lack of updates

just to offer my apologies for the lack of entries over the last few games. while i have been at the games in question (the lochee fixtures) life in between times has been taken over by the frantic combination of preparations for moving house and trying to up the ante on my sponsorship for maggies centres

needless to say we all know the scores and reports are available at www.arthurlie.com

12.03 - lochee united 1 arthurlie 1 - martin mcgarvey
19.03 - arthurlie 4 lochee united 4 - alan waddell 2, robert downs, brian mckeown
**lost 3-4 on pens

over all cant argue, we were in my own opinion the better team over the two games but we didnt take the chances and lochee did. time to pick ourselves up and move on. bring on the west!

stats section will be updated shortly.

arthurlie 2 maryhill 0 - premier league

arthurlie avenged their defeat earlier in the season with a hard fought victory over maryhill at dunterlie. two goals late in the game settled the fixture with xander ryan and charlie hobbs on the scoresheet. full report to follow once i get it.

arthurlie 4 arthurlie utd 1 - friendly @ woodfarm

comprehensive win over the local amateurs (featuring former 'lie star tony mccann) on the woodfarm astroturf with goals from steven brown (*trialist), martin mcgarvey, marc ross and an OG.

game was organised to help souness regain match fitness and he was fielded for 45 minutes.

two trialists on the pitch from hillwood were right back gary carroll and centre back steven brown, both of whom had solid matches.

team - sexton, carroll, travers, brown, allison (mcshane 45), ross, ryan, mcgarvey (rae 45), rhoddan (waddell 65), mckeown, hobbs (downs 65)

*thanks to ed @ arthurlie.com and downsys stalker for the game stats.

glenafton 0 arthurlie 3 - west premier 25.02.05

It was a Martin McGarvey masterclass as the midfield playmaker led Arthurlie to a second consecutive 3-0 in Ayshire. Both teams came out determined to make an early impact on the scoreline and Alan Waddell had two chances which should have been converted in the opening minutes while Boyd sent an effort spinning wide. Kris Robertson produced a candidate for save of the season, palming away a Dale Beattie thunderbolt as the visitors appeared to be under the cosh.The game turned on its head with two goals in four minutes from McGarvey, who struck his first goal of the season in the 27th minute. Glens ‘keeper Gary Mathews, playing with a groin injury, fluffed a passback from Carruth, allowing Robert Downs to take possession on the bye line.

From there the goal was only a simple cutback away, allowing McGarvey to duly oblige when the ball landed at his feet twelve yards out. The second came on the half hour mark and again it was ‘Garv’ who did the damage, this time with a curling effort from twenty yards which left Mathews with no chance. As the half drew to a close Stevie Mallan went to ground contentiously under a challenge from Robertson in the ‘Lie goal, allowing referee O’Reilly to point to spot. Amid the houls of disbelief from the visiting support, Robertson picked himself up to save the spotkick from the same player ensuring a two goal advantage at the break.

Robert Downs ran the show on the right wing in the second period and was rewarded for his efforts with a well taken downward header from McGarvey’s free kick in the 66th minute, having been unlucky to see his long range lob saved earlier in the half. Charlie Hobbs entered the fray alongside Bryan Smith and the returning Derek Rhoddan, and made an impact with his running at the back line. Gary Wilson was called into action to head the ball off his goal line with Robertson beaten before the game ended with ‘Deeko’ Rhoddan blasting wide from two yards with the goal at his mercy.

Arthurlie – K Robertson, McKeown, Wilson, Jack (Smith), McShane, Ross, Ryan, McGarvey, Waddell (Hobbs), Rae, Downs (Rhoddan)

Ref - Mr Stephen O’Reilly

Goals – Martin McGarvey 27, 30 Robert Downs 66

Man of the Match – has to go to Martin, tireless in the middle, two cracking goals and the best performance he has put in all season.

kilwinning rangers 0 arthurlie 3

super premier champs torn apart at abbey park with goals from mckenzie, hobbs and ryan from the spot.

full report to follow.

k robertson, mckeown, wilson, jack, mcshane, ross (c robertson), ryan, smith (mcgarvey), mckenzie (hobbs), rae, waddell
subs - rhodden, travers

arthurlie 6 thorniewood 1

arthurlie strolled into the quarter final draw of the scottish junior cup with a comprehensive mauiling of lower league thorniewood at dunterlie.

i missed the game due to being in norway but the scorers (despite there being some confusion) were:

xander ryan 2, alan waddell & bryan smith in the first half and robert downs and bonner mckenzie in the second.

full report will follow and stats will be updated when i obtain them.

auchinleck talbot 1 arthurlie 0

a day on and i am still totally stunned, perhaps fully unable to comment on this game without landing myself in hot water with one faction or another.

one thing goes without saying, we should have buried talbot in the first half thus negating all the final minutes equlaiser theatrics. short story is we didnt and a late penalty secured the points for talbot, hauling themselves out of the relegation zone.

the game from the outset was one which referee mr mckendrick had no control over - bookings were flashed for innocuous challenges while ludicrous tackles went unpunished (this works both ways by the way, i still don't know how aldo escaped punishment for his high tackle). while the game seemed to peter out slightly following the hospitalisation of two players, things soon returned to what would be the norm for this match.

the main talking point of course is the 'equaliser that never was'. now i for one dont dispute the goal being chalked off. having talked it over with one of the 'lie bench in the aftermath it appears that johnny did strike the ball before it went out. fair do's. what isnt fair is that the linesman (mr sandy miller for the record - no relation for the further record) waited several minutes before raising his flag for the indiscretion. it would appear he was only going to give the foul if we scored. we did, so he did.

and it was this decision, not johnny's to kick the ball that led to the melee at the end which saw martin mcgarvey, charlie hobbs and millar all sent off. one wonders what a referees supervisor would have made of it if they ever thought to send one down to beechwood.

mr mckendrick in the middle, having lost control from the outset, was in no postion to control events at the end and yet (apparently in a rare show of knowing - or not knowing - the rules) was able to decide that in all the fights, all the abuse being hurled by both benches not one auchinleck representative was guilty of anything worth so much as a booking.

now i am aware of stories circulating of events after the match but i don't wish to comment on them as events will no doubt unfold in the coming days.

all i can say is we perhaps had the better of the game, but if you dont take chances you dont win games. we had the chances. end of story.

talbot - mcintosh, henry, traynor, anderson, collins, george, latta, davidson, wallace, gilmour, slaven

subs - gilles, spence, leitch, houston, philips

lie - k robertson, mcshane, wilson , jack, c robertson, mckeown, ryan, mcgarvey, waddell (mckenzie83), rae (smith30), downs (hobbs)

*millar sent to stand

the man in black - mr john mckendrick - remember his name!

from this morning's sunday mail ....

http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/sport/tm_objectid=15158974%26method=full%26siteid=86024%26headline=football%2d%2djuniors%2d%2dropey%2dref%2dfaced%2dlynch%2dmob-name_page.html

arthurlie 3 musselburgh 0

3-0 in the OVD 4th today

fullreport to follow

rae 21, waddell 42, smith 79

thorniewood in the next round

arthurlie 3 musselburgh 0

**full report to follow**

alan rae and martin mcgarvey led arthurlie to a comfortable victory over lothian side musselburgh as we entered the fifth round at the third time of asking. alan rae opened te scoring with a low deflected shot in 21 mins before alan waddell doubled the scoring on half time with a driven shot across the front of the helpless keeper.

with numerous chances falling to the home side, bryan smith settled the game within two minutes of entering play as a substitute with a headed goal from xander ryan's cross. jackie miles saw red for a foul which ended garv's interest in the game as the matc slipped out of the visitor's reach.

k robertson, mcshane, wilson, jack, allison, mckeown, ryan, mcgarvey(smith) waddell (hobbs), rae, downs (mckenzie)
unused - c robertson, sexton