Venue: Away
Larkhall v Thorn Athletic
THORN ATHLETIC dumped title rivals Larkhall with a strong display to gain revenge for their only defeat of the season so far.
After suffering a 3-1 reverse at the hands of the Lanarkshire out it was a determined Johnstone team that travelled to Raploch Park.
Manager James Donnelly was faced with a few major selection problems of the right kind with almost a full squad at his disposal.
And his team made a bright start creating a few half chances in the opening ten minutes before they eventually took the lead.
Left-back Ally Brown found himself just outside the left hand side of the box just yards from the byline.
He unleashed a driven shot across the goalkeeper which nestled in the side netting.
Larkhall looked dangerous going forward but Thorn’s defensive unit was doing a great job of keeping them quiet.
And just before the break Thorn blew a great chance to double their lead from the penalty spot.
Michael McKinnon was fouled inside the box and ref Jim Cowie pointed to the spot.
Top scorer and normally reliable Jordan Devine stepped up but his penalty was saved with John Hay ballooning the rebound over the bar.
Into the second half and Thorn were prepared for a home onslaught but once again Larkhall were struggling to get through the Johnstone rearguard with everyone battling for every ball.
And their resistance finally paid off when they were rewarded with the killer second goal on the counter-attack.
Stuart McCann played the ball down the right wing and it was held up by Devine who then cut it back to the edge of the box for midfielder Hay to curl it into the keeper’s right hand corner.
Victory keeps Thorn sitting top of the table ahead of this weekend’s Scottish Cup Third Round clash against Stirling & District outfit Fallin AFC who are an unknown quantity to the Johnstone men.
Morrison and McKinnon were scheduled to face Wishaw Juniors last night (Tuesday) after being selected as part of the Caledonian Select squad. Devine was forced to withdraw through injury.
Meanwhile, in the West of Scotland Cup they will face Greater Glasgow outfit Dumbarton Harp Celtic in the third round tie due to be played in the middle of November.
Team: L McWilliams, McCann, Wilson, Morrison, Brown, McKinnon (Young), McEwan, Allen (Kennedy), Hay (Horne), Scott, Devine (Devine).
Red Star v Thorn Athletic
THORN ATHLETIC reached the West of Scotland Cup third round despite a lacklustre display in Glasgow.
The Johnstone outfit needed a second-half strike from Jordan Devine – his 12th goal in eight games – to book their place in the draw.
It was a stuffy affair that promised so much after a promising start.
Thorn cracked the bar inside two minutes when a pinpoint cross from Ally Brown saw Liam Allen’s diving header strike the underside of the bar and come back out.
It would have been a dream start for the visitors but instead it proved to be a let off for the home side.
The game descended into a sluggish affair with neither side playing much football.
Matters were not helped by some poor refereeing which didn’t help the flow of the game.
Red Star showed glimpses that they could cause Thorn problems with some long balls forward.
The deadlock could not be broken before the interval and it wasn’t a surprise given the poor fare on show.
After the break there was slightly more urgency about Thorn with the threat of changes from the management ringing their ears.
And thankfully the second 45 produced more action for the spectators.
Donald Morrison looked to have opened the scoring with a powerful show into the roof of the net which hit the back of the net and came back out.
Despite Red Star players admitting the ball had crossed the line the hapless referee ruled it out much to everyone’s amusement.
Thankfully the Thorn didn’t have long to wait before the opener came.
And it was no surprise when Devine popped up with the decisive strike.
John Hay floated a ball to the back post and Niall Kennedy volleyed it back across goal for the striker to apply the sliding finish.
Moments later the game should have been over when Thorn were awarded a penalty.
Winger Dean Scott was flattened inside the box as Red Star’s discipline began to go amid a flurry of bookings.
But the normally clinical Devine was denied from the spot when the keeper got down well to his right to parry.
Further chances came Thorn’s way when sub Paul Young robbed the last defender but couldn’t provide the finish.
Ross Horne also had a pop at goal which finished wide and Tom Smith threatened on a couple of occasions to no avail.
Team: L McWilliams, McCann, McKinnon, Morrison, Brown, Scott (Horne), Hay, McEwan (Young), Allen, Kennedy (Smith), Devine. Subs: Callaghan, Cunningham.
Cambria v Thorn Athletic
JORDAN DEVINE bagged a double to take his tally to ten goals in six games as Thorn Athletic booked their place in the Scottish Cup third round.
The Johnstone side comfortably disposed of Caledonian League rivals Cambria with a dominant display rounded off by a goal from Stuart Robertson to add to striker Devine’s brace.
The team now go into the hat for today’s (Wednesday, October 7) third round draw.
It was a strong-looking Thorn side that travelled to the immaculate Stepps Playing fields in Glasgow for the second time in three weeks.
The previous clash between the side’s had ended in Thorn coming from 3-1 behind to secure a 4-3 victory to keep them top of the table.
But there was to be no repeat of that scare as the visitors took a stranglehold on the game early on with some great football.
Some great build up play saw Dean Scott set up Devine to fire a right-foot shot across the keeper to settle any nerves.
Chances were coming thick and it was no surprise when Devine completely bamboozled the keeper with another low finish which sent him the wrong way.
Paul Young was next to have a go as he robbed the defender in the last third but with only the keeper to beat his finish was high and wide.
Devine had the ball in the net another couple of times only to be denied by the offside rule as Thorn searched for the crucial third goal.
As half-time approached Cambria finally tested the keeper Liam McWilliams with an angled shot which he blocked to safety.
That was a warning to Thorn that one goal would let their rivals right back into the tie.
The second half started in much the same way and a number of Thorn chances came and went without any joy.
Devine had numerous attempts and substitute Criag McGlone had a great opportunity to seal it with the goalkeeper caught outside the box.
But his finish was straight at the only defender who was blocking the path to goal.
Things were getting a bit nervy as the failure to finish the tie went on and on.
Cambria tested McWilliams again and a couple of cheap free-kicks around the box allowed them to put some pressure on.
Finally the crucial goal came after 75 minutes when strong hold-up play from McGlone at the front post of the Cambria goal saw him lay a ball back for sub Stuart Robertson to thunder home the third.
It was game over at that point as the visitors saw the game out comfortably without really threatening to add to their tally.
This week Thorn are back to league business when they welcome Balmore to the McMaster Sports Centre in Johnstone with a 2pm kick-off.
TEAM: L McWilliams; McCann, McKinnon, Morrison, Horne, Scott, Hay, Young (Robertson), Kennedy (McGlone), Smith (Allen), Devine.
