Spartans extend unbeaten run on the road at Rovers

Posted on Thursday, March 10th, 2016

Spartans continued their winning ways with a three goal victory on the road at a chilly Castle Douglas on Wednesday evening.

A late withdrawal due to illness by Alan Brown saw youngster Brandon Archibald, an attacking central defender in the Under 20s side, called up to the bench.

An early afternoon pitch inspection deemed the Meadow Park surface playable and despite being a bit squelchy in places, it held up relatively well considering the amount of rain in the area over the previous 24 hours.

The first half was a relatively sedate affair in terms of goal mouth action. George Hunter having the best of the limited chances, his attempt well saved by Martin McCallay between the Threave sticks.

With underfoot conditions depreciating as the half continued, a few agricultural challenges crept in, including Neil Erskine picking up a booking for a foul on Keith Murray.

HT: Threave Rovers 0-0 Spartans

A quick double whammy shortly after the interval put paid to any potential banana skin against a stuffy Rovers side.

Five minutes into the second half and it was Dean Horribine who broke the deadlock, sweeping the ball beyond McCallay to continue his recent fine form in front of goal.

That lead was doubled in the 54th minute when Craig Stevenson’s pin-point delivery from out wide met Keith Murray’s head and the striker made no mistake with his powerful nod at the back post.

On the hour mark, Jack Beesley replaced Mikey Herd, then ten minutes later, a double substitution saw both goal scorers withdrawn with Scott Maxwell and Brandon Archibald making an appearance, the latter making his first team debut.

It was almost a dream start for Archibald as he was inches away from connecting inside the Rovers box as Spartans looked to kill off the game.

That decisive moment came with ten minutes left on the clock when George Hunter’s header fell kindly to Jack Beesley who composed himself before sliding the ball home, ensuring all three points headed back on the bus to Edinburgh.

Hunter almost added a fourth with the last play of the match, only to see his shot come off the bar and away to safety.

Full Time: Threave Rovers 0-3 Spartans

Team: Carswell, Herd (Beesley), Stevenson, Saunderson, Thomson, Greenhill, Horribine (Maxwell), Dishington, Murray (Archibald), Hunter, McNab. Unused Sub: Gilpin (GK)

Malt and Hops Man of the Match: Paul Thomson