Giffnock make a point in spirited performance against Drum amateurs
Drumpchapel 2 – 2 Giffnock
Goals: Joseph, Harrison
Alex Ferguson, Walter Smith, David Moyes, Andy Gray & Archie Gemmill – your boys took a hell of a, er, drawing! A club with a proud heritage in Scottish football saw its junior team, flying high in the league, struggle to play against little-fancied Giffnock SC in this thrilling encounter.
A determined Giffnock side take a well-earned point back to the south-side of the city – and were unlucky not to secure all three against a frustrated Drumchapel Amateur outfit. From the off this was a Giifnock team with a point to prove – coming off the back of some heavy defeats – lesser teams would have folded – but Giffnock are made of stronger stuff and started very brightly; closing down the space, hustling for the ball and showing a tenacity that saw them make the lion-share the chances.
The away fans – revelling in the luxury of covered stand – were treated to a period of early pressure that was rewarded with a goal in the 21st minute from Joseph after a pass back to the keeper was intercepted. The midfield dynamo pounced on the loose ball, took it past one defender and drilled a shot with his left peg that ricocheted off the scrambling defence into back of the net. Game on! The heavy pitch caused its fair share of bobbles – and a few chances went a begging as the ball bounced awkwardly for both Adam and Jake when in good scoring opportunities. A lucky looping shot towards the end of the first half saw Drumchapel equalise and 1 -1 it stayed until the ref brought the first period of play to a close
With Sonny, Joseph and Harrison proving a very effective midfield Giffnock continued to press from the restart. A very even game saw chances at both ends but it was Giffnock that broke the second half deadlock after some great pressing high up the pitch from Harrison paid dividends when he forced the defender into an error, stealing possession, then laying of the ball to Jake who duly passed it back into the box with pace for Harrison to finish off the move. 2- 1 to Giffnock. A third goal would likely have been enough to seal the game and Giffnock came so very close a few minutes later; a lovely through ball and shot from Jake that brought out a great save from the Drumchapel keeper. With 8 minutes to go Drumchapel scored a soft goal as the ball agonisingly looped off Jacks head into the back of the net after a defensive scramble. A frantic final few minutes saw Giffnock press for the winner but it was not to be.
This is the kind of game that can only help build self-belief. According to the league and past results this should have been an easy fixture for Drumchapel but Giffnock played with heart, conviction and a focused tenacity that paid dividends – and is definitely a foundation on which they can build. Special mention to coach John whose vocal prowess saw 80 solid minutes of gold-plated instruction, enthusiasm and tactical support delivered from the touchline . The boys return to Cup action next weekend and their tails will be up after this performance. Well done!