The boys in yellow crashed EK’s title party after two goals in injury time to end Kilby’s undefeated home record and land our first ever victory at K Park.

Only a few minor changes from Stephen Swift to the squad that put three past Vale of Leithen on Wednesday night; Tom Orr and Joe Irvine start on the bench allowing Martin Grehan and Declan Hughes to take up spots in the starting eleven.

It was a strong start for both teams right off the bat with neither looking to edge out the other but no big chances came in the first ten minutes. Kilby’s Craig Howie went into the referee’s book five minutes in for an obvious handball a few yards outside the box but Declan Hughes couldn’t convert the free kick.

BSC proved they were a match for the champions with numerous half chances creating problems for Willie Muir in the Kilby goal – a great ball from Thomas Collins found an onrushing Euan O’Reilly whose cross bounced off the post for EK to clear. Collins seemed destined to score in the first half giving a lot for Kilby’s back line to think about. Shortly after forcing Muir to frantically clear the ball out for a throw-in, Collins was in perfect position to get the strike away but Craig Howie was there was make a fantastic block.

The Champions gave their capacity crowd at K Park more reason to celebrate just before the half hour mark – Chris Humphrey smashed home a low powerful free kick which slid through the BSC wall to put the home side ahead. Thomas Collins almost found an equaliser five minutes later but his lob found the fingertips of Muir and ended up on the top of the net.

HALF TIME | EAST KILBRIDE 1 – 0 BSC GLASGOW

An important substitution at half time for the away side – Jordan Marshall made way for Jamie McCormack. Despite the strong start by BSC, it was East Kilbride who found the first major chance of the second half. A great run by Scott Stevenson found its way into the box breaking through defenders but his one-on-one strike forced Ryan Marshall to make a brilliant save and tip the ball over.

54 minutes in, EK’s David Proctor looked to land hard on on his head after leaping for a header and colliding with a teammate, forcing the physios to get the stretcher and also force Stuart Malcolm to make Kilby’s first substitution of the afternoon. Just after the hour mark, Ross McMillan went for it with another immense header a free kick from Declan Hughes but the ball could only once again smack off the bar.

With fifteen minutes remaining, it seemed only fitting for BSC’s top goal scorer, Tom Orr to make his way onto the pitch replacing Ross Lindsay. Jamie McCormack and Declan Hughes find their names in the referee’s book after a couple of much needed tackles on the EK strikers bursting forward.

As we began injury time, it seemed like nothing was going to fall our way, and the champions would be enjoying a double celebration. BSC never gave up though and threw everything forward, especially during a flurry of corners. Finally one of the set pieces came off and Jamie McCormack powered in a header from Declan Hughes’ delivery to find the equaliser we had long searched for.

Just as fans began to accept the draw – which would probably have been a fair result – Tom Orr refused to allow the ball out for a corner, kept it in and found an onrushing Jamie Mills whose strike cannoned off the underside of the bar, crossing the line in the process. 

The win means that second place in the GeoSonic Lowland League is secured as we head into the last home game of the season against East Stirlingshire.

FULL TIME | EAST KILBRIDE 1 – 2 BSC GLASGOW

MAN OF THE MATCH | CARLO PIGNATIELLO

BSC put a comfortable three past a Vale of Leithen side who were looking to continue on from a fantastic weekend victory, but it wasn’t to be as the boys in yellow kept second place within their grasp.

There were unsurprisingly a couple of changes from Stephen Swift for the starting line-up in this mid-week fixture at Pennypit Park; Joe Irvine came in for Jamie McCormack, Jordan Marshall and Thomas Collins made their first starts for the club, meanwhile Carlo Pignatiello and Ross Lindsay started and Declan Hughes and Martin Grehan took the bench. Two U20s faces also saw a chance on the bench in Connor Smith and Bruce McGarvey.

The opening minutes of the game saw both sides getting a feel for the pitch and neither managing to really break through. One of the first chances of the game for either side came thirteen minutes in and saw the opening goal simultaneously. Thanks to a short corner catching the Innerleithen men off guard, a looping cross from Euan O’Reilly found the head of skipper, Ross McMillan, and if this season has taught us anything, it’s that very few keepers manage to save the big man’s headers.

Vale almost found an equaliser thanks to their star striker Sean Stewart but his low strike whistled past the left post. In this opening half hour, BSC could’ve put a number past their mid-table opposition but they couldn’t seem to capitalise; Vale’s Ross Gilpin fumbled the ball in the box after a corner but their defenders were able to scramble the ball away before a yellow shirt could tap it in. Tom Orr also got himself an open goal from a tight angle after rounding the keeper but his low shot bobbled just inches wide of the post.

Just before the break, Chris Anderson’s’ men showed the talent they had in their locker when a powerful and accurate header seemed destined to smash the top corner but Jamie Mills was there to clear the ball off the line.

HALF TIME | VALE OF LEITHEN 0 – 1 BSC GLASGOW

The fight for second place in the Lowland League table must’ve been on our minds as the second half commenced because BSC came flying out the gate eager to get more. Our patience was rewarded come the hour mark – after Thomas Collins’ strike was expertly saved by Ross Gilpin, Tom Orr was there to grab the rebound and cross the ball back into Collins’ feet for the new striker to convert the tap in.

It was only six minutes later and the game was wrapped up nicely. In-form St Johnstone loanee Euan O’Reilly made a tremendous run up the wing that seemingly came out of nowhere, fought past defenders and picked out a great pass to Thomas Collins who curled in a lovely shot to the top right corner. Euan O’Reilly and Ross McMillan came off the pitch shortly after allowing Declan Hughes a run-out and Bruce McGarvey to make his debut for the first team.

Mysteriously, Tom Orr went into the referee’s book along with Vale’s Jack Smith due to an altercation after a tangle of legs brought both men down. The Vale defender then seemed to slap Orr in the face and somehow the referee let it slide. Orr came off a few minutes later making way for Martin Grehan.

In the last ten minutes, BSC went searching for a fourth and on the 82nd minute appeared to have found one thanks to a tap in after a stramash in the Vale box, however the referee disallowed the goal claiming in was offside despite the linesman flag never going up. The confusion for the linesman seemed to continue until the final whistle unsure as to whether he was giving goal kicks or corners at many occasions.

FULL TIME | VALE OF LEITHEN 0 – 3 BSC GLASGOW

MAN OF THE MATCH | EUAN O’REILLY

Dalbeattie Star continued their stunning late-season form as BSC Glasgow failed to convert a number of chances on a difficult day in Dumfries & Galloway.

A few changes, and some debuts for the boys in yellow this weekend; Ben Quigley replaced Carlo Pignatiello in a different position, meanwhile debutants Jordan Marshall and Thomas Collins began the match on the bench. The opening fifteen saw neither team really grasp at any genuine opportunity. Our first decent chance came thanks to a gorgeous ball over the top from Declan Hughes to Tom Orr whose strike was defended by Star’s man between the sticks, Vinnie Parker. Minutes later, Ben Irving came close to bagging Dalbeattie’s first when his effort smacked off the bar. Robbie McNab and Ben Irving almost had their names in the book when they seemed to have a mutual disagreement over a run of play, however vice-captain, Ross Smith received a yellow in amongst this for dissent. Also, a Star spectator attempted to catch a run away ball only to fall over a wheelie bin. With only ten minutes to go in the first half, Star’s Liam Park made an impressive run into the box and flicked the ball further forward when Ryan Marshall went for it only to collide with the player. The referee pointed to the spot and Lewis Sloan slotted it home to put the former relegation battlers ahead. 

HALF TIME | DALBEATTIE STAR 1 – 0 | BSC GLASGOW

For the second half, Thomas Collins made his debut replacing St Johnstone loanee, Ben Quigley as we moved back to a back four. It was Collins’ first touch that meant the most. After only being on the pitch for ninety seconds, Collins found BSC’s equaliser; a fantastic 30 yard volley forward from Declan Hughes found the head of Martin Grehan which helped Collins tap the ball in to find the equaliser. Ben Irving caught the referee’s attention after a particularly rough challenge on Ross Smith while Declan Hughes made way for Carlo Pignatiello. Five minutes after half time, BSC looked to take the lead, but the referee pulled it back for a foul; after a fantastic tackle by Robbie McNab, the ball found the feet of Euan O’Reilly whose cross-cum-shot found the back of the net only for the ref to blow the whistle milliseconds before the ball hit the net after an offside forward player had touched the ball on the way in. An in-form O’Reilly went into the book for a harsh tackle while Jordan Marshall made his debut and replaced Tom Orr. This didn’t seem to change the tide of the second half as Star grabbed their second when a curving cross found the head of Scott Milligan whose spinning header found the top left corner. BSC took all the advantage they could from the final ten minutes but to no avail. Thomas Collins found a booking for dissent shortly followed by Ross Smith receiving a second yellow for pulling a Dalbeattie striker down. On the day it could have gone either way but Star were well worth their three points. 

FULL TIME | DALBEATTIE STAR 2 – 1 BSC GLASGOW

MAN OF THE MATCH | MARTIN GREHAN

Despite going up against a team they had not faced this season, it was the home side that dominated the majority of the game putting 4 past a Dalbeattie side fighting relegation.

A couple of changes the starting eleven that beat Gretna 2008 a few weeks back; Jamie McCormack replaced David Verlaque and Tom Orr starts replacing injured Cammy Ballantyne. Meanwhile, two Under-20s players started on the bench in Connor Smith and goalkeeper Liam Running who replaced Stephen Barr who recently went out on loan to Pollok.

BSC Glasgow’s first chance came immediately in the opening minute when Declan Hughes put a good cross into the box and the head of Ross Smith but his strike was cleared off the line by Star’s defence.

The few fans that braved the weather didn’t have to wait long for the first goal. Sixteen minutes in, Jamie Mills flew up the left wing and floated a great ball for Orr who smashed it home in the top right corner.

Despite the final score line, there really wasn’t much to write home about during the ninety minutes. Unfortunately Star’s Lewis Sloan suffered an injury just before the half hour mark and Dalbeattie were forced to make the early substitution.

The early opener didn’t stop our boys in yellow continuing to attack and capitalise on defensive errors. A brilliant run by Jamie McCormack and broke through the right side of the box led to a high cross somehow finding the diving header of Star defender, Hugh Cameron who turned the ball into his own net.

It only took three minutes for BSC to turn the double into three when a tap-in from Martin Grehan found the back of the net after a stramash in the box following another cross from Mills and an attempted strike by Orr.

HALF TIME | BSC GLASGOW 3 – 0 DALBEATTIE STAR

The three goal deficit didn’t stop Star searching trying to spark a comeback as the second half commenced. After a few attempts to break into the box, the ball fell for Calvin Cowie who put home a fantastic strike into the bottom left to pull one back.

Ross Lindsay bounced onto the pitch for Declan Hughes just before BSC found their fourth and Orr found his second. Martin Grehan went on a terrific run dribbling past three defenders and into the box; however his shot could only be palmed away by Vinnie Parker. Not to worry though, as that man Tom Orr was there to slice the rebound into the bottom corner.

The rest of the second half seemingly came and went; McCormack found himself in the referee’s book adding to his tally for the season, as did Star’s Ross Thomson for introducing Euan O’Reilly’s face to his forearm. Meanwhile, Davie Winters and Joe Irvine got a run out, replacing Tom Orr and The Ginger Bear, Robbie McNab.

FULL TIME | BSC GLASGOW 4 – 1 DALBEATTIE STAR

MAN OF THE MATCH | THOMAS ORR

Photos in this report were by Thomas Brown.

There were a few changes to the squad that only managed a draw over Edinburgh Uni last weekend; David Verlaque came back to the starting eleven replacing Jamie McCormack, Robbie McNab returned after suspension, meanwhile St Johnstone loanee Euan O’Reilly made his debut in yellow. Tom Orr and Robbie Duncan started the match on the bench.

In the opening minutes, Euan O’Reilly showed he was going to be a quality addition to the BSC squad when he rose unopposed in the Gretna box, seeing his header sail just over the bar. The attempts continued however when O’Reilly put a curving cross into Carlo Pignatiello whose powerful strike was palmed away by Gretna’s Jim Atkinson.

The first goal came in the thirteenth minute when Jamie Mills ripped the defence apart up the left side to square the ball to O’Reilly who finished low past Atkinson. O’Reilly almost grabbed a second soon after, thanks to a sweet little lay off by Declan Hughes, but his strike ricocheted off the post.

A second goal seemed inevitable in the first half, but an O’Reilly volley went inches over the bar and a fantastic run by Carlo Pignatiello into Martin Grehan couldn’t be converted as Gretna’s Atkinson proved a determined foe in the Gretna goal.

As the first half came to a close, Gretna’s frustration began to seep through as Daniel Wadge’s frustration at being regularly beaten in the air began to seep through. However, it was Cammy Ballantyne that was on the end of the tackle that saw the Gretna centre back go into the book just before the break.

HALF TIME | BSC GLASGOW 1 – 0 GRETNA 2008

The second half kicked off and in the opening ten minutes it looked as though BSC were playing to defend their 1-0 lead, especially as the challenges certainly weren’t few and far between. Jake Smith went into the book for a rough tackle on O’Reilly, as did Dean Watson. BSC were lucky to avoid the book themselves on a couple of occasions.

Pignatiello kept his great performance going when he managed to confuse the Gretna back line and almost capitalise by slipping through but a quick recovery from the defence to squeeze him out saw his shot fire just wide of the post.

Only a minute later and Jamie Mills was there to make another inch-perfect cross to the feet of Grehan who turned and hit a beautiful strike from just inside the box to find the back of the net. BSC certainly made the post of a few minutes where Gretna looked down and out. Tom Orr came off for goal scorer Martin Grehan and thirty seconds later was involved in the third goal. Yet another gorgeous cross from Jamie Mills found the head of Orr but the strike was palmed away by Atkinson only for Cammy Ballantyne to react quickly and knock in the rebound.

Verlaque came off for debutant St Johnstone loanee Ben Quigley before Wadge saw red for Gretna, picking up a second yellow for a rough challenge on Euan O’Reilly,

O’Reilly’s fantastic debut performance came to an end on the 80th minute when Davie Winters came on hoping to get on the score sheet. That seemed inevitable when a great through ball confused the defence and allowed the striker to burst clean through on goal with just the keeper to beat. Winters was unable to hit the target.

FULL TIME | BSC GLASGOW 3 – 0 GRETNA 2008

MAN OF THE MATCH | JAMIE MILLS