Last updated : 09 January 2005 By Rave On Line Editor
Athletico Bilbino 6-2 Japp United Match Report
Athletico Bilbino 6-2 Japp United - Match Report by Robin Bairner
S. Johnstone
Cassidy
Johnstone
Gardiner
Smith
McLean
Payne
Murie
Bairner
McGregor
Cremin
Substitutes: Craig, Kuhlwilm
Athletic Bilbino ran out comfortable winners against Japp United after a keenly contested first half which ended two a piece. Bilbino were missing top scorer Michael McPake through illness and the left side was also badly hampered with James Smith and Robin Bairner also struggling through a stomach complaint and a heavy cold respectively. But it was more or less the same squad who were turned over at Ayr that started the match with Mick McGregor switching to play upfront in place of McPake while Craig Johnstone took McGregor’s spot in the centre of defence. The back four comprised of Smith, Johnstone, Roger Gardiner and Graham Cassidy while Scott Johnstone kept his place in goal. The midfield saw Barry MacLean start on the right but David Kuhlwilm took over fairly promptly due to MacLean struggling with asthma. Alan Murie and Chris Payne once again played in the middle while Bairner started wide on the left. Upfront Blair Cremin and Mick McGregor lined up.
Traditionally the Reds are slow starters and the gale blowing towards their goal in the first half did none to help things but the opening twenty minutes were particularly bad as the ball struggled to get over the halfway line. It was really only a matter of time before Japp’s side scored but a combination of poor finishing and last gasp defending, which included Gardiner clearing off the line, left the scoreline untouched until a break down the right hand side of the defence was finally exploited and the striker finished with a powerful drive across the face of goal and into the far corner.
This gave the men in red a major wake up call and they then took a hold of the game they were never really to relinquish in the remaining seventy minutes. McGregor was first to find himself in a scoring position but the keeper did well to stop his shot before excelling himself with a great save from a Kuhlwilm shot which seemed destined for the top corner. The keeper had to be thankful of a defender who was on hand to clear a goal bound Roger Gardiner effort off the line after Murie had been fouled to earn a free-kick right on the edge of the box. Murie then had a chance to equalise himself when he found himself in on goal after a powerful run from midfield but he dragged his shot well wide of goal. When Cremin once again found himself through on goal and saw his shot cannon off the post it looked like being one of those days but John Craig, who had just come on to replace Bairner for the twenty minutes before half-time, was on hand to slide home the rebound for a deserved equaliser. Bilbino continued to push forward in the hope of going in at the break ahead and looked to have achieved this when Blair Cremin ran through the goal and made it 2-1 with a fine finish.
The red tide continued to press, looking to add to their advantage but this was to prove costly as Japp’s side broke away to equalise against the run of play just before the break. Bilbino had a decent chance but Alan Murie’s cutback to Blair Cremin was intercepted, the ball fed out to the right winger who had acres of space and a cross was well finished with a header that fired over Johnstone in goal. So half time was 2-2 but there was a sense of disappointment from the men in red not to have gone in ahead despite a very poor start.
The second half started in a very different manner from the first with Athletic playing a much smoother game and taking advantage of their superior pace against the back line. There were a few half chances before Blair Cremin knocked home from 3 yards after a Bairner corner somehow found its way through to the back post.
Japp United then went and had their only real spell of pressure after they took the lead as they forced a few corners, leaving the Bilbino defence creeking. The crossbar was also rattled as Bairner sliced against his own bar stretching to clear a corner and then Johnstone spilled a shot and did well to tap the ball clear of the forward while the defence stood static.
Any nerves the men in red had were soon rested though when Blair Cremin once again found himself through on goal and once again finished with aplomb to complete a well deserved hat-trick. From this moment it was virtually one way traffic as the only real pressure Japp’s side exerted was a bicycle kick late in the game and a drilled free-kick that was palmed away by Johnstone. Japp's goalkeeper, who had had an excellent game shot stopping wise nearly made a blunder as he spilled a simple ball back to him but luckily for him Bairner, who had shown an initial interest in following up, had turned his back thinking that it would have been easily held. Murie tried a bicycle kick from a Cassidy cross but the keeper was well positioned and held the effort easily. Cassidy performance deserves note as he had an excellent game at right back after a couple of early slip ups but he got forward well to support the right winger. Barry MacLean then played in a lovely ball towards Bairner but the ball was just a hair too heavy for the winger whose attempted cut-back to Cremin was intercepted. Bairner then created a chance for himself when he beat his marker and skinned a second player to cut into the box but his shot on his weaker right foot saw the keeper diving to his left and holding onto it comfortably. Only a few seconds later the keeper once again denied Bairner, this time was an excellent save as he got his fingertips to a volley flicked goalward with the outside of the left foot after Cremin’s quick thinking. McGregor was unlucky not to score as an excellent last ditch tackle was put in after a nice interchange between Cremin and Bairner on the edge of the box. Penalty claims were swiftly turned down. A fifth was on its way, however, and Alan Murie broke the offside trap after a lovely move and dinked the ball over the keeper to score.
Mick McGregor had looked likely to get on the scoresheet all afternoon as time and time again he broke the backline only for the keeper to provide heroics. It didn’t look likely to be his day as Bairner’s long through ball just skidded off the astroturf and into the keepers arms but he finally completed the scoring as Cassidy played a lovely ball through for him to round the keeper calmly and slot the ball home on the stroke of full time.
The win was a very good one for Bilbino against stiff opposition who seemed to fade in the second half. Defensively Bilbino were for the most part solid while the midfield provided the guile and dig which Japp’s side lacked and the forwards who would’ve had more as they constantly threatened the target only to be denied by an excellent shot stopper. Each player in the Bilbino side gave 100% and deserves credit for a very good battling display.
