Stoneywood Amateurs v Ellon Thistle

Division Two East

The Jags pulled off their biggest win of the season at the weekend after a great battle with championship rivals Stoneywood. Ellon have a good record at Webster Park, the Sahara of amateur football. Today’s conditions were no exception to the rule with the ground being rock solid and dry with bobbles all over. This ensuring the bounce of the ball was going to be “grease lightning quick”.

The Jags were lucky not to be losing in the primitive stages after a great corner was fired in but the striker’s header wasn’t the same standard of the cross. A close shave for Ellon who in turn created a chance but in their case the ball found the net. Cruikshanks directed a ball to returning talisman Mikey WILD rounded the onrushing keeper to bang home into an empty net. The hitman showing what Ellon had missed in the previous two weekends!

Wild blotted his copy book just after when he picked up a silly booking. Early bookings for the number 9 are usually a worry. Cruickshanks also found his way into the referees’ book early on.

Ellons good start continued when McKeitch found himself bearing down on goal with two players on the chase. The midfielder seemed to think the defenders were closer and fired off his shot early only to find the birds nest thirty feet up in the trees behind. But he need not have worried about his “plane scraper” because WILD made it 0-2 when a booming Callum Duncan challenge sent the ball to McGill who played in Wild who grabbed himself a brace.

Stoney had what looked like a certain goal embarrassingly denied when after the number 9 hit a goal bound effort with no Thistle players to stop it, his team mate somehow got in the way. Another let off right on half time.

Half Time: Stoneywood Amateurs 0 Ellon Thistle 2

It was game on moments into the second half when Stoney halved the deficit. A shot was hit at Adamsons goal but the keeper didn’t mange to palm over and the ball dropped to the striker who tapped in from close range.

Now for the cameo appearance of a dog in the days proceedings, after getting bored with running in the nearby fields the mutt decided to chase the ball on the park much to the frustrations off the trailing Stoney men. The dog even managed to knock down a home player as he retrieved the ball for a throw in. “Good dog”.

The woodwork was struck at both ends. Stoneywood hit the post and Wild almost found his hatrick goal after an adventurous lob found the top of the bar. The effort deserved better.

Ellon manager Kennedy felt a bit of freshening up was in aid of when he brought on Gibson for McGill and it was the sub that reinstated the two goal cushion. The replacement took on four Stoneywood players then hit a ferocious thirty five yarder which hit the bar only for “the Gibbo” to spin wheel kick it into the net. This is probably what Gibson had in mind but instead he made it as hard as he could for himself when he ran clean through tried to round the keeper and failed miserably but the ball wriggled free toward goal and with only a tap in to complete GIBSON took his time and was a split second from getting tackled. But he squeezed it in and a goal is a goal and he was celebrating what would turn out to be the winner.

But to add a little bit of pressure and to test the bottle and title credentials of the young Jags side Stoneywood netted a second when the number 9 moseyed through half of the Ellon team to score from eight yards. A poor goal to give away.

A red card was coming in this game after the ref had dished out yellow after yellow after yellow and it was the home centre half that was to earn it for deliberately handling the ball. He must have regretted his silly first booking for kicking the ball away.

In the last minute a horrendous tackle on McKeitch sparked fury on the Ellon touch line. The Jags midfielder was lucky to get up after the challenge. Substitute Andy MacLean was sent to the changing rooms when his verbal assault on the culprit earned him his marching orders with seconds to go in this precious three point in the Jags promotion bid.

Final Score: Stoneywood Amateurs 2 Ellon Thistle 3

Ellon Thistle: D. Adamson, B. Alexander, N. Henderson, D. Anderson, M. Cockburn, S. Cruickshanks, C. Duncan, D. McKeitch, R. Birnie, D. McGill (M. Gibson). Unused Subs: K. Duncan, S. Beaton, R. Longmuir, A. MacLean