A Paul Lamont double helped Drumsagard to a 3-1 victory over Mossend in a windy encounter at the Jock Stein Centre. The conditions and some less than clinical finishing kept the scoreline even in the first half before Lamont’s double, either side of a goal from Reece Paterson, put the home side in a commanding position. A Liam Watson consolation sparked a late fightback from Mossend but the game was beyond them by that point.

 With five wins from their opening seven matches, Drumsagard went into the match as favourites and in the first half they also had a slight advantage playing with the wind behind them. They controlled possession, playing a high line that allowed the defence and midfield to link up while looking to play telling through balls.

Paterson looked lively in the early stages, forcing a comfortable save from Gary Joe McMullan in the Mossend goal when he perhaps should have used his teammates who had rushed into the box in support. Bradlay Craig’s free-kick into the box was headed cleared by his opposite number Liam Watson, and Paterson sent a 30-yard drive wide as Drumsagard looked to force the opener.

Involved in everything up front, Paterson then cut the ball back to the advancing Craig on the edge of the box but McMullan tipped his shot over the bar for a corner. Craig almost combined in a lovely one-two with Lamont but Raymond Ferguson was there to cut it out for Mossend.

Drumsagard’s high line meant Mossend looked to exploit balls over the top for their forwards to chase but the conditions meant both teams struggled to get their long passes right, with most of them rolling harmlessly out of play. Any ball that dropped in or close to the Drumsagard box was mopped up by goalkeeper Jamie McMillan who was quick to react and first to every ball.

Good chasing by Paterson in the Mossend box forced a mistake in the defence with the ball falling to Craig on the edge of the box again but this time his effort went wide.

The closest either side came to a goal in the first half was when Matt Ross’s corner was almost scrambled in at the near post by Aidan Smith, but Ferguson, who had a terrific game at the back for Mossend, was on the line to block and clear.

With the half nearing an end, Mossend looked to advance down the left through James Alexander Stewart and Reece McGuire, with the pair getting to the byline and attempting to get Alan Donaldson a shooting opportunity but McMillan was alert to the danger and stopped the cross.

No goals in the first half but Drumsagard looking the more dangerous creatively, dominating possession but lacking the cutting edge up front. Mossend would have been happy to make it in level at the break and would have hoped to take advantage of having the wind behind them in the second half.

While the first half belonged to Drumsagard, in the opening stages of the second half it looked like Mossend had finally settled. For the opening ten minutes it was an even contest, with neither side testing the opposition goalkeeper and Mossend limiting the Drumsagard attack in a way they hadn’t managed in the first half.

Unfortunately it proved fruitless as Paterson was brought down in the box for a penalty. Louis Hayes had started the move and he cut into the box from the left, before laying it off to Paterson was clearly fouled, the referee tried to play the advantage for Lamont to have a shot but after he miscued his effort under pressure it was brought back for a spot kick.

Lamont stepped up, and after his first attempt was ruled out as the referee hadn’t blown his whistle, he showed great confidence to step up and slot home the second attempt.

Mossend didn’t lie down after going a goal behind, however. Brendan Markey dispossessed McMillan on the edge of the box when the keeper came sliding out, but he couldn’t get the angle on his shot right and it sailed wide. Then Markey’s cross looked perfect for McGuire to knock home the equaliser, only for Lewis Slivinski to make a timely intervention.

Despite their best efforts to drag themselves back into the match, Mossend went further behind through a goal of considerable quality. Hayes passed across the front of the box to Paterson who cleverly let the ball run across himself before he hit a curling effort on the turn that went in off the post, millimetres from the fingertips of the diving McMullan.

Within a minute the match was over. Paterson and Hayes helping Lamont force his way through the centre of the Mossend defence and Lamont claimed his double with a smart finish on the half-volley.

Mossend did claim a consolation however when Watson used his pace to break free of his marker down the right, and cut inside before smashing home a rasping strike, high and hard into the roof of the net. The goal seemed to spark Mossend into life again but, short of a long range free-kick from Nathan Bradley that was easily saved by substitute keeper Callum Simpson, they failed to create anything clear cut in the dying stages.

Overall it was a deserved victory for Drumsagard who fought hard for the whole match and refused to give in even when things weren’t going their way up front. Their strikers never gave up and eventually got their just rewards.