Ants power proves too much for Shotts

Aug 26 2009 by Andrew Weston, Wishaw Press

Ants power proves too much for Shotts

IT has been a number of years since St Anthony’s visited Hannah Park and even longer since they won there.

But despite the confidence in the Shotts camp prior to this fixture – thanks to victories away to Maryhill and Petershill last week – the visitors in green and white did not see themselves as sacrificial victims as they collected all three league points in this Central League Division One clash.

From the kick-off, they used their height and weight advantage to ensure the home team would not find victory easily.

At the back, especially, they posed a considerable barrier to the Shotts forwards with the two centre-backs, Mark Ritchie and Abou Mansare, dominant in the air and useful on the ground as well.

In the 17th minute, Ritchie used his physical advantage to power home a header from a corner, which left Shotts keeper Craig Brown helpless.

Shotts were by no means out of it but, for all their pretty passing, they were not getting close in on goal and most of the threats were from long-range shots from Mark McKeever, Stevie Barker and John Boyack.

That changed in the 39th minute, however, when McKeever’s corner was completely missed by Anthony Curran in the visiting goal and the ball ended up in the net, helped no doubt by the swirling wind. Shotts upped the pace and piled on more pressure but there were no more goals before the break.

Throughout the second half, Shotts dominated but just couldn’t get past the back-line often enough to supply Paul McLaughlin and Mark Duffy.

The game swung in the visitors’ favour on 77 minutes.

As Brown came to clutch a corner, he was clattered late by Ritchie. The Shotts keeper was really in no fit state to continue and, had another keeper been on the bench, he would have been replaced. He hobbled on for the final 15 minutes, although was clearly in pain.

Two minutes from time, Shotts grabbed the winner when Paul Finnigan, a model of efficiency and diligence all day on the right flank, lost the ball and the subsequent pass forward found Ants’ substitute Ross Cumming, who took a touch before driving the ball beyond the injured Brown.

The home players looked slightly disheartened at the final whistle but they can look forward to the eventual return after injury and illness of four experienced players – Kevin Barr, Steve Herriot, Gary McSeveney and Iain Wallace – who will be able to help the younger players find their way forward in the physical battles ahead.

After the match, St Anthony’s secretary, Felix McKenna, expressed his club’s gratitude to the Bon Accord for “the best hospitality he had ever experienced in all his years in the game.”