Stef’s Travels: Beith fight back to draw at Pollok

By Stefan Coutts

Pollok…2 v Beith…2

Beith boss Johnny Millar applauded his side as they battled back from two down to salvage a point at Tony McInally’s Fortress Newlandsfield and keep their title hopes alive.

Bryan Wharton and Stuart McCann gave the hosts a two goal cushion but when they lost Grant Evans to a second yellow on 81 minutes the tide turned.

Millar opted for six up front and went for the kill with Darren Christie halving the deficit with a stunner, and deep into injury time Lok failed to clear their lines with Paul Frize bundling over the line to share the spoils.

He said: “At 2-0 down we took a gamble and threw men forward with Darren Christie scoring a screamer to get it to 2-1 then we got everyone in the box and it eventually came.

“I knew the boys would give their all but I thought we were out of time but at the end of the day we got the goal that counted so we gambled and we got away with the point.”

Both sides probed with Lok believing they had a good penalty shout on 11 minutes that whistler Stephen Graham waved away after Ryan Docherty looked to have fouled Stefan McCluskey in the box.

Lok nearly opened soon after with McCluskey providing a bit of magic from nothing to rattle the post with Beith keeper Stephen Grindlay slow to react as it rebounded away.

But the goals broke out after the break with Christie clattering McCluskey in the box and ref Graham pointing to the spot with Wharton slotting home on the hour mark.

The hosts looked to have wrapped up the game on 74 minutes as Paul Byrne switched to Stuart McCann who collected and rifled through the legs of the keeper.

It was nearly three as Gary McCann rounded Stephen Grindlay and aimed goalward only for Conner McGlinchey to clear off the line and to prove pivotal in the result.

Lok’s Evans hit the showers for an early bath, and on 86 minutes Christie turned from sinner to saint with a sublime effort from the edge of the box to throw Beith a lifeline which they took with aplomb.

And deep into injury time Lok failed to clear and Frize was the quickest to react and poke home to take a point back down to North Ayrshire.

Raging Lok gaffer Tony McInally said: “I thought we were the better team for 85 minutes but that result is a sickener and a sore one for us to take.”

Pollok: Johnson, Evans (B56, R81), Byrne, Wharton (B90), Sideserf, Sean, G McCann (Rowan 82), Young, S McCann (Little 82), Forde (B58, Hepburn 77), McCluskey

Subs not used: Brash, Gormley

Beith: Grindlay, McGlinchey, N Docherty, R Docherty, MacDonald, Martin (Bradley 66), Christie, Frize, McLean (McPherson 75), Collins, Burke (Wilson 68)

Subs not used: Reid, Milliken

Ref: Stephen Graham

Att: 581

GMS MoTM: Bryan Wharton (Pollok FC)

Beith Fight Back to Stun 10 Man Lok

Tony McInally slammed his sides defending in the final minutes as Pollok surrendered a two goal lead in the final 10 minutes against Beith.

He said “ We sat back to much and they punished us for it, we need to be better than that, we were the better side over 85 minutes.

We created so many chances and we were playing some good football, we should’ve been out of sight today”

Stefan McCluskey drove into the box inside the first 10 minutes and was felled by an outstretched leg from the Beith defender, however whistler Stephen Graham waved away the Lok protests.

McCluskey again had a chance just before half an hour after being played through by the ever present Bryan Young, who fed the attacker in the left hand side of the box with a floated ball from the right. McCluskey headed low to the left, forcing a magnificent save from Beith keeper Stephen Grindlay.

A second half penalty from Bryan Wharton Broke the deadlock after Darren Christie bundled the lively Stefan McCluskey down in the area on the hour mark.

A fierce Stuart McCann strike had Lok up 2-0 and looking rosey with a lovely over the top through ball from Paul Byrne with McCann obliging to fire under Grindlay in the Beith net.

However a Grant Evans red card with 20 minutes to go, his third in three games against Beith, proved to be the spark in a Beith revival,

Goals with a Darren Christie screamer from the edge of the box after taking on a host of Pollok defenders, finding space on the edge of the box and firing into the top left corner a last second Paul Frize equaliser with a scrappy finish with 17 men in the Lok box sent the North Ayrshire men home with a share of the spoils.

Visiting manager Johnny Millar said admitted he had started getting a bit greedy when the equaliser went in and suggested that ‘The Mighty’ are still just in contention for the West Super Premier Division title;

“We just went for it! It could’ve been 6-0 or 5-2 with the way it went! I knew the boys would give it their all but I thought our time was up today, i got greedy at the end though, just sending everyone up trying to get a winner!

“Maybe Kilwinning and Auchinleck will be feeling better off that we drew here today but the effort from the boys was top notch.

“I was questioning the boys’ commitment and energy after the bad run we’ve had over the past couple of weeks and being two, but the fight they’ve shown today is brilliant and its been coming. You’ve got to make the gamble and today it payed off

“If i get the same effort as we did today ill be happy and go on a run of four maybe five games we could be in with a shot at the title, it was a game for the neutrals. No Defences!”

Ref – Stephen Graham

Ref rating – 3

MoTM – Bryan Wharton (Pollok FC)