Report

ROSS THE BOSS IN DING-DONG BATTLE

POWERHOUSE midfielder Ross Dingwall earned West Garioch another three league points and kept their unbeaten run of nine games going with both goals in this match played in a howling gale at Logie Durno on Saturday.
Before the game commenced the team's new strip was officially handed over by director Fred Taylor on behalf of GPH Builders Merchants.
Playing with the wind at their backs the visitors had the advantage in the opening spell of the first half. First the ball was whipped across the face of the West Garioch goal and wide as early as seven minutes and then in 13 minutes good play down the left resulted in a great cross delivered into the box with a Cornhill player pushing the ball round the post again.
Despite being hemmed into their half Garioch were making the occasional foray forward against the driving wind. Leading scorer Josh Boyle saw a long-range effort trickle past the post and then in 19 minutes Bunja Godlad rounded the keeper well out only to see the ball go over the crossbar.
Both teams were coping well with the overhead conditions and it was proving to be an open game with chances at both ends.
There was a let-off for the home side in 22 minutes when Cornhill missed a great chance to take the lead following a corner and then just a minute later a Dingwall free-kick found Boyle in the box who thought he had opened the scoring only for the ball to be brilliantly cleared off the line by a Cornhill defender with the goalie beaten.
In 28 minutes a long-range looping effort from a Cornhill player grazed the crossbar, although keeper Stephen Boddie looked to have it covered. Then two minutes later the Garioch stopper saved well with his feet.
As half-time approach Boddie got down well at his near post to save from a Cornhill attack down the left.

Half-time 0-0

The home side started the second half in purposeful fashion, confident that a goal would eventually materialise.
They had to wait until 60 minutes for the breakthrough, however. It came from a corner with McRitchie delivering a great ball into the box from the right and after a game of ping-ping it was eventually hammered into the net by DINGWALL via Godlad.
Just five minutes later the home side increased their advantage with McRitchie teeing up DINGWALL again on the edge of the box who unleashed a great strike and although the Cornhill keeper did well to get a hand to the ball he could not prevent it hitting the net.
Cornhill then had a penalty claim waved aside by the referee after a Phil Reid tackle before squandering another great chance to reduce the leeway with a glaring miss in front of the Garioch goal.
With less than 10 minutes remaining Boyle had a chance to wrap the game up when substitute Lewis Greenhowe sent him through for a one-on-one with the keeper who produced a great block.
Just before the final whistle substitute Craig Roberts saw an effort well saved by the keeper after good work by Greenhowe again.

Garioch coach Sandy Bremner was delighted his side got a win which was a confidence booster ahead of their trip south this weekend in the Scottish Cup. "We knew it was going to be difficult with the windy conditions and although the lads tried to keep the ball on the deck they found it difficult to do so," he said. "We weren-t under too much pressure and eventually hit the net twice to make sure of the three points."