Derby delight for Men's 3s

This was a fine local derby win for the Men’s 3s. A healthy squad of 15 arrived at a blustery yet sunny Dalnacraig. A good blend of youth and experience, together with the appearance of a rainbow at our end of the pitch when the sprinklers came on, generated a positive vibe ahead of push back.
The first quarter was even and scrappy with both keepers largely redundant. Liam Stuart aquaplaning in the corner in a forlorn attempt to keep the ball in play was probably the highlight. However, the game exploded into life at the start of the second quarter when Grove Menzieshill won a short corner. Scott Fraser played it into Kenny Watson who set up BEN CROMAR to guide an exquisite finish into the bottom right corner. 1-0 to Grove Menzieshill.
The game ebbed and flowed, with most play in midfield. Towards the end of the quarter, Grove Menzieshill survived a scare when keeper Brendan Hawley was beaten but Scott Fraser was tracking back and obliged with a goal line clearance to preserve his side's slender advantage. He took a kick from a senior Wanderers player for his trouble but kept his head and played the ball out to safety.
Half time arrived and the senior players had good advice for the younger guys, telling them to concentrate on their game and not react to Wanderers’ intimidation.
Back out for the third quarter and Grove Menzieshill continued to knock on the door for a second goal. It duly arrived in the 44th minute, when a good move up the right culminated in a great cross from Jack Sandilands finding KENNY WATSON unmarked 3 yards out, who produced a diving finish to make it 2-0.
Grove Menzieshill now had the bit between their teeth and Wanderers were rattled. One of their senior players received a green card for persistent fouling, body checking Ollie Holden in the lead up to the card. Grove Menzieshill should have increased their lead but did not take advantage of the extra man and passed up a couple of decent chances towards the end of the third quarter. While they reflected on these missed opportunities, they were caught on the counterattack at the start of the fourth quarter when Wanderers’ number 26, Charlie Donaldson, finished a slick move to make it 2-1 and halve Grove Menzieshill’s advantage.
It wasn’t quite panic stations, but misplaced passes became more frequent, and Grove Menzieshill stopped doing the things they’d been doing well. This was due in part to some tough tackling from Wanderers who were not prepared to go down without a fight. Richie Bain can vouch for that! However, Grove Menzieshill could breathe easier in the 63rd minute when LIAM STUART converted from close range to make it 3-1.
Grove Menzieshill saw the game out and the anticipated Wanderers onslaught did not materialise. They were leaving gaps at the back in their attempt to get a goal back and it should have been 4-1 a couple of minutes from the end when Liam Stuart was through on the keeper, but an incoming defender did enough to put him off.
In all, a very satisfying win with some standout performances, particularly from Ben Cromar and Jack Sandilands in midfield. Niall Macdonald also put in a shift at CM and showed some great skill. As a team, there are definitely things to work on. Coach Kenny Watson cautioned against playing straight out from the back and not using the full backs, but this continued throughout the game. He’ll be looking for improvement next week at home to St Andrews Uni.