GFR 1
SELKIRK 2
FERRARI PACKAGING LOWLAND LEAGUE
Selkirk came from behind to consign a depleted Gala team to defeat at Netherdale despite Kieran Ainslie’s early opener. The home side had many chances to put the game to bed while one up but their profligacy was punished by a Selkirk team chasing a top six finish. Selkirk almost broke the deadlock just six minutes in with former St Johnstone striker George Hunter rattling the post from six yards with an acrobatic flick from Sean McKirdy’s cross. Soon enough Gala fired back with their own chance, Fraser Neave shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box on nine minutes with the new GFR signing keen to get one over on his former club. Neave played a crucial part in the eighteenth minute Gala opener with a deep corner landing right on his toes at the back post and he put a wonderful cross back in for Kieran Ainslie to leap highest and plant a wonderful header beyond Gregor Amos. Selkirk came within a great Lewis Muir save of equalising just two minutes after the goal but the Gala stopper got down well to tip George Hunter’s stinging drive past the post. Home defender Lee Stephen took a bad injury after twenty-five minutes with scans later confirming that he has fractured his ankle and will miss a considerable number of matches. Everyone at the club wishes Lee a speedy recovery. Gala really should have stretched their lead on forty-four minutes with Ross Aitchison’s tantalising cutback landing at the feet of Stuart Noble inside the six yard box but his shot rolled wide under severe pressure from both Amos in goal and Selkirk defender Ricky Miller. With sixty minutes on the clock another chance presented itself with Stuart Noble’s angled drive coming within millimetres of the net, instead smashing back off the post. Selkirk equalised five minutes later with captain David Banjo making his way into the box well and firing a powerful shot beyond the helpless Muir. Both teams piled forward in search of a winner making the final minutes end-to-end and exciting, with both keepers making good saves to keep the scores level. Perhaps the best save came on eighty-six minutes, with Lewis Muir once again sprawling to his left to claw away Phil Addison’s goal-bound drive. Selkirk’s endeavour payed off late in the day, with former Hearts youth player Dale Baxter clinically placing the ball past Muir deep into stoppage time. GFR: Muir, Stephen (Craigie 26’), Main, Aitchison ©, Ainslie, Miller, Watson, Noble, Neave, Berry (Rose 86’), Heugh.