NEWTON STEWART 2 HESTON ROVERS 4

John McNaught reporting from Blairmount Park.

 Following Newton Stewart very good drawn match at Stair Park on Wednesday night against a very strong Stranraer side, the Creesiders were expected to manage to overcome Heston Rovers at Blairmount if they could maintain their good mid-week form.  Unfortunately for the home side could not find this good form and struggled throughout this match against a resolute Heston team who were more workmanlike than flamboyant.

All the early pressure came from the still unbeaten Heston and should have taken the lead after only five minutes play but there were no takers for Ryan Adamsons cut back.  The visitors didn’t have to wait long though to find the opener when in the twelfth minute Newtons Willie Cloy delayed clearing the ball and Ryan Adamson prodded home from four yards out past unsighted Harry Fidler in the Creesiders goal.

In the twentieth minute Adamson almost scored again following a great solo run which drew a great save out of keeper Fidler to deny Heston a second goal.  Seven minutes later Fidler was again the hero when he pulled off a diving save from a free kick taken from the edge of the eighteen yard box to turn the ball past for a corner kick.  The resultant kick from right resulted in the ball ending up in the net but Fidler was adjudged to have been fouled and the goal did not stand. On the half hour mark Newtons Johnny Fisher was yellow carded for a rash tackle in midfield an action which would later have a significant impact on the outcome of the match.  Six minutes later Jed McColm found space to run past the Heston defence but his shot found the upright from where the ball was cleared upfield. A minute from the break Heston striker Steven Walker was unlucky with a header from a corner kick which found the crossbar before Davy Hyslop came close at the other end for Newton. A second goal did come though when Hestons Adamson struck with a volley from ten yards with Newtons defence posted missing.   Fisher was then booked for dissent by Referee Colin Saunders and sent off for his second yellow offence. With the half time whistle imminent the ten men Newton went into  attack straight from the kick-off  after the visitors second goal and Sean Taylor beat the offside trap to lob keeper McCulloch to bring the home side back into the contest.

The game was level a minute after the re-start when a good run down the right by McColm resulted in his cut back into the middle being seized on by Sean Taylor for Newtons second goal.  Newton Stewart were playing well a man short and in the fifty first minute a good strike by McColm was well saved by Heston keeper McCulloch.  Heston then put the home side under the cosh for a period and only a goal line clearance by Martyn Hendry denied the visitors a third goal. In the sixty seventh minute Heston were denied twice in succession by both uprights coming to Newton’s rescue with keeper Fidler well beaten on both occasions.

The home side did well to hold out but with ten minutes left their roof fell in when Fidler failed to hold a Craig Adamson effort and substitute Gordon Gibson was on hand to fire the rebound into the net.   In time added on Heston ensured their unbeaten record when Gibson with his second of the day, headed home from a corner on the left to add to Newtons misery for the visitors fourth goal.

In the end Newton Stewart were well beaten in a match that they could have been expected to win but lapses in defence resulted in their demise which on another day might have gone unpunished.  There are a number of young players in this seasons Newton side who with a bit more experience should manage to put together some better results but they really will have to start winning games against opposition such as Saturdays, especially on their own park. 

Newton Stewart; Fidler, Walsh, Henry, McKie, Hyslop, Fisher, Rennie, Smith, Sean Taylor, McColm, Cloy; Subs; McEwan, Stewart Taylor, Lowe and McClymont.

Heston Rovers ; McCulloch, Willets, McLauchlan, C. Adamson, Gordon, McGill, R. Adamson, Phillips, Walker, Boyd, Gavra; Subs; Thomson, Kilpatrick, Taylor, Clark and G. Gibson.