YFS
Last Friday’s SSFA Senior National Trophy match between Lothian and Paisley saw a very effective away team making use of nearly all their good scoring chances. Despite the fact that Lothian was down by a man for two thirds of the match, the clash was very balanced until the very end. A double strike in the 60th and 61st minute laid the foundation for Paisley’s 3-1 away victory. Although Lothian managed to come back and eventually reduced the deficit to one goal in the 75th minute, the home side was not rewarded for their courageous performance. However, it was not until the second minute of injury time that Paisley grabbed their third goal which finally decided the match.
Both teams played good football throughout the match, keeping the ball on the ground and playing on the wings whenever possible. However, both defences did a very good job and did not allow the respective opponent to create a lot of chances.
Twice, Paisley’s forward Marc Garner broke through Lothian’s defence but Sean Brennan kept the home side in the game with fantastic saves. Lothian’s scoring opportunities in the first half were mainly limited to shots from long distance.
One of the decisive moments of the match was a red card that the referee showed to Lothian’s defender Robbie Martin in the 30th minute. After a through ball from midfield had been sent into the path of Garner, Martin who was the last defender could not stop himself from holding Garner by the arm so that he slipped, leading to a red card for preventing a goalscoring opportunity.
Surprisingly, Lothian became better after being down to ten players. From now on, they did not only create chances with the help of shots from long distance but were able to get past Paisley’s defence with brilliant combinations.