East Kilbride Thistle FC

Lanark United picked up an important 2-0 win over an East Kilbride Thistle side who were left to rue missed chances.
Second half goals from Grant Cuthill and Stuart Tullis secured victory for Lanark in a game which could have finished any score as both sides missed a host of chances and East Kilbride Thistle ended the game with only ten men.

Both teams found it hard to create chances in the early stages until Martin McVey managed to get a shot away from the edge of the box after good play from Chris Dallas however the Thistle striker’s effort was just wide of the post.

Chris Dallas should have given the lead two minutes later when Paul Bain’s clever free kick found him unmarked in the box but he stumbled and the ball went out for a goal kick.

Lanark thought they had the lead when Alan McFadden’s shot looked as if it was heading in to the bottom corner however Thistle goalkeeper Graham Lynn pulled off a great save to push the ball out for a corner.

From the resulting corner Lanark midfielder Grant Cuthill rose well and his header beat the keeper but smashed off the post and went out for a goal kick.
Lanark kept the pressure on Thistle, Alan Mcfadden’s header flew just wide of the post in first half stoppage time as Thistle managed to hold on to half time with the scores level.

East Kilbride Thistle started the second half better than they finished the first with Liam Sloan and  Martin McVey managing to hit shots on target however Derek Barnes in the Lanark goal managed to easily save both efforts.

Lanark began to take control again and should have been ahead just before the hour mark. Lanark pressure led to the ball being squared to Grant Cuthill in space in the middle of the box however he somehow managed to fire wide as Thistle were let off.

In the seventy third minute Lanark pressure paid off as they finally took the lead. Stuart Tullis’ managed to create space down the wing and his cross was cleared by Lynn but only as far as Grant Cuthill who headed home to make it 1-0.

Things went from bad to worse for Thistle as they were reduced to ten men. Peter Innes left the referee with no option to show him a second yellow and a red card after persistent fouling.

Chris Dallas nearly equalised for Thistle after a scramble in the Lanark box the ball fell to him however he fired over the bar.

Lanark United made it 2-0 with nine minutes to go. Alan Mcfadden’s cross wasn’t dealt with properly by the Thistle defence and Stuart Tullis was left unmarked to head home and make it 2-0 Lanark.

Ten man Thistle could not find a way back into the game as second from bottom Lanark held on for a win that keeps them close to the rest near the bottom of the table. The win leaves Thistle sixth in the table but only two points away from a play off place.

Team : Lynn, Alum, Conway, Dempsey, Bain, Innes, Smith (Daly 64), Sloan (Harkins 84), Dallas, McVey, Young (Morgan 57)
Subs Not Used: McRoberts,Gorman, Mailey
Goals:None
Yellow Cards: Sloan, Innes
Red cards: Innes