Dalbeattie Star v Preston Athletic

JACK IN THE BOX SPRINGS TO SAVE A POINT
For the second week running Dalbeattie Star managed to salvage a point in a six goal thriller without ever being in the lead, and yet again they needed a late goal to avoid defeat though at one time it did look like they might win all three points. At the end of 90 minutes both sides were a wee bit disappointed at not having won which probably means a draw was just about fair. The match yet again was a great example of the exciting football we get in the Lowland League and how unpredictable all the games are. You do not pick up full points with any substandard performances and we have seen even when you play well, you can sometimes only collect one as we saw in this game.
When the two sides met in the first match of the season it took all of 31 seconds for Preston to open the scoring but this time we only had to wait just over a minute more, and it came from the same player. There were faint appeals for offside as the visitors broke down the right and when the ball was cutback Michael Osbourne was there to fire the ball past Euan Drysdale in the home goal. In eleven league matches this season Star has conceded first seven times with all of them fairly early on so they don’t like to make it easy for themselves. As in previous matches Star reacted well and dominated possession but things went flat in the final third and they failed to work Gilbertson in the away goal. The home side continued to press but just short of the half hour they were stunned when Preston doubled their lead on the break. Again the damage was done down the right and as the ball was driven along the 6 yard line Gary McCormack slid in to finish comfortably.  
Suddenly the size of the task in front of the Star had multiplied but the players refused to panic, kept their composure and stepped up a gear. As the first half drew to a close they began to make inroads through the Preston defence as Jamie Struthers had a couple of good efforts and Jack Steele went close with a flying header at full length from a Lewis Sloan cross. Two minutes from the break Struthers intercepted a Stuart Robinson shot, cut inside a defender but toe poked the ball wide under pressure.
As we all know the next goal was always going to be crucial and Star came out of the blocks quickly in the second half and within five minutes had halved the deficit. Sam Warren burst down the inside left channel and as everyone waited for him to whip in a cross he dinked in a great ball that picked out Sloan’s run through the middle and he beat the keeper with a clever first time finish just inside the left hand post. Within seconds though the good work was almost undone when Preston went up the park and Osbourne had a great chance with a back post header but he failed to find the target. Star immediately began to pile on the pressure and in the 55th minute they were back on level terms when Steele drilled the ball across the box and there was Struthers on his own at the back post to slide the ball in. The away defence appealed loudly for offside but if you check the photos of this match then you can see he is a couple of yards on, so good decision by the assistant.
The momentum was all with the Star now but Preston dug deep as the match threatened to run away from them. Their defence refused to buckle as the home side tried desperately to take the lead. As the match entered the later stages you felt the next goal could well be the winner and with 13 minutes left Star was hit with a sucker punch. It was route one stuff as keeper Gilbertson launched the ball quickly forward after another Star attack, the ball was flicked on and Ritchie Maxwell was penalised for a challenge on McCormack inside the box as the referee pointed to the spot. There was a worry Maxwell may receive a red card for the foul but thankfully it was only a yellow. Dale O’Hara stepped up to smash the ball home from 12 yards just as he did in the first meeting. As the match entered the closing stages Star threw everything forward to salvage something from the match and Paul Cook replaced Struthers. With 5 minutes left Star again drew level as Warrens inswinging free kick found Steele at the back post towering above the home defence to thump a header past a motionless Gilbertson. Star’s immediate reaction was to get the ball and go all out for a winner and another two substitutes were thrown on with Stuart MacPherson performing as an extra striker.
There was time for one more chance when with 3 minutes left Preston defender Cherrie                failed to control the ball in the area and Cook reacted quickly but could only fire over from a difficult high bouncing ball. In the end the points were shared with both teams thinking what might have been. For Star there is so much to be positive about as this match just shows how difficult this league is and proves what a huge learning curve they are on. This was Preston’s first draw in 13 league matches but for the Star it was the 5th in 11 games and the 3rd in a row. Though Spartans have increased their lead at the top Star are still very much in the hunt.
Next week East Kilbride travel to Islecroft on league duty as Star will be desperate to get back to winning ways to keep the pressure on Spartans but we all know you have to be at your best to win any match in this league.        
DALBEATTIE STAR 3         PRESTON ATHLETIC 3Sloan (50)                       Osbourne (2)Struthers (55)                 McCormack (27)Steele (85)                      O’Hara (77pen)DALBEATTIE STAR: Drysdale, Cameron, Warren, Wells, Maxwell, Dunglinson (Fergusson 85), Struthers (Cook 80), Steele, Milligan, Sloan, Robinson (MacPherson 85)Subs not used: Handling, MartinYellow Cards: Maxwell, DunglinsonPRESTON ATHLETIC: Gilbertson, Stewart (Cherrie 77), O’Hara, Foster (Dodd 74), Morrison, Ramsay, Moore, Osbourne, Reilly (Philp 66), McCormack, DevlinSub not used: RobertsonYellow Cards: Stewart, Foster, McCormackRef: A MacFadyenAssistants: D McGuffie & C Saunders