23/11/2019  |  League

Cumbernauld Colts   3  v  1  Caledonian Braves

COLTS made it three league wins in four games courtesy of an impressive second half display against Caledonian Braves at Broadwood.

Second half goals from Richard Kirwan, Marty Wright and Fraser Team turned the game on its head and secured victory for Colts, after David Winters had given the visitors a first half lead.
Caledonian Braves started better and went close in 14 minutes when only a goal line clearance by Scott Davidson denied striker Ross McNeill after Jonathan Grier let a cross slip from his grasp. And the visitors took a deserved lead in 16 minutes when a great move resulted in McNeill laying the ball into the path of veteran Winters who drilled a shot low into the bottom right corner leaving Grier helpless.

The Cumbernauld men struggled to get any foothold in the game, but in 30 minutes a defensive error allowed Wright an opportunity to level the game, but his close-range shot was blocked by visiting keeper Alex Marshall. Colts had another half chance to level the scoring in 40 minutes when Team did well on the left to make space before crossing for Ross Kavanagh who headed narrowly wide.
However, Colts survived a scare on the stroke of half time when the visitor’s danger man Neil McLaughlin went close to extending their lead with a thumping shot from 25 yards which crashed off the bar with Grier rooted to the spot.

Colts survived another let off early in the second period when McLaughlin again tried his luck from distance and for the second time in the game the ball crashed back off the woodwork to safety. This let off seemed to spark Colts into life and the Broadwood men were beginning to look more of a threat in the final third as the game entered the final half hour. And in 63 minutes Colts grabbed the equaliser when a corner from Craig Holmes was punched clear by keeper Marshall, but the ball rebounded off the head of Kirwan and into the net much to the delight of the healthy Colts support.

The hosts now had an added spring in their step as they went in search of a second goal, but Caledonian Braves were still a threat at the other end and in 70 minutes McNeill had an excellent chance to put the visitors back in front, but he shot straight at Grier. The game was now wide open as both teams searched for a winner and in 73 minutes it was Colts who grabbed the crucial second goal again from a corner, this time Holmes superb delivery was powerfully headed into the top corner by talisman Wright.
And Colts secured the impressive win adding a third goal in injury time when the tireless Team chased down a long clearance and his desire allowed him to out muscle Raffi Krissian before drilling a low shot past Marshall from 15 yards.
The victory moves Colts up to seventh in the Lowland League table, but they need to wait two weeks until their next outing when they travel to the capital to take on Civil Service Strollers.

Caledonian Braves; Marshall, Guthrie, Johnson, Slattery, Krissian, Quinn, Winters, Sinclair, McNeill, McLaughlin, Makofo. Subs; Glackin, Hogarth, Lovering, McDowell, Galasso, Daily.