KIlchoan FC Match Report

From Ricky Clark:

Kilchoan FC

The first match of the new season is here. This saw the team travel to Giffnock on the edge of Glasgow to compete against the Giffnock Crocs at the home of Giffnock North Amateur Football Club - thanks has to go to Mark for arranging this fixture. This is a team consisting of mainly of more mature players, which plays in a friendly summer Sunday league, a non-competitive league which just allows those who have maybe passed their chance of playing for Scotland to continue to enjoy the game they have known all their lives.

The Kilchoan team consisted of 10 players from Kilchoan, and 4 players with Kilchoan connections who travelled from elsewhere. The opening stages of the game were paced and quite even, the training that the Kilchoan lads had been putting in was showing through in some of the slick passing moves in all areas of play. This startled the very composed and disciplined opposition who themselves were a well-oiled machine with some really slick play and fast-footed moves. Kilchoan continued to play a neat passing game and the breakthrough came in the form of a goal from Chris: some neat one-touch passing outside the 18 yard box allowed Chris to slot the ball neatly into the back of the net.

The captain puts the referee right

The lead never lasted to long however after the Crocs themselves put another good passage of play together to equalize not long before half time but, just before the half time whistle, Justin the Kilchoan keeper made a tremendous save from a bullet 20 yard drive at full stretch putting the ball over the bar high to his left side, ensuring the half ended one goal each.

Half-time talk in the rain

The second half started as the rain began to fall more steadily, this only added humidity to an already warm afternoon, it also made the hard playing surface very slippy and play became a bit more broken up. The Crocs began to exert more pressure as the half went on and their experience began to show through as they scored one and then another goal putting Kilchoan 3 – 1 down. Kilchoan made some changes and rearranged the playing formation to suit these substitutions.  This paid off as, soon after, with Richie moving from the back to a forward position, he picked up the ball on the right of the 18 yard box and slotted a neat ball passed the Crocs' keeper. The end of the game came soon after this giving the final score of, Crocs 3 – Kilchoan 2.

In summary this was well worth trip which gave Kilchoan a really good run out for the first game of the season.  If they keep the training up and take the lessons learnt from this game the remainder of their short season should be quite productive.

Kilchoan would like to express their gratitude to the Giffnock Crocs for providing a great opposition in a game that was played in a mostly cordial manner and for their hospitality after the match in the clubhouse providing a good selection of hot filled rolls. The final word however has to go Lewis Mackenzie (Gordon the buses son) who made his debut for Kilchoan coming on at half time and playing at right back; he played a very steady game and seems to have come from the same mould as his father in the defending world.