Craigroyston 2
Gala Fairydean 1
SOUTH CHALLENGE CUP SECOND ROUND
JOHN CLAYTON reports from St Mark’s Park
Craigroyston were on the front foot for much of the first half with the Gala defence having to work hard to contain them.
As an attacking force the visitors created very little, and any efforts they did have were of no danger to the Craigroyston keeper.
Ten minutes from half-time, the home side took the lead when their winger skipped down the right wing and delivered a cross into the six-yard box that the centre forward stabbed home beyond the stranded Turnbull.
Gala may have considered themselves fortunate to go in only one goal down, but they began the second half with more resolve and began to create their own chances. A cross into the Craigie box was half-cleared to Jay Wilson on the edge of the box and he looped a shot over the keeper and into the top corner of the net to bring the scores level.
Gala had their tails up now, and Scott Nightingale had a good shot pushed wide for a corner and then set up Marc Berry, who shot wide of the goal, only minutes before he was replaced by Geri Rossi.
Craig Tyson was off the field with a dead leg when a through-ball found the Craigroyston centre forward suspiciously offside, but as he bore down on Turnbull, the back-tracking Darren Bowie attempted a challenge that only succeeded in playing the ball into his own net for what turned out to be the decider.
Tyson returned to the fray but was quickly substituted by Boyne and Greg Hay replaced Billy Miller, but this was just not going to be Gala’s day in what was a lacklustre performance after the previous week’s heroics.
Gala Fairydean: E. Turnbull, P. Young, C. Tyson (D. Boyne, 70 mins), D. Bowie, G. Lothian, B. Miller (G. Hay, 76 mins), J. Wilson, G. Gass, M. Berry, S. Nightingale (G. Rossi, 60 mins), J. Hay.