Halloween Horror for Ants in Drumchapel defeat

The Ants headed to the Donald Dewar Sports Centre in Drumchapel, on a wild wet and windy day, in their first ever West of Scotland Football League match as they faced a Drumchapel United side looking to bounce back from their opening day defeat to Kilsyth Rangers the week previous.

The game was played in swirling wind and driving rain for the most part making it hard to play any real free flowing football although in the 23rd minute the conditions almost played their part in opening the scoring when a cross into the box was attempted to be cleared by Walsh but the wind caught it and blew it back towards the Ants six yard box where Hynes tried to get on the end of the loose ball, his first touch was good but the Trialist in goal for the Ants came through a rake of bodies to punch the ball clear, it hit McIntyre on the back and the keeper pounced to smother the ball. The Ants had their first effort at goal three minutes later when Gallacher teed up Conway but he dragged his shot from distance past the post. Bembo then went on a mazy run that saw him charge down on Scott in the Drumchapel goal but he knocked the ball too far infront of him and Scott thwarted him by diving at his feet and collecting the ball. Docherty then almost opened the scoring for the home side when he rose highest in the box and flicked the ball towards goal only to see the ball rebound off the post with the follow up shot well saved by the Ants keeper from Bowers and Ndlovu hacked the ball to safety. It was a pretty even match so it was a blow when in the 32nd minute Drumchapel took the lead, a long diagonal from Craig found ALEC DOCHERTY who peeled off his marker to head past the keeper and into the back of the net to give the home side a 1-0 lead. The Ants tried to claw their way back into the game and a Bembo through ball sent Ndlovu in on goal but he was always chasing the ball with the wind giving it a little extra zip and as a result was forced wide, Scott came out and narrowed the angle and saved the shot at the expense of a corner that came to nothing

HALF TIME DRUMCHAPEL UNITED 1 (DOCHERTY 32) v 0 ANTS 

The second half will go down as one to forget for the Ants but it could have been so much different if Bembo had managed to get on the end of Carballo’s deflected shot before Scott but the Drum keeper was first to the ball to clear. Two minutes later the Ants found themselves 2-0 down when Bowers cut the ball across the goalmouth to JORDAN SCOTT who tapped the ball into the empty net after 48 minutes. Things went from bad to worse a minute later, as MacKinnon teed up WILLIAM PLOMMERS to fire a wonder strike past the Ants keeper and into the top corner from fully 30 yards out as the shellshocked Ants went 3-0 down. The Ants looked as though the heads had dropped a little and MacKinnon nearly added a fourth from distance but his shot flew just wide of the post. The Ants started to come out of their funk, a Littler throw in caused a bit of panic in the Drum defence and eventually Conway put a teasing ball across the six yard box but there were no takers and the chance was gone. In the 68th minute Drumchapel scored a fourth when a corner was headed clear to the edge of the box and substitute DONALD MCCALLUM fired home a volley with his first touch a minute after coming on to make it 4-0 to the home side. There was almost a fifth when another Craig corner found Docherty alone in the six yard box but under pressure from the Ants keeper he hit the ball over the bar.

FULL TIME – DRUMCHAPEL UNITED 4 (DOCHERTY 32, SCOTT 48, PLOMMERS 49, MCCALLUM 68) v 0 ANTS

Ants manager Danny Taylor was impressed by the home side and is looking for a reaction next week at home to East Kilbride Thistle,  “It was a hard day today for the boys against a really good side who will be there or there abouts in the Conference at the end to win it. We need to dust ourselves down and we go again to see how we react next week in our first home game of the season”

Ants Man of the Match sponsored by Rogue Monkey Digital Media – Shaun Gallacher