Stonehaven Athletic v Ellon Thistle

Division One North

So Ellon started their first first division game in thirty odd years at a rain soaked Stonehaven. After reaching the “holy grail” of promotion in the previous season the Jags were looking for nothing but full points in this potentially sticky tie.

Thistle’s plans were scuppered in the second minute when Stonehaven took the lead after some suspect Ellon play. The Stoney man was bowled over at the space he found himself in which left him time to fire into Adamson’s scarcely guarded near post corner.

This was not in the script for an astounded Jags squad. But they came back with a few chances of there own with McKeitch having a few efforts with his “only for standing on” right foot. Feeble but worth digs all the same.

Ironside felt hard done by when he timed his run to perfection and was clean through only for the referee (who had set up camp in the centre circle) listened to the Stoney cries and blew for offside. A poor decision from the fossilised man in the middle.

If conceding the early goal wasn’t a big enough kick in the nether regions for the visitors then letting in a sloppy second must have hurt the men in white. The ball was played through and what looked like a “bread and butter” clearance for Alexander was badly miscued the ball was placed past Adamson for a second time in this match. Welcome to the First Division Thistle!

But Ellon didn’t give up and created chances with McKeitch heading wide, the man from the Central Belt knew he should have done better. Prodigal son Billy Dailly also had a couple of chances with a decent free kick being dealt with well by the Stoney keeper.

The best chance of the half fell to new signing Mark Kennedy when a Dailly ball was spot on only for Kennedy to put the ball agonisingly wide.

Half Time: Stonehaven Athletic 2 Ellon Thistle 0

After a rollicking from an irate Boss Kev Kennedy at the interval Ellon came out all guns blazing. Billy Dailly was unlucky again when a snap volley was just inches wide. This fired up the Jags. Up step Captain Marvel Martyn Duncan. After receiving the ball from a throw in, the Skipper decided to take matters into his own hands and set of on a maze up. After skinning the left midfielder he drove into the box making a fool out of numerous Stoney players leaving them in his wake. Determined to get the ball on to his right foot, DUNCAN was quickly running out of goal to aim at so he bit the bullet stroked the ball past the helpless keeper with his left peg into the top corner leaving people on the sideline saying it was reminiscent of Archie Gemmil’s wonder strike versus Holland in ’78. What they failed to remember was that Holland reached the World Cup final and Duncan was only playing First Division amateur football. The only similarity was Duncan and Gemmils' diminutive statures.

So 2-1 and game on! It wasn’t long until the scores were tied when McKeitch cheekily dinked the ball over the defender into KENNEDY'S path leaving him to round the keeper and slot home. It was a deserved equaliser.

Ellon up until the equaliser were a different team compared to the first half but let the foot off the gas letting Stoney into the game again instead of going for a third.

Ellon can count themselves lucky when Stonehaven were robbed of a stonewall penalty. Once again the advanced in years referee was in the centre circle and could see the foul. A lucky break for Thistle. And Thistle found the luck was with them again soon after when after a Henderson foul led to a free kick being whacked off Adamsons bar.

Ellon freshened things up with a few substitutes when Beaton, Cockburn, Birnie entered the fray for Ironside, McKeitch and Duncan respectively.

Ellon did have a chance to win the match when Kennedy was bearing down on goal and instead of going for glory he opted to pass picking out nobody.

So a draw on their return to the First Division is not the worst result but they did have chances to grab three points. But as the age old cliché goes “a game of two halves” was the story here. So a draw was probably fair.

Final Score: Stonehaven Athletic 2 Ellon Thistle 2

Ellon Thistle: D. Adamson, N. Henderson, B. Alexander, D. Anderson, S. Bryson, M. Kennedy, S. Cruickshanks, B. Dailly, M. Duncan (R. Birnie), P. Ironside (S. Beaton), D. McKeitch (M. Cockburn). Unused Subs: G. Giles, R. Longmuir.

Man of the Match: Stephen Cruickshanks