AS Airdrie 2-1 Peterson Park

By Neil Brown
September 2 2006

Airdrie collected there first three home points of the season with a 2-1 win over new boys Peterson Park. Airdrie started the game with 2 enforced changes from last weeks emphatic 5-1 win over Greenbank, With the impressive trialist Logan unavailable and Khorasani posted missing Rowan returned to the sticks to allow Hendrie into the midfield Kenny Pardoe partnered Gray up front and Morrison came in to the team on the left flank.

Rowan
R.Graham Cooper Stewart
N.Pardoe Smith Edgar Hendrie Morrison
K.Pardoe Gray

Airdrie started the game in the same manner as the previous two league games playing passing attacking football and after only a few minutes they took the lead from a long throw into the box, Cooper got the flick on and Gray hooked the ball over his shoulder and into the net. Gray could and should have made it two 5 minutes later when a good break down the right from Neil Pardoe saw his cross met by Gray unmarked in the center, With the Peterson goalie rooted to the spot the front man saw his headed effort go wide of the goal. Airdrie began to dominate the game and Gray again broke free and was in on goal after rounding the keeper he choose to cut back inside and his attempted curler went high over the empty net when perhaps the lay off to Morrison was the better option.

Twenty minutes in to the half Hendrie took a ball full in the face and had to go off for treatment, Airdrie pressed on and Edgar was brought down in the box for a penalty kick which the man himself stood up to take, However the usually reliable midfielder hit his effort high over the bar. Hendrie lasted only 5 minutes on his return to the field and had to come off with blurred vision. Khorasani joined Gray up front with Kenny Pardoe returning to his usual midfield berth. Airdrie began to hit long hopeful balls up to the front two without much success and this gave Peterson a foothold in the game although they rarely threatened Rowan’s goal only one occasion that came from a slip by Cooper was there man in on goal but he pulled his effort wide. As the game drifted towards half time Airdrie gifted there visitors a goal as Cooper and Stewart went for the same long ball into the box it was the latter who made contact, Stretching for the ball Stewart could only divert the ball onto Rowans post and the ball broke for the unmarked forward to tap the ball into the net for a 1-1 scoreline at half time.

The second half was a very scrappy affair and not much good football was being played by either side with Airdrie restricted to a few half chances and Rowan never troubled. The home side did regain the lead though when Kenny Pardoe found some space in the box after good work by younger brother Neil, The midfieders well struck shot was on target however the keeper seemed to have it covered only to get it all wrong as the ball bounced up he could only parry the ball into the side of the net, A bit of a gift but Airdrie had the lead none the less.

Airdrie could have added to there lead but not many clear cut chances fell there way. Shiell replaced Kenny Pardoe for the last ten minutes as Airdrie went to close the game off, Arbuckle then replace Morrison for the last few minutes to give the Peterson defence something to think about, The changes did the trick as the game petered out to the final whistle and Airdrie were more than happy to have all three points. Overall it was a patchy performance and again the game could have been won in the first half if chances had been taken, Much like the Tynecastle game Airdrie nearly paid for those missed chances it’s certainly far easier to control a game if you get a few early goals as we did against Greenbank the previous week. Fortunately Peterson weren’t as clinical as Tynecastle and the home side got the break for the second goal. The pleasing aspect is that those chances are still being created but we must find the killer touch and make life a little easier for all concerned.
AS Airdrie face Vale United in the second round of the League Cup this Tuesday(5/9/06) KO 6:30pm at Airdrie Sports Centre.

M.O.M Stuart Smith

Bookmark or share this story with: