Report

TALBOT TOUGH IT OUT AT MEADOW.

Report: Jim McAuley, Photography: Craig McGhee, Media: Lee Conn.

Talbot collected the points at a windy Meadow Park which will see them sitting safely in mid-table after a match where Talbot proved to be the dominant force in a rumbustious game where good finishing and poor defending played a major part in all five goals.

Talbot were first to threaten when a long ball by Slooves was controlled by Smith and as the forward bore down on the home defence looking like he was about to shoot, he unselfishly squared the ball to the corner of the 18 yard box where Glasgow curled a superb shot that beat the keeper but unfortunately not the post. Smith proved to be Meadow’s tormentor once again when he cottoned onto a loose ball in the middle of the park where he sprayed the ball out to Wilson on the left and although his cross was poor the wind caught the ball and it narrowly missed the top corner of McInnes’s goal

You had the feeling that the Talbot goal was coming, it nearly proved to be true when Slooves diving header just inched past the Meadow post. However it was Meadow who opened the scoring when Abed managed to block the run of Ross for a throw in but the home player was quick to react and his throw found Byrne who in turn crossed to the unmarked Byrne and his header was met with a Sharp overhead kick that caught Glavin flat footed and although he attempted to claw the ball out the air, there was only one place it was heading.

Talbot soon hit back when Boyle headed an Abed cross for goals but it was weak and the home keeper had no problems dealing with the threat. The big goalie nearly provided Meadow with their second goal when his clearance fell into heaps of space where Baird collected the ball and went on a 30 yard lung bursting run that was finally ended a few yards from goal after a brave save by Glavin.

This seemed to spur Talbot on and a great chase was lost when Smith got in front of a Glasgow piledriver which blocked the shot as well as injuring Smith himself. Ten minutes from the interval Talbot’s pressure finally paid off when a Wardrope free kick found McPherson unmarked at the back post and he powered a great header past McInnes to draw the teams level going into the interval.

The second half started with Meadow blowing a great chance when Baird took too long to get his shot off where by that time the Talbot defence had managed to crowd him out. Talbot took the lead on the 53rd minute when Glasgow showed the home defence a clean pair of heels until Wallace took him down inside the box and Smith put the spot kick well out the reach of McInnes to put Talbot ahead.

The game bogged down in the middle of the park for long periods as Meadow were doing their utmost to hold a determined Talbot from adding to their score. Then in the 70th minute Talbot won a corner after a Wardrope shot was blocked, and from Glasgow’s corner Slooves head glanced the ball into the back of the net to make it 3-1.

Goal number four came in the 76th minute when Thomson who had just replaced Smith five minutes previously found himself in space after Armstrong had picked him out from his own half. The youngster managed to toe poke the ball past the advancing McInnes and although sandwiched between Wallace and Sewell he did enough to usher the ball into the net.

The game soon petered out after this and with the Talbot on easy street a number of substitutes were added to the fray to cluck up a bit of game time,

MEADOW: McInnes, Wallace, Byrne, Sewell, Kerr, McBride, Ross (Trialist), McDowall(O’Donnell), Sharpe (Gilmour), Baird, Brennan (Lambert)

TALBOT: Glavin, Abed (Gilles 66min) Wilson, Slooves, McPherson, Lachan, Boyle ( McCracken 80 mins), Wardrobe (Armstrong 66 mins), Boyd, Glasgow (Lennox 80 mins), Smith (Thomson 71 mins), .