FirParkCorner FC Stumble On

Last updated : 24 September 2006 By Fraz

FirParkCorner 2-2 Athletico Bilbino

The Corner dropped their first points of the season at home to Stirling counterparts Athletico Bilbino after twice being pegged back and eventually succumbing to a last-minute equaliser.

FPC took the lead in the first half through Darryn Alexander, who kept up his remarkable scoring record for the season when his head connected to an in-swinging corner from Michael Anderson to leave the visiting goalkeeper helpless.

Bilbino equalised before half time when the FPC defence typically failed to deal with a cross. The ball dropped to a striker on the penalty spot and he made no mistake in blasting the ball into the net.


Into the second half, the home side regained their lead. Ross Clark grabbed his second goal of the season when Ross Galloway slid the ball to Gerry Maguire who flicked the ball delightfully into Clark's path. He made no mistake in drilling low into the corner of the net.


Just when it seemed like the perfect start to the season was set to continue, the Corner lost yet another scrappy goal, this time in injury time. A tricky right winger was allowed to round both Philip Speedie and Tony O'Neill, before drilling the ball off the inside of the post. The defence was slow to react and a striker was on hand to stab the ball home.

FPC will be disappointed to have dropped points at this early stage of the season as they now have to play catch-up in the Championship race.


Arab FC 4-2 FirParkCorner

FirParkCorner FC recorded another poor result this week in Dundee and are now adrift in the race for the title. Despite missing several first-team players, the Motherwell side were still confident of picking up a much-needed three points to get their season back on track.


However, with the game less than a minute old, they found themselves behind, when a striker finished off a decent move from close range. There was a quick reply from the Corner through Davie Tonner a minute later. He poked past the keeper into the far corner of the net. Two goals in the first three minutes certainly made for an entertaining match but did nothing to help the manager's blood pressure!


Shortly afterwards, FPC were unlucky not to have grabbed the lead. Malcolm Boyd let fly from twenty yards to leave the goalkeeper helpless but the full-back could only watch in despair as the ball crashed off the bar, bounced on the goal-line then hit the bar again.


The tide was turning the way of the Corner and it wasn't long before they grabbed their second. Michael Anderson swung in a deep cross from the right, Davie Tonner failed to connect to it but the bounce of the ball deceived the keeper as it sailed into the corner of the net.


The home side grabbed the crucial equaliser just before the interval, as the winger cut the ball back from the bye-line to allow an onrushing midfielder a free shot at goal from eighteen yards. The defence did well to block the initial effort but the ball was eventually scrambled over the line to send the sides in level at the break.


The second half was barely a minute old when FPC signalled their intention to go for the three points with the home goalkeeper denying David Fraser with a brilliant save from point-blank range.


The home side then took the lead against the run of play as FPC typically failed to deal with a high ball to allow a striker an easy finish. The Motherwell lads soon realised it wasn't going to be their day as a corner of their own resulted in the ball landing at the feet of Ross Cunningham six inches from the goal-line, but the rest of the Corner boys could only watch in disbelief as he screwed his effort wide of the post.

As the visitors piled more men forward in an attempt to snatch an equaliser, their misery was compounded five minutes from time as the Dundee side scored a fourth from a breakaway. Ross Galloway was robbed in the home penalty area and a sweeping move resulted in a tap-in to seal the points.

Four games into the season and FPC have already failed to win two of them - hardly the form of real league challengers and the news of drawing Scottish Champions Real Maroon in the first round of the British Cup has seen confidence in the camp plummet to an all-time low. Fraser will have to motivate his troops to bounce back next week in a welcome break from league action in order to lift the morale in the camp and get the season back on track.