Division Four champions have been confirmed. Congratulations to Clydesdale 5th XI!
In division one, it was an exciting match at Windyedge as title challenger’s Western 3rd XI were pushed all the way by Hillhead 4th XI. The two sides swapped goals throughout the game but Western edged it 4-3 in the end. The same could not be said for the other Hillhead vs. Western match as Hillhead 3rd XI demolished Western 4th XI 13-0. This result confirms the relegation of Western 4th XI after only one season in the topflight. However, Uddingston 3rd XI managed a big win over Giffnock this weekend which keeps their hopes of survival alive. A 5-1 victory means they can still survive but will need to continuing winning these kinds of matches from their remaining four games. Elsewhere, Clydesdale 3rd XI kept the pressure on Western with a routine win over Helensburgh, whilst Kelburne 3rd XI managed to hold Rottenrow to a 1-1 draw.
It was a shock result in division two as relegation threatened Greenock 2nd XI overcame title contenders GHK 5-3. GHK were leading 2-1 at half time but Greenock managed four second half goals to give them the much needed three points. A double from Stuart Smart and from Ross Peterson helped Greenock secure the win. Clydesdale 4th XI maintained top spot in the division after a gritty 1-0 win away in Dumfries. It was a tight game that was 0-0 at half time but Clydesdale got the all-important goal that took home three points.
In division three, Helensburgh 2nd XI and Uddingston 5th XI shared the points at Hermitage Academy. Helensburgh took an early 2-0 lead but couldn’t hold on as Uddingston’s experience was complimented by some exciting young players to finish the game at 2-2. Uddingston remain seven points adrift at the bottom but with several games still to play, they aren’t out of the division yet. Strathclyde University 2nd XI closed the gap on first placed Kelburne 4th XI after a 5-1 victory over Hillhead 6th XI. A tight first half ended 1-1 but the student’s fitness proved to be the deciding factor as they went on the score four without reply in the second half.
Clydesdale 5th XI will steal the headlines, however. After a close fought 3-2 win over Hillhead 8th XI, they secured the division four title with three games to spare. Unsurprisingly, Finlay Dunlop was on the scoresheet for the winners again, topping the division scoring charts – now on eighteen for the season. Hillhead 7th XI played Dumfries 2nd XI in a double header this weekend, with the away sides winning on both occasions. The Saturday game was a 4-3 win for Dumfries in Glasgow, whilst Hillhead went to Dumfries on Sunday and won 4-0. Helensburgh 3rd XI also played on Sunday, defeating Giffnock 2nd XI 5-3, with a Mark Findlay hat-trick helping Helensburgh take home three points.
