags could have been in the lead early on when Ironside skinned the defender and layed it on a plate for Wild who could only blaze over. Martyn Duncan was aggrieved soon after when a foul was given against him when he felt he was due a penalty. A feeble effort to con the referee from Ellons resident pygmy. Ironside had a “toe-bash” that wasn’t far away before Wild was as good as clean through only to get the ball stuck between his feet giving two defenders time to get back to tag-team the ball away from him.

Then the breakthrough that Ellon just about deserved. Ironside received the ball in the box and showed good strength to fend away the defence and layed it into the path of WILD who from twenty yards and like a bazooka blasted the ball past the keeper.

If it wasn’t enough to have the worst refereeing decision ever in the match we also got the miss of the season. Cue Michael Gibson. Fresh from his “biscuit tin head” miss the previous week, lightning was to strike twice. Gibson had a simple chance to seal the victory with a header from two yards but the curse of the “fifty pence piece head” struck again as he headed high, wide and not very handsomely past the goal leaving the midfielder with his head in his hands.

But the third goal was to come and what a goal it was. IRONSIDE was thirty yards out and marked when he unleashed a ferocious shot which left the keeper no chance when it rattled the bar and into the back of the net. A great way to seal a valuable three points which keeps the Jags right in the mixer for promotion.

The game was to end on a sour note for Ellon and Callum Duncan especially. Duncan was to receive a bad head knock after making a brave challenge on two Grammar players only for his eye to be on the wrong end of a knee. A definite sore one for the ex Hermes man. But that wasn’t to take the shine off this win which Ellon deserved overall but they were made to work for it.

Final Score: Grammar FPs 1 Ellon Thistle 3

Ellon Thistle: D Adamson, B Alexander, N Henderson, D Anderson, M Duncan, S Cruickshanks, C Duncan (D McGill), M Gibson, R Birnie (K Duncan), P Ironside, M Wild. Subs Not Used: S Beaton, A MacLean, R Longmuir