Dalbeattie Star v Fleet Star

 
CHAMPIONS AGAIN
Dalbeattie were crowned South of Scotland champions for the second year in a row when they won the expected three points against Fleet Star at Islecroft. Last years triumph was the first for 23 years so to achieve back to back wins is a great achievement for the club and all the credit must go to John MacBeth, his backroom staff and of course the players. They have reached a level of performance and consistency that no other club in the league has been able to match. On top of that, despite the unbelievable playing schedule they have had to endure in the past few weeks, they have still managed to find the hunger and desire to produce that something extra needed to ensure victory.
Star went in to this match knowing everyone expected them to simply turn up and roll over the opposition and that in itself could have caused problems. But within 8 minutes they had scored three goals and it was a question of how many. Scott Milligan, who else, opened the scoring inside 70 seconds when he thumped home a low drive from 20 yards and the visitors were already fearing the worst. Two minutes later Milly turned provider when his cross was headed in by Lewis Sloan at the second attempt and soon after Sloan and Milligan combined to set up John MacBeth whose shot went in off the post.
The goals kept flowing at a steady rate and Gary Kerr was next on the scoresheet finishing off a great move involving Ritchie Maxwell and MacBeth and it was the player manager himself who scored number five when he walked the ball in to the net after a brilliant piece of team play involving Sloan, Middlemiss and Kerr. The sixth arrived on the half hour when much to the annoyance of the big men in the middle, Sloan drilled his corner to the edge of the penalty area to Milligan who took a touch and fired a superb strike in to the far corner. The first half scoring ended in the 38th minute when MacBeth was tripped inside the box and birthday boy Rab Harkness stepped up to send the keeper the wrong way.
It was a demoralised side from Gatehouse that came out for the second half but full credit to them for not reverting to kicking lumps out of the opposition in frustration and when they did win possession they always tried to get the ball on the deck and pass their way around the pitch. In fact it’s probably true to say even those of a Dalbeattie persuasion were willing them to score when they engineered a couple of half chances late on.
Five minutes after the break Grant Middlemiss pounced on a rare mistake from Fleet keeper Murray who fumbled a Ritchie Maxwell cross to make it 8-0 and just before the hour Jordan Muirhead scored his first goal for the Star (excluding penalty shoot outs) when he fired home a spot kick after the keeper brought down MacBeth. Five minutes later Stuart MacPherson kept up his recent impressive goalscoring record when he nodded home Kerr’s cross from the left and then there was a wee barren spell before two goals in the last 7 minutes. Milligan completed his hat trick with a neat dink over Murray and in the last minute Middlemiss finished it all off with a lob from the edge of the box.
Then came the now familiar scene as the Star players were presented with a trophy, this time by Threave Rovers chairman Colin Holden, and the champagne was soon flowing. Star now enjoy the luxury of two nights in a row without a game and they will try to recharge their batteries as next up is the Tweedie Cup Final at home to our biggest rivals Threave Rovers. The Castle Douglas side are having a torrid time of it just now but they are still a very dangerous side and Star will need to be on top of their game to add to the honours they have won in the last year or so.      
DALBEATTIE STAR 12       FLEET STAR 0Milligan (2, 30, 83)Sloan (7)MacBeth (8, 23)Kerr (19) Harkness (38pen)Middlemiss (50, 90)Muirhead (59pen)MacPherson (64)DALBEATTIE STAR: Cathro, R Maxwell, Wilson (Muirhead 27), Wells (McMurdo 57), MacPherson, Harkness, MacBeth, Kerr, Middlemiss, Milligan, Sloan (A Maxwell 57)Yellow cards: NoneFLEET STAR: Murray, Mason (McKnight 73), Thomson, Durham, McKie, Wilson, Maxwell, Lawrie, Williamson, McCutcheon, Edgar (Marshall 51)Sub not used: AshbyYellow cards: NoneRef C Telfer