Lowland League: Spartans stun Star with last minute winner

Posted on Sunday, August 20th, 2017

Alan Brown was the toast of Ainslie Park when his injury time strike saw Spartans snatch full points in a five goal Lowland League thriller.

After their midweek excursions to Coatbridge, Spartans welcomed Dalbeattie Star to the Academy, looking to defeat the Dumfriesshire side for the first time since April 2016.  Andrew Stobie retained his spot between the sticks whilst David Greenhill returned to the starting XI.

Spartans made the early running and it took a point blank save from Dalbeattie’s Vinnie Parker to deny Jamie Dishington the opener.  The wind was a bit of a spoiler as it swirled around the ground and it almost paid off for Liam Park who called Andrew Stobie into action with a speculative long range strike.

It was the same player who made the breakthrough on the half hour mark when he swooped to slide the ball past Stobie to give the visitors an unlikely lead.

Spartans rallied and Scott Maxwell netted from the penalty spot after David Greenhill was upended in the box to send the sides in all square at the break.

HT: Spartans 1-1 Dalbeattie Star

The game sparked into life in the final quarter of an hour.  A wind assisted cross evaded a busy box only to find Scott Wilson in space to nudge Spartans ahead.

Star looked to have earned a share of the spoils with five minutes to go when a tame looking effort cruelly cannoned off Adam Corbett leaving a flat-footed Stobie stranded.

With three minutes of injury time played, Spartans launched one final assault.  Dishingston delivered to Brown who sent a curled effort from the edge of the box beyond Parker to earn three valuable points.

An ebullient Brown said after the game, “I think after the effort and hard work put in during the week against Albion Rovers there were understandably some tired legs out there today.  Credit to Dalbeattie, they came here with a game plan and stuck to it, they were our bogey team last season.  They were definitely up for it as most teams are when they come here, everyone wants to beat The Spartans at home but I’m delighted we got the three points in the end.

“We showed  that as a side we are resolute and have lots of character, I think we showed that midweek against a League 1 side.  That showed today too by the way we responded to their late equaliser.  I mean, it was pretty much a pass and it hit Adam and went in the net! We never seem to get the rub of the green like that, we always have to score good goals!”

Full Time: Spartans 3-2 Dalbeattie Star

Spartans: Stobie, Herd, Brown, Tolmie, Corbett, Greenhill, Dishington, McFarland (Stevenson 68), Wilson, Guthrie (Bremner 68), Maxwell (Atkinson 57).  Unused Subs: Archibald, Thomson, Khutsishvili, Pettigrew.

Malt and Hops Man of the Match: Michael Herd