Pupils Under 21s suffer late defeat to Dumbarton Accies

[Kintyre Forum News]

From the Pupils website at

http://www.campbeltownpupilsafc.amateur ... nd_Reports

Under 21s suffer late defeat to Dumbarton Accies

A late goal committed the under 21s to defeat in a match they seldom looked like losing. Leading 2-1 into the last quarter, the young side managed to grab defeat from the jaws of victory in a disappointing lapse of concentration after an excellent all-round performance for most of the match.

The home defence was rock solid for most of the match, but improvement could be made in the distribution of the ball. Most of the first-half running came from the home side, with the pace of Wylie, Grumoli and Slowie the feature of the attacking play.

It was the tenacity of Wylie which led to the opening goal, the Pupils wide player firing a half-volley from the edge of the box into the corner of the net. The home side should have extended its lead, but in depth defending in a crowded box kept the scoreline the same at half-time. Accies for their part could look back on a half where they tried to play possesion football, but were continually out-fought by a fired up local squad.

After a bright start from the visitors, the Pupils gradually turned the screw and should have extended their lead on a number of occasions, with poor finishing the blight of an otherwise fine attacking performance.

The home side was made to pay when Dumbarton equalised against the run of play. A drive across the six-yard box hitting the far post, before the rebound was turned home by an eager in-coming forward.

Undaunted, the Pupils lead was restored by Gary Grumoli, a fine cross allowing the forward to send a looping header over the stranded goalkeeper into the net.

As the Pupils pushed for the final breakthrough, victory should have been sealed on a number of occasions, however, time after time the ball was destined to hit wrong side of the net.

With ten minutes remaining Dumbarton once more grabbed a lifeline, a quick break down the left flank ending with a superb angled drive into the bottom corner of the net for the equaliser.

The young Pupils side found themselves behind for the first time in the match with minutes remaining. A speculative shot from the edge of the box slipped under the body of the home goalkeeper, his first mistake of an otherwise sound performance. Unfortunately, this allowed the visitors to snatch an unlikely win in very fortunate circumstancse.

The Pupils would like to thank their opponents for providing such a stiff test on the first under 21s match the club has attempted. A fine all-round performance by the youngsters augers well for the future, although success does depend on concentration being maintained throughout the ninety minutes of play.