FLEET STAR 3 NEWTON STEWART 5

John McNaught reporting from Garries Park

Two goals from man of the match, Stewart Taylor secured victory for the Creesiders in their SFA South Challenge Cup match against Fleet Star at Gatehouse.  When these two sides meet they usually produce an exciting match with plenty of goals and this encounter was no different.  This was a right rip roaring cup tie full of incident, excitement and eight goals to keep the supporters happy.

The visitors almost took the lead in the seventh minute when a good long ball out of defence from Davy Hyslop found Stewart Taylor wide on the left. Taylors cross into the Star goalmouth was mis-handled by keeper McJannett and striker Andrew McEwan was the first to re-act only to see his header find the upright and go out of play. Play then raged to the other end and Newton keeper Harry Fidler had to be alert to save a Kevin Smith effort following a good solo run. With eleven minutes played Star almost broke the deadlock when Jordan Page almost scored, but within a minute the action was again in the Star goalmouth with McEwan latching onto a through ball from Fisher to prod the ball beyond McJannet from close, in to open the scoring. 

With play flowing from end to end two minutes later the home side almost drew level but for yet another good stop from Fidler who had to dive at the feet of the inrushing Smith to avert the danger. In the seventeenth minute Taylor again came close for the visitors but his effort on goal following a fine solo run went past the wrong side of the upright. A minute later McJannett came to Stars rescue when he pulled off a superb save when Taylor found the head of Willie Cloy but four minutes later McEwan did beat the keeper with a deft flick only to see his attempt on goal cleared of the goal-line by a defender.  Again play raged to the other end of the field and Star were awarded a free kick about twenty yards out which was taken by Stars outstanding player, team Captain Davy McKie, and as the ball headed for the bottom right corner of the Newton goal, Fidler threw himself at the ball to make a spectacular save.  This match had everything with some tough tackles going in, regular goalmouth scrambles and some very good goal-keeping from both keepers. In one such goalmouth scramble Cloy came close for the visitors and as the ball was cleared up field Smith and keeper Fidler collided on the edge of the eighteen yard box when the Star player received a knee injury which prevented him from continuing after being shown a yellow card.  In the thirty second minute the visitors doubled their scoreline when an inswinging corner kick on the right was headed into the net by an unchallenged Stewart Taylor.  Three minutes later Colin Wilson rose above the Star defence for a similar goal as the second to head home another Cloy corner kick for goal number three.  Newton Stewart were cruising at this point although Harry Fidler was called on yet again to thwart another McKie free kick from counting when he dived to push a netbound shot over his crossbar.  Five minutes before the break a Wilson header from yet another corner kick was only inches over the crossbar but the home side pulled themselves back into the match a minute before the half-time whistle when McKie, at his third attempt, managed to beat Fidler with a twenty yard free kick which he deftly curled over the defensive wall and into the net.

The second half started as the first had finished with both sides giving their all in what was a very good and highly competitive cup-tie and in the fifty eighth minute Newton went further ahead when Martin Walsh was adjudged to have been fouled by Barry Pickthall in the penalty box as he burst through the home defence.  Stewart Taylor made no mistake from the spot sending keeper McJannett to his right and the ball in the other direction. On the hour mark Star gave themselves hope when a McKie through ball was poorly defended to allow substitute Josh Maxwell the last touch past Fidler at the back post.  Five minutes later Newton team Captain Johnny Fisher brought out a brilliant stop from McJannett with a twenty five yard shot but disaster struck the home side with seventy two minutes played when a Gary Smith corner kick on the left was punched into his own net  by keeper McJannet when under pressure from the Newton attackers.

Newton Stewart enjoyed a good period of pressure after this with McJannett redeeming himself with two good stops from McEwan and Fisher. The keeper then made an ‘out of the world’ save when McEwan ran through unchallenged only to see his netbound shot from six yards being kept out of the net by an athletic McJannett. This stop inspired his team and within a minute they gave themselves a fighting chance when another defensive mix up in the Newton rearguard saw Stuart Currie scoring Stars third goal to make the final thirteen minutes very interesting as the home side pushed to claw back the two goal deficit.  Newton held out though and in fact could have scored again through substitute Jamie McKie but his shot from a good goal scoring position went over the cross bar.  Fleet Star however refused to lie down but their late efforts were in vain and it was the visitors who survived to go into the draw for the next round of this particular competition. Incidentally the match Referee Craig Napier from Glasgow had an exceptionally good match and although only nineteen years of age kept good control of the game, was always right up with play, was fair and decisive in his judgement of events and on this showing could well be one to look out for in the future.

Fleet Star; McJannett, Brown, McCarlie, Pickthall, Niven, Wilson, Page, McKie, Smith, Gilston, Currie; Subs; McCreath, Maxwell, Warren and McKend

Newton Stewart; Fidler, Walsh, Henry, Richardson, Hyslop, Wilson, Smith, Fisher, McEwan, Taylor, McEwan; Subs; Agnew, McKie, McClymont and Davis