Annbank United 3–5 Saltcoats Vics — SJFA West Region Ayrshire District League, 27 Dec 2014

Report by Keano

Joe Young went on a one man wrecking crew, scoring 4 goals and totally destroying the heart of Annbank as they just had no reaction to his speed and agility.

 The match was only 2mins old when Joe Young raced in to shut down Jordan Callaghan in the Annbank goal and as the keeper rushed to clear hit the ball straight to Young and the little striker made no mistake in takin the ball round him and into the back of the net 1-0 Saltcoats. Annbank to their credit did not let the goal upset them and gradually worked thier way into the game and when Adam Forsyth beat adam Easdon he was in one on one with Catterson but the big keeper stood tall and deflected the shot wide, and from the resulting corner Lee Anderson's header was just inches wide, with thier next attack Annbank's Gordon Wilson beat Seamus McGeady on the wing and rolled the ball across the 6yd line but there was no tackers and the seasiders remained in front. With the game being played on a very heavy surface both sides were finding control difficult and the game seemed to go from end to end and Sean Quinn tried along range effort which went high and wide and Rory Tail had a similar effort at the other end, back to Saltcoats attack and Jason Kean playing as a trialist put over a near perfect cross but it was only just over Young's head and the chance was gone, when Scott McNamara beat Seamus McGeady on the edge of the box on the half hour and progressed into the area when he was  touched the next time he went down like a saturday coupon and ref Murray awarded the penalty and up stepped Forsyth to make it 1-1 much to the anger of the Saltcoats rear guard. As the game continued to swing from end to end  Paul Weaver was next to have a go when his shot from the edge of the area stung the finger tips of Callaghan on its way wide, and at the other end Tail had a similar effort go wide thanks to Catterson, and before the sides turned around Liam Curran tested Callaghan with a shot, and the keeper stood up to the test. Half time 1-1.

The first chance of the second half fell to Annbank when Anderson shot high and wide early on,before Adam Easdon tested Callaghan at the other end with a header, before on 55mins some outrageous footwork from Joe Young lost the two central defenders and he chipped the ball over the on rushing Callaghan to put Saltcoats back in front but the lead lasted less than 2mins when Gordon Wilson fired home the lose ball in a crowded penalty area to make it 2-2 and straight from the kick off Saltcoats were back in front when Young's pace took him passed Gregory Ferry in the Annbank defence and he slid the ball under the on rushing keeper to make it 3-2 Saltcoats, that goal seemed to knock the suffing out of Annbank a little as for the remainder of the game Saltcoats controlled things and both Kean and Young had efforts on target before Paul Weaver made it 4-2 from the edge of the area after some good work from Ferris and Young set him up for an easy side foot into the far corner of the net 4-2 Saltcoats, and it was no surprize when Young increased the Saltcoats lead just 2mins later, when again his pace took him past the defence and he scored his forth and number 5 for Saltcoats and this game was over and the points on thier way back down the A78. Annbank did pull a goal back on *7mins when after a terrible mix-up in the Saltcoats defence left Forsyth with an empty net to make the final score Annbabk 3 saltcoats 5.