McBookie Championship

WHITLETTS VICTORIA 2

DALRY THISTLE 0

LAST season’s Ayrshire District League Champions Dalry saw their excellent 17-match unbeaten league run come to an end at the hands of an impressive Whitletts Vics side at Dam Park Stadium.

Without injured duo Blair Anderson and Sean Ewart, the suspended Isaac Kerr and the holidaying Jordan Mullen, Vics assistant manager Mark Ferris had to re-shuffle his entire back line and with Raymond Buchanan leading by example, the makeshift defence comfortably dealt with what the visitors could throw at them with youngsters Paul Millar and Darren McIntyre turning in impressive performances to keep Ian Cashmore and co at bay

From kick-off, Whitletts went on the ascendancy and in only three minutes they took the lead. Some great work by Graeme Barbour to win the ball in midfield and set up Jordan Boyd who curled his shot from the edge of the box past Marc Fisher.

Louis Kerr then went close with a free-kick and from another one by Kerr, Fisher poorly punched his clearance and it needed the intervention of Stuart Hannah to prevent Vics capitalising as the home side dominated early on.

It took Dalry until midway into the half to register an attempt on goal and Cashmore wasn’t far away with a header from a Dylan Stevenson cross that flew just over.

Still Vics were having the better of the play and only a double save from Fisher prevented the Jags from going two-down as Adam Forsyth looked to capitalise on a short pass back but the Dalry keeper saved his effort before recovering to deny Thomas Donovan’s follow up effort.From the resulting corner Graeme Barbour curled his shot just over the bar.

Dalry’s best move of the first period came in 35 minutes with some fine play down the left ending with Kyle Cumming’s shot on the turn held by Martin Fraser as the visitors start to get a grip on the game and Cashmore had a couple of efforts on goal, one saved by Fraser the other just over the bar but it was Vics who went in at the break holding that one goal advantage.

The second half was played in a similar vein with Whitletts going close early on as a netbound back post Buchanan header came back off a Thistle defender. Forsyth then beatb the offside trap to race clear but over-hit the ball and the chance was lost with Donovan in the clear awaiting a tap in but in the 53rd minute Vics did increase their lead. And what a goal it was too!

As the Thistle defence cleared a cross into the box, Barbour controlled the ball on his chest 25 yards out and sent a right foot volley high over Fisher into the net. It was a stunning strike and just reward for Barbour’s own performance in midfield.

Dalry had a great chance just after the hour, but Cumming miskicked with the goal at his mercy but in the main Whitletts were having the better of the play. Boyd almost scored a third as his header from a Colligan free-kick flashed inches wide and Ross George fired over an empty goal from 30 yards after Fisher had raced from his line to deny Forsyth.

The Jags continued to press forward when they could but couldn’t really manage to trouble Fraser’s goal with a Hannah volley that was held by the Vics keeper their only serious shot on target

To compound the visitors' woes, with five minutes remaining former Ayr striker Cashmore was shown a red cad by Liam Butler for something the striker said to the match official as Whitletts comfortably saw the game out to claim a deserved three points.

WHITLETTS VICTORIA: Fraser; Colligan (Milligan 88) Ogston, McIntyre, Millar, Buchanan, L Kerr (George 41) Boyd, Forsyth, Barbour, Donovan

Subs (unused): Condon, Dempsey

DALRY THISTLE: Fisher; Latta, K Lochhead, Kirkwood, McGowan, Hannah, Cumming (Parrott 83) Stuart (Gardiner 68) Cashmore, Oliver (Turner 70) Stevenson. Subs (not used) Browning, B Lochhead.