MONTROSE ROSELEA v LUNCARTY

GA CUP 1^ST ROUND

SAT OCT 16^TH 2010 

Roselea faced a Luncarty side which had been leaking goals all season in the First Round of the GA Cup on Saturday. This gave Managers Brand & Craig the opportunity to use some players who had not featured in the side with Craig dropping himself for Gavin Reid at left back. Wide players Jo Aitken & Ryan Strachan also came into the side and Scott Riach replaced the injured Craig Watson upfront. 

Roselea: Mcleod, Mustard, Reid, Whyte, Graham, Aitken, Rae, Reoch, Strachan, Riach & Collier. Subs: Miller, David Craig, McKellar, Kennedy, Hood, Doug Craig & Brand.

On a perfectly calm day with the Wind Turbines on the Garvock and Roselea’s championship flag both lifeless Roselea kicked off towards the town end.  

Luncarty started the game well and did not show signs that they were anything like the team who propped up the Central Division however it was Roselea who attacked first in 5 minutes with Collier beating his man before shooting just off target. Gavin Reid showed good feet before setting Ryan Strachan away on the left wing and his cross was headed just behind by Riach. 

Roselea almost opened the scoring in 10 minutes when Riach and Collier combined well with the latter hammering the ball off the underside of the bar before the ball bounced on the line and away to safety. Roselea were dominating and it was no surprise when they took the lead in 13 minutes. Again Collier and Riach combined and it was RIACH who turned Colliers cross in at the front post from close range. 

Luncarty shocked Roselea when they equalised on 15 minutes. A corner as only cleared as far as RITCHIE who hit a great drive into the net giving Mcleod no chance. 

Roselea hit back and Mustard chipped an excellent ball into Collier but his shot was blocked just as he was about to shoot in 18 minutes. Roselea continued to attack and Whyte had his header from a Strachan corner saved by Harvey in 25 minutes. 

Again the Collier/Riach combination almost paid off but this time Harvey had a brilliant save from Collier. In 28 minutes a well-rehearsed free kick almost paid off for Roselea but there were no takers at the far post for Reid’s excellent cross. 

Luncarty had another chance in 31 minutes when Bee outstripped Mustard but Mcleod had spotted the danger and made a good save. 

Half Time: Roselea 1 Luncarty 1

Matt Miller and David Craig replaced Rae and Mustard after the break as Roselea looked to freshen things up. 

Both sides had chances within a minute for the second half. First Collier broke on the left and Harvey collected at the 2^nd attempt then Bee broke away and Mcleod saved at full height stretch before Bee shot over with a corner awarded much to Roselea’s puzzlement. 

Strachan and Collier both had attempts blocked as Roselea tried to break down a stubborn Luncarty rearguard. Collier broke in the Luncarty box and a less honest player may have been tempted to go to ground as he was impeded when he got in front of McPhail, however he continued forward before McCulloch got in an excellent tackle. 

Hood replaced Aitken in 70 minutes. Hood was quickly involved and sent in a terrific cross which Collier sent over the bar from close range from a difficult diving header in 71 minutes. 

It was all Roselea at this point and Whyte and Strachan had shots blocked during the next 10 minutes before Roselea finally got their noses in front again on the 83^rd minute. STRACHAN copied Ritchie’s shot in the first half as the ball broke out from a corner and the ball hit the back of the net much to the home sides relief. 

Luncarty were down but not out and Graham had to block a shot from yet another cleared corner. Luncarty’s goal scorer was shown a straight red card right on time after he pulled back Hood before getting involved in a minor fracas which did not help his cause. Referee Beats played 4 minutes of injury time before calling a halt to proceedings and Roselea moved into the 2^nd Round of the competition. 

Final Score: Roselea 2 Luncarty 1

Referee Kenny Beats 

Roselea will be relieved to have got through this tie as although they had the lions share of the possession they just couldn’t turn that dominance into goals which meant the tie was never out of Luncarty’s reach. For a team who have had such a bad start to the season they certainly lifted themselves for this game.  

Roselea now face Downfield at home (2.30pm) on Saturday Oct 23^rd as they return to League business. They will also face two tricky League matches in Dundee in November with North End on the 6^th and Violet on the 13^th. 

Roselea have been drawn away to Cambuslang Rangers in the Emirates Scottish Junior Cup 2^nd Round on Saturday October 30th. Cambuslang play in the Central League First Division and a close match is expected. Roselea will be running a supporters bus to the game and names should be given to the Golf Inn or by calling 01674 672047, cost is £7.50 per adult.