Postal ALC 4 - Lads Club Amateurs 1 - Div1 North - Shedocksley 29/4/2024

TEAM - 1.  G.Cormack  2.  S.Carter  3.  A.Baxter  4.  A.Macrae  5.  B.Patterson  6.  J.Steele  7.  A.Clark  8.  E.Brechin  9.  D.Mackenzie  10.  S.Abel  11.  S.Ahmed  12.  S.Cotovici  14.  M.Maciver  15.  P.Frampton  16.  C.Collie  17.  S.Stuart

OPPOSITION MOTM – B.Patterson

With Webster Park still unplayable due to drainage issues, Postal played this Div1 North, ALC derby, game at Shedocksley.  The pitch was in a shocking state and was lucky to be deemed playable.  That, along with a strong wind running across the pitch, would make it difficult to play football tonight.

Postal welcomed back Carter from suspension and Mackenzie came back into the starting lineup.

Postal had a terrific start to the first half when they took the lead only 6 minutes in.  Mackenzie got in behind the flat Lads Club defence raced in on the keeper and smashed it high into the roof of the net.  1-0.

Only 3 minutes later, Lads Club equalised.  A shot from the edge of the box, seemed to get picked up by the wind and sailed over the head of Cormack in goal.  1-1.

Postal thought they had taken the lead on 13 minutes when Mackenzie, again, found himself one-on-one with the keeper.  This time he pushed the ball forward for Abel to knock home but the referee deemed him to be offside.  Unlucky.

The next goal didn’t take long coming though and it was Postal who would take the lead on 16 minutes.  Abel beat his man on the Postal right, produced a waste high cross which Mackenzie swept into the net for his second of the night.  2-1.

Postal were riding their luck at times with a combination of bad finishing and the woodwork keeping the away goals to one but the Postal defence were also looking a lot tighter tonight it must be said.

HALF TIME – Postal ALC 2 – Lads Club Amateurs 1

Postal had to re-organise at half time when Brechin had to come off sick.  The home side went 4-4-2 with Frampton joining Mackenzie up top.

Frampton was involved almost immediately when he was ruthlessly chopped down just outside the box.  Clark stepped up to the take the free kick which he sent over the bar.

12 minutes into the second half a corner into the box saw a good header from Baxter saved well by the Lads Club keeper from point blank range.

On 22 minutes Patterson missed a sitter when he sent a header from a cross into the box past the post under no challenge.

Ten minutes later and Mackenzie scored to get his hat-trick.  The ball fell to him from a corner and he blasted low into the net.  Well deserved from the big striker who had his best game in a Postal jersey.  3-1.

Frampton was causing the slow home defence all sorts of problems.  One of the few times he managed to evade them kicking him, he was rewarded with the fourth goal.  He rounded the goaley on his way to goal then comedically tripped up just as he was rolling the ball into the net……following it into the net face first.  4-1.

Postal should have made it 5 or 6 when they got to the by-line a couple of times towards the end of the game, but on both occasions couldn’t pick the waiting Cotovici out with the killer pass.

Final Result – Postal ALC 4 – Lads Club Amateurs 1

Overall, a really hard working, gutsy performance tonight with moments of quality on a pitch that really shouldn’t have been deemed playable if truth be told.  Patterson got man of the match but Mackenzie showed a level of performance, tonight, that we have been anticipating since he arrived at the club.  Well done.