THE manager of Rhu Amateurs’ over-35 team has praised his squad after they completed their league campaign with a thumping 10-3 win over Clyde Valley Rovers on Friday night.
The win at Scotstoun extended the team’s unbeaten streak to eight matches and confirmed their second place finish in Region 5 of the Football Central Over 35s’ League competition.
Speaking after the match, boss Sam Gemmell said: “It has been a very good season for the lads. But for some bad luck in the games against the eventual league winners, we might have found ourselves in a loftier position, but to be unbeaten in eight games, which took us up to the end of the season, is a very good achievement, and I would think it's been a very long time since any Rhu team managed to do that.”
Rhu knew they would have to be on point against a Rovers team who had beaten the league winners last time out.
It was the home side who settled first and were causing the visitors some difficulty as they moved the ball around well, even though it came as a shock when they opened the scoring after seven minutes as they hadn't really threatened Stevenson in goal.
Despite the loss of the opening goal the Rhu lads eventually got into their stride and were level ten minutes later, captain David Philips getting on the end of a through pass by Ward to fire the ball past the keeper.
The second goal came on the half-hour mark, with top scorer Stewart Fraser got in the end of a terrific cross from Wight, and then four minutes later they gave themselves a two goal cushion when Philips bagged his second from close range.
At the restart of the second half the game was effectively put to bed for the Rhu team when Phillips completed his hat-trick with an audacious effort from within his own half that caught the keeper unawares.
For the next spell there was a bit of a lull in the proceedings but on the 65-minute mark it became a scoring frenzy.
Andy Morrison, getting on the end of Phillips cross, made it five, then CVR pulled one back, before Fraser extended the lead once again with his own second of the game and his 21st of the season.
Four minutes later Morrison bagged his second to take the total to seven.
Credit to the home side, who always kept pushing and managed to pick up their third goal, but their joy it was short-lived as Sinclair found the top corner of the net a minute later.
Captain Philips rounded off a terrific night for himself when he found the net for the fourth time, and not to be outdone winger Morrison grabbed his hat trick with five minutes left.
The season’s squad comprised Stevenson, Rolling, Whiland, Fraser, Morrison, Conroy, McCreery, Dawson, McKell, Ward, Black, Phillips, Wight, McVey, Milne, Sinclair, Packham, Jones, Deans, Campbell and Conner
Meanwhile the club’s Saturday morning team also continued their unbeaten start to the season when they drew with Kilpatrick AFC in the GCAFA BOCA Championship.
With local footballing royalty watching on in the shape of former Celtic and Scotland legend Murdo MacLeod and Jim Shields from Rhu's 1967 Scottish Amateur Cup winning squad, it was a disappointing result given that they were the dominant team over the 90 minutes but they couldn’t finish off numerous chances.
A couple of those chances came in the first ten minutes when efforts by Thomson and Molloy bounced off the post and crossbar respectively.
The game then fell into a bit of midfield battle as both teams struggled to press either defence, but out of the blue the visitors took the lead when the striker found himself with time in the box to slip the ball into the net.
Their joy was short lived though, as the Rhu side levelled a couple of minutes later, McConnell arriving into the box at the right time to hammer the ball into the net.
Rhu pushed for their second for most of the second half, but some smart goalkeeping and poor finishing kept the scores level, and against the run of play it was the visitors who once again took the lead.
For the remaining 20 minutes the home side were camped in the Kilpatrick half as they pushed for a leveller, with Kilpatrick’s centre half being sent off after a botched last man tackle.
The resultant free kick went narrowly past the far post, but w time running out the home side drew level when a pass from substitute Kjorstad sent Milton off down the left, and his low cross into the box was met at the back post by another substitute, Lochlan Shields, to knock the ball home.
Squad: Milton, Molloy, Shields, Lewis, McConnell, Kjorstad, Moy, Scullion, Southern, Thomson, Henry, Court, Burch, Mullender, Young.
Finally this week, there’ll be no repeat of the Rhu Caledonian League side’s run to the final 32 of last season’s Scottish Amateur Cup after Gordon Brodie’s men lost 4-2 at home to Ayrshire AFA side Stewarton Annick on Saturday afternoon.
This Saturday, September 14, it’s back to league business for the ‘Caley’ squad as they travel to Stirling to face Cambusbarron Rovers. Kick-off at Mill Road Park is at 2pm.
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