ac milanda afc

Argyll 2 AC Milanda 8 (HT (1-1)

Milanda took three points from their first away game in Division A thanks to a blistering finish. Despite having dominated against Argyll, the score stood at 2-2 after 50 minutes and it was only in the latter stages that Milanda turned their superiority into goals.

Yet again it was a much-changed team that took the field. John Wilkie had been registered after his impressive showing against AFC Columba and Milanda old boy Andy Wilson had been re-signed to solve the problem on the left-hand side of the field caused by injuries to Peter Johnstone, Andy Scott and Paul Murray. In addition, Milanda brought in two trialists, teenage defender Jim McGowan and midfielder Mark Russell, to bolster a squad decimated by the worst injury crisis in the club's history.

The new-look side gelled almost immediately and what is traditionally a tricky fixture quickly began to look winnable. However, a tendency to try to walk the ball into the net combined with some good saves by the Argyll keeper meant Milanda only netted once in the first half. Ross Early was the scorer with a cool finish after good build-up play had released him into the box. But Argyll had a couple of good counter-attacks and equalised from one of them just before the interval.

With new boy Russell buzzing all over the midfield and Wilson getting forward regularly from the left-wing back slot, Milanda continued to hold the upper hand and Early made it 2-1 after 48 minutes from a clever Gerry Evans pass but Argyll came back again immediately and capitalised on sloppy defending to make it 2-2.

After 53 minutes, Martin Johnstone made it 3-2 to Milanda from a Mark Reid cross and Evans added a fourth from crossfield pass by Wilson, referee Forbes Robertson playing a good advantage by ignoring the fact that Reid had been taken out of the playing during the lead-up.

Even at 4-2 there was a feeling the game might not yet be over but Milanda were clearly superior in an attacking sense and Johnstone hit the bar before Martin Coyle was denied by a brilliant save. However, the fifth goal after 73 minutes eased any concerns on the sidelines, Early completing his hat-trick with a glancing header from Wilson's corner.
Coyle shot No.6 after Johnstone had seen a shot blocked and Early had struck the ball against the keeper's right-hand post.
Johnstone himself scored No.7 and substitute Paul Duncan calmly fired the eighth goal into the corner of the net from a Reid pass.

MOM: All the new players contributed, with Russell and Wilson heavily involved in what was pretty much a day of all-out attack. Reid and Evans also ran all day for the team but the MOM award goes to Early who showed a great appetite for work and took his hat-trick in style