ac milanda afc

Milanda made the long trip to Coatbridge to play the 2nd and final cup tie in the William Drummond League Cup. It didn’t look too promising before the game as Milanda only had 10 players. Manager McMillan decided he would fill the 11th jersey until Paul Sime or Hyssie turned up after hasty phone calls.

The Milanda team that started was much changed from Saturday’s game. Last season Milanda easily despatched Columba in a Cup tie but it was never going to be as easy tonight. To be honest the first half of the game was pretty dull with little of note happening. Scott had Milanda’s best chance but blasted over the bar from 15 yards after making himself some space in the box. At the other end Walker was a bit busier for Milanda but was never really troubled until he left a cross to go by and found it coming back off the post but the danger was cleared. 20 mins in and Paul Sime turned up and immediately replaced McMillan and joined Coyle upfront. Unfortunately he failed to warm up and pulled his hamstring on his first run. Not what Milanda needed on a night like this. With no subs he had to carry on but his contribution was severely restricted. Hyssie turned up and he replaced Sime who by this time had to admit defeat.

Half time arrived and 0-0 was a fair reflection on the first half.

The second half was a bit livelier. Columba took the lead when a break on the right ended with a Columba forward having loads of time to pick his spot. The loss of the goal woke Milanda up and they in turn started to put Columba under pressure. A Williamson header went past the right hand post and the same player couldn’t quite turn in a though ball from a tight angle although Milanda got a corner out of it when no one touched it. Milanda did get the equaliser they deserved after Dunn who despite close attention from Columba defenders managed to stick his header into the top right hand corner after connecting with a long throw from Fawns.

The game could have gone either way at this point and both teams pressed forward in an effort to find a winner and this led to the game becoming more and more open. As the game entered the final quarter Milanda began to tire and Columba used their subs’ fresh legs to turn the game in their favour.

With 15 mins left Columba once again took the lead. A short corner wasn’t picked up and as the ball was deflected into the box Milanda stood still and a hook shot from the edge of the box left Walker helpless. Milanda visibly wilted and the inevitable third arrived soon after. Another corner wasn’t dealt with and on the edge of the box a Columba player was unchallenged as he picked his spot. It was all over for Milanda although they did try to rally but tiredness meant they couldn’t exert any real pressure on Columba.

Columba should have made it 4 when their sub waltzed past the Milanda defence and picked his spot but Walker got down superbly to turn it away for a corner. The final whistle meant Milanda failed to qualify for either the William Drummond trophy of the Vince McGlinchey Cup.

Given the circumstances Milanda made a real go of getting something from this cup tie but didn’t have the required fitness to play for 90 mins and tired legs let Columba take advantage in the final 15. Fitness will be the key this season as Milanda has a strong looking squad this year but unless we up the fitness levels we’ll always be struggling in the last 15/20 mins.

Man of the match – Coyle again put in a tremendous shift with little return but it was new boy Paul Duncan, or Scouse to his team-mates, who just beat him to the man of the match award. A lot of vital tackles and interceptions and tried to support the frontline as much as possible.