Airdrie CC U17s

In hindsight a friendly only 48 hrs after a competitive cup game might not have been the best idea with only 13 fit players available but we wanted to keep the boys ticking over.

EK are decent side who pressed us high in the first half and created a couple of half chances without really testing Brayden. We also had half chances but lacked conviction and quality in the final third.

2nd half with a changed formation we enjoyed more of the play without ever hitting the levels we are capable of. With 10 to go and the game heading for 0-0 their striker fired a great shot into the top corner after we failed to clear on the edge of the box. Almost straight from kick off Nathan drove forward and slipped it to Artem who beat his man and fired past the keeper.

The game became very open last 10 and end to end with both teams trying to win it. We had chances but EK looked dangerous when breaking & they scored with the last kick of the game to win but unsure on what happened as we were too busy dealing with an incident off the ball.

A bit of work to be done on the training pitch ahead of the league starting next weekend. Injuries didn’t help us either as we have 4 boys unavailable for selection over the next few weeks.

MOTM

Great shifts from Murray and Alf who both ran hard for 90 mins and kept trying to play forward.

Nathan Clark takes the award again. Strong in defence 1st half and carried us forward in midfield 2nd half & is currently in great form.

As the league cup group sections come to a conclusion this weekend, we find ourselves as the spare team, so we have a friendly game to keep the boys who are fit ticking over.

If you are at a loose end, come along tomorrow night, it should be a decent game.

We finish our league cup section with victory over a good East Kilbride side .

After Saturdays defeat we asked the boys for a bit more energy to start the game yet we nearly went behind after only 2 mins when EK hit the post after a decent move .

We grew into the game and began to control the midfield , Nathan almost scored a goal of the season contender with a curling 30 yd strike which came back off the post with the keeper beaten . We continued to press high and got the opener from a corner , Lucas whipped it in and after a scramble Matthew G laid it back for Nathan to fire home .

We added a 2nd shortly after with Max C playing a clever ball into Hayden who put a great low shot past the keeper . 2-0 HT

2nd half we expected EK to go for it an they threw men forward but our defence stood strong , and we almost increased our lead when Hayden lobbed the keeper but saw his shot come off the woodwork .

We saw the game out last 15-20 mins to earn the 3 points .

MOTM

Our midfield 3 first half all excellent with Murray and Hayden both putting in a great shift up top . 2nd half we defended well with both Max’s at full back making some strong tackles keeping dangerous wingers quiet .

The award tonight goes to Luke Cusick , covered some amount of ground in midfield and recovered the ball numerous times in both halves in a strong 90 min performance .

An important victory tonight after last weeks defeats . A quick turnaround with another game on Friday night to come .

Our 2nd defeat in 3 days and yet again we leave scratching our heads as to how it happened .

We started well, dominating possession but couldn’t find a way past their keeper .

Too often we made the wrong choice in the final third and failed to hit the target when the opportunities came .

Our opponents seemed happy to settle for penalties as we continued to control the game into the 2nd half , slowing the game down at every opportunity .

Half a dozen good chances went begging before a late lapse in concentration saw a penalty in the dying minutes .

27 shots in our last 2 games with only 1 goal shows where we need to up our levels .

MOTM , Nathan and Matt strolled the game at the back but today’s award goes to Matthew Graham . Playing out of position at left back he dealt with a dangerous opponent well and got forward at every opportunity .

A disappointing evening in our first home cup game.

Both team cancelled each other out in the first half but East Stirling pressed hard and knocked us out of our stride. Right on half time they took the lead with their first attempt when we failed to deal with a long high ball and knocked home from close range.

In truth we had been very poor and had created nothing of note .

2nd half we upped the tempo and deservedly equalized . Max Oliver with a pinpoint cross which found Nathan at the back post to head home .

At that point we all felt we would go on and win but we got caught on the break after giving away possession in midfield and E Stirling retook the lead .

The game became stretched and both keepers made good saves before we created a few great chances in the last 10 mins but couldn’t find the net to force a draw .

In truth we were out worked by a team that wanted it more on the night and that was the most disappointing thing .

No time to dwell on it with a game in less than 36 hrs on Saturday .

MOTM , a difficult one for the wrong reasons with few hitting the heights we know they are capable of .

Nathan Clark takes the award tonight , continuing his strong start with us .

Popped up with a great header at the back post and kept trying to drive forward in the 2nd half .

Our squad numbers for season 26/27.

A tough test first up in the cup as we faced league new boys Bellshill. They started better knocking it about well and took a deserved lead when we failed to stop the cross and their striker rose well to head home.

We played our way into the game and equalized minutes later. Great work from Max Coyle on the left chasing a lost cause as he dispossessed the defender and cut it back for Murray to tuck a nice first time finish into the bottom corner.

The goal gave us a boost and we had 3 or 4 really good chances to take the lead. A great run from Nathan saw him head into the box and he just failed to connect with the cutback, Kerr fired in the rebound but it was blocked on the line.

Artem then went close with a header before Marc just failed to chip the advancing keeper after a decent move. We took the lead just before half time when Marc’s corner was headed into his own net by one of the Bellshill defenders.

2-1 HT

We almost added a 3rd after 30 secs of the 2nd half, Artem brought down on the edge of the box and Marc fired the free kick just over.

We added our 3rd midway through the half when Alf made a great tackle, slipped Kerr in & he was brought down as he went to shoot. He duly stepped up and tucked the penalty away.
That should have been game over but we lost concentration and allowed Bellshill back into the game with a great strike from the edge of box to set up a nervous last 15 mins.

After weathering a storm with our back three all standing strong we sealed the points with a great team goal. Euan fed Hayden who did brilliantly to spin his man and play it out to Kerr, he side stepped the defender and fired high into the net for 4-2.

We saw the game out comfortably after that to pick up our first three points of the season .

Bellshill look to be a great addition to the league and are exactly the standard of competition needed.

MOTM

A few in contention, Max Coyle already proving to be Mr Consistency with a strong 90 mins & Kerr with 2 big second half goals to settle game.

It’s a joint award this week Nathan Clark , solid in defence and stepped out brilliantly time and time again and Murray McNab. Non stop running, led the line brilliantly and took his goal very well. Both lads looking as if they have played in the diamond for years ♦️♦️

It’s a late venue change & slightly later kick off time today.

The game will now be played at Sir Matt Busby sports centre, Bellshill, ML4 3DP & kick off is 2.10pm.

Not the ideal start to the season with the late change but we travel with a full squad available.

If you’re at a loose end, get along and support the team as we kick off our season in the league cup. ♦️♦️