Port bow out of cup on penalties
Gary Pews • Published 13 Feb 2012 13:00
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COMMITTED: Port Glasgow's Ryan MacDonald in action against St Roch's on Saturday.
Port's Kevin Brown rises for a header during the game. The Port Glasgow player later missed a crucial penalty during the shoot-out.
Port Glasgow 2-2 St Roch's (St Roch's win 5-3 on penalties)
PORT Glasgow were knocked out of the West of Scotland Cup on Saturday after an agonising penalty shoot-out.
The match went to the lottery of spot-kicks after the regulation 90 minutes ended at 2-2.
But the Port did well to even take the match to that stage, after their lower league opponents opened at a blistering pace and went two up within 16 minutes.
St Roch's may play one league division lower than Port Glasgow, but they showed their progress to the last 16 of the Scottish Cup, where they face Ayrshire giants Auchinleck Talbot on Saturday, was no fluke.
Back at Ravenscraig for the first time in almost a year, Port Glasgow struggled to get going in the early stages.
St Roch's took the lead after just four minutes, when tricky winger Greg Harvey cut inside before firing a shot from the edge of the box over Bryan Tucker and into the net.
The Glasgow club were dominating the match and it was little surprise when they doubled their lead on 16 minutes.
Again it was a long-range effort which did the damage, although David Galt's shot took a deflection as it whistled past Tucker in the Port goal.
A third St Roch's goal would have killed the tie off, but Port Glasgow were thrown a lifeline five minutes before the break.
A Jamie Brown pass found Scott Nugent in the box, and the lethal striker netted to bring the Port back into contention.
With the newly refurbished Ravenscraig not quite complete, the interval team-talks had to be done with both sides standing on the touchlines.
But the pep talk for the Port squad seemed to have the desired effect, with a much improved second half performance.
It was Nugent who levelled the scores just three minutes into the second period, with a blistering free-kick from 20 yards out, which screamed past bemused visiting keeper Ryan Dakhill and high into the net.
Both sides then had chances to get the winner.
Kevin McKay combined well with Andrew McEwan on 62 minutes but his shot hit the side net, before Nugent almost claimed his hat-trick.
But at the other end, it took a fine save from Tucker to deny St Roch's sub Ross Mackie a late strike.
The match then went straight to penalties to determine the winner.
After seven perfect kicks, the score was 4-3 in St Roch's favour, with Kevin McKay, Scott Nugent and Ryan MacDonald all finding the net for Port Glasgow.
But Kevin Brown then saw his kick saved by keeper Dakhill, and the Port's fate was sealed when St Roch's scored with their fifth kick to clinch victory.
It was a cruel way to exit the tournament, but Port manager Craig Brown admitted his side could have few complaints.
He said: "We were really poor in the first half hour and couldn't seem to get going.
"But we settled down in the second half and actually had chances to win the game.
"Ultimately though, that first half performance cost us the tie and St Roch's deserved to go through."
PORT GLASGOW: Tucker, K Brown, Joyce, J Brown, P Stanton, Docherty, K McKay, Wilson (Beckley 76), Nugent, MacDonald, McEwan. Subs not used: McGarrigle, McGivern, F McKay.
This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 13 Feb 12
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