ac milanda afc

THE scoreline was more impressive than the performance as Milanda took the three points required to clinch third place in the table with one game to play. As often happens when playing a team at the other end of the league, the attitude left a lot to be desired. A sloppy first half saw an improved Wanderers side deservedly reach the interval on level terms and it took a couple of late second-half goals by Milanda to make the victory look respectable.

There was no sign of the problems that lay ahead when Milanda took the lead after a mere five minutes. Craig Fawns put fellow front-man Paul Murray through and even though the keeper blocked the first shot he was helpless as the Milanda man picked up the rebound and tapped it home. Twelve minutes later it was 1-1. Defender Dave O'Neill got sucked into a midfield skirmish when there was no need, leaving Milanda's rearguard exposed, and when Wanderers won the ball and broke on the right there was no one to stop their player surging into the box and firing past Stephen Walker.

However, Milanda restored their advantage two minutes later when Fawns' cutback from the left was forced home at the back post by Jim Binnie after Murray had failed with his attempt. Milanda had a bit of luck when Binnie blocked a netbound shot with his body in unorthodox fashion. Wanderers claimed he had used his hand and it certainly looked suspicious but, not for the first time, the referee's decision favoured the away team. In the 34th minute, Wanderers got back on terms for a second time.

Suicidal defending saw possession carelessly conceded, allowing one of the unmarked Wanderers attackers to knock home a cross at the back post. Six minutes before the break, Milanda had an opportunity to go 3-2 ahead when Andy Scott was the victim of a rash challenge just inside the right-hand edge of the box. Martin Coyle took the penalty but his effort wasn't strong enough to beat the keeper, who dived to his right to pull off the save. Milanda finished the half with Coyle pushed forward to make a three-man forward line in the hope that the ball would "stick" when it went towards the Wanderers' box but at the interval it was still 2-2.

A goal-line clearance by Marc McColgan and a good save by Walker prevented the home team going ahead early in the second period. In the 54th minute, Murray relieved the pressure with Milanda's third. McColgan and Scott combined superbly to set him up and he cut inside an opponent in the box before hitting the ball home at the keeper's near post with his right foot. The points were not safe until the last 10 minutes when substitute Mark Reid added some much-needed energy to proceedings. First he placed a corner on to the head of O'Neill who finished powerfully from close range. Then the newcomer hassled a Wanderers defender into knocking the ball past his own keeper to make the final score 5-2.

MAN OF THE MATCH? Murray made a big contribution with his double strike but the best players for most of the 90 minutes were in midfield. McColgan, Ross Early and Binnie worked particularly hard, with Binnie just edging the award for his goal.