NEW Coin Holdings West of Scotland Cup

TROON 3

KELLO ROVERS 2

By Richard Henderson

A PERFORMANCE mixed with highs and lows proved irrelevant as Troon booked their place in the second round of the competition they won in 2005 at the expense of unfortunate Kello.

The game was switched from Nithside Park, which was unplayable.

Troon looked a hungry side straight from the off, and pushed home their advantage almost immediately as Evan Maley made a great run to evade the offside trap and slot home past advancing keeper Kevin Roy. At this stage, it appeared that Troon could run riot but a couple of serious injuries to Kello players stopped the game in it’s tracks.

Firstly midfielder Martin Shaw was carried from the park with a suspected broken foot to be replaced by Hill, and after the re-start McCreadie swung in a beautiful cross which was attacked by home skipper Dean Keenan, only for the visiting keeper to come racing from his line and collide with the former Morton man. A lengthy stoppage ensued as the Troon physio tended to the stricken netminder before he was stretchered from the park to a waiting ambulance with a suspected broken jaw and concussion. The match re-started after a lengthy delay with outfield player Alistair Smith in goals, but the break in play has clearly affected the home team and they struggled to find their rhythm after that, and lost possession and mis-placed passes were very much in evidence as the half concluded with little more to report.

Troon began strongly from kick-off and doubled their advantage within 60 seconds of the re-start. A quick Keenan pass fed Ross Barbour down the right and his cross was well stepped over by Miller for Tony Murphy to tap home at the back post. Everything Troon did at this point was full of verve and pace, but they found themselves up against a dogged Kello side determined not to let the Seasides get at their stand-in goalie, and it was no more than they deserved when they scrapped their way back into the game on 50 minutes. The ever lively Jim Wilson won his side a free-kick outside the box and, after the home side failed to clear Sean Bennie was on hand to strike home past McInnes.

This clearly rocked Troon's confidence and Kello were the side on top so the equaliser, when it came, was of no surprise to the watching supporters. A speculative shot from distance was blocked, and the silver-haired Fleming was on hand to volley impressively home. The supporters were all discussing the possibility of a penalty shoot-out just as Scott Chatham made a midfield breakaway to feed McCreadie, whose pinpoint cross was fired home at the back post by the onrushing Barbour to give the Seasider’s the slenderest of leads. The introduction of Ross McCrea gave the home side a welcome boost of energy and the youngster was unlucky with two drives into the box, being denied by a stubborn visiting defence.

But regardless, it was Troon who march on to a home second round tie against Maybole.

TROON: McInnes; McCreadie, Thorburn, Collins, Strachan, Chatham, Barbour (McCrea 73); Keenan, Miller, Maley, Murphy (Shirkie 73). Subs not used: Lamont, Clark, Johnston.