Troon F.C. v Kilbirnie Ladeside Match Programme 9.4.22

Only time will tell if this is two points dropped or a
point gained, but an equaliser deep in injury time always
feels like a victory & the 95th minute celebrations
at Blair Park certainly reflected that!
It was a stuffy start between two evenly matched teams
before the visitors stretched their legs and started to
dominate proceedings. Controversy raged in the 24th
minute after Chris Robertson cynically chopped down
Dean Fulton as he bore down on goal, but Referee Euan
Birch only saw fit to flash a yellow card. Sam
McCloskey’s resultant free-kick dipped narrowly over
McDonalds’ crossbar. The hosts began to grind their way
back into the contest, and Marc McKenzie’s efforts &
quality in the final areas were proving tough for our
back line to handle.
HALF-TIME: HURLFORD UNITED 0-0 TROON F.C.
Troon were forced into a change at the interval, illness
forcing Mark Morrison off, and that brought a change as
Stephen Wilson was introduced amid a reshuffle. The
visitors were comfortably on top at this stage now, and
sought to take full advantage of a little uncertainty in the
Troon midst. And so it proved, some concerted pressure
from the ‘Ford front ranks forced a mistake from keeper
Fisher & “Squib” was on hand to finish at the second
attempt. If Troon felt aggrieved at being one down, they
came back in the best possible way. With five minutes
played of time added on (courtesy of a long stoppage
following a serious looking injury to Sam Jamieson) three
consecutive corners were forced & well defended by
Hurlford - before Tommy Maitland rose to challenge for a
header, only to produce a stunning finish to smash home
and spark wild celebrations.
4 points out of 6 against Hurlford is an excellent return
this season, very few teams will achieve that & feel like
they should have done better. Kilbirnie next week in a
vital match at Portland Park.