• Home
• » Reports » Pollok match abandoned due to injury

Pollok match abandoned due to injury

Gary Hailstones final match in charge of The F.P’s ended in unusual circumstances when their CSAFL Premier Division clash against Pollok AFC had to be abandoned due to a serious looking injury to one of the Pollok players with 20 minutes of the match remaining and the score line sitting all square at 1-1. Hailstones also found himself having to pull on the boots again and name himself as a sub on the day as for various reasons namely work commitments, holidays and a one game suspension to utility player David McCluskey, the F.P’s found themselves down to only 13 signed players available on the day. Pollok started well and probably shaded the early exchanges with Ross Gallagher squandering a gilt edged chance as early as the 2^nd minute. The F.P’s Gary Miller had the Pollok keeper Gary Bishop backtracking anxiously on 10 minutes as his 30 yard lob flew only a yard over the Pollok crossbar. With a quarter of an hour on the clock, Pollok’s David Devine fired a good effort just over Paul O’Hara’s crossbar from 16 yards after a breakdown in communication between the keeper and his full back David Napier allowed the Pollok striker the chance. 5 minutes later and Devine again could easily have put the visitors in front as they piled on the pressure when he should have done better with a header from 6 yards after a superb cross from Ross Gallagher from out wide. During this period of pressure from Pollok the best the F.P’s could muster was a Brett Ansell volley from the edge of the 18 yard box which flew high over the Pollok crossbar. Pollok continued to come forward in numbers especially down the flanks and they eventually took the lead on 32 minutes when Robert Paterson fired superbly past O’Hara into the corner of the net after good work out wide involving Ross Gallagher and Martin Jones.

At half time F.P’s coach John Inglis urged the F.P’s players to show more confidence when in possession and to stop giving the ball away cheaply and the chances would come and to be fair it was a much more F.P’s like approach to the 2^nd period with Stevie Murdoch coming close with a stunning drive 10 minutes in which took the slightest of deflections which took the ball inches past the Pollok keeper’s left half post for a corner. Only 5 minutes later and the F.P’s pulled themselves level and after good work involving Brett Ansell and Scott Donald, the latter slipped the ball inside to Gary Miller who weaved inside Pollok defender Alan Jones before unleashing an unstoppable drive from 25 yards which sailed into the roof of the net with keeper Gary Bishop well beaten. Pollok then had to replace influential central defender Gary Sheridan with Colin Hamilton and The F.P’s continued to press with Scott McLaughlan who fired over and a goal bound curled effort from Stevie Murdoch superbly tipped over by Bishop both coming close to putting the F.P’s in front in the match. Unfortunately, a bad injury to Pollok player Ross Gallagher with 20 minutes remaining resulted in the match being abandoned as the game had been stopped for a prolonged period of time as an ambulance had been called to deal with the injury to the player.

F.P’s manager Gary Hailstones was understandably disappointed with the circumstances in which his final game in charge was brought to a conclusion and stated

“Obviously everyone at The F.P’s hopes the Pollok lad is ok and we’ve since heard the injury isn’t as bad as first feared so that is good news. We’ve been in the same circumstances before ourselves so we fully understand that if the referee feels the need for whatever reason to call a halt to proceedings then we have to abide by his decision. From our point of view it happened at the other side of the pitch a good distance away from our touchline and it looked like 2 committed players going in hard and fair to win a 50/50 ball. We’ve all been in the game long enough to see these things happen but it’s obviously good to hear that the injury is not as bad as everyone feared it was. It’s not the way I planned my last game in charge to end but after 6 years or so in charge it’s time for Gus Boyle and John and Wullie Inglis to take over and I’d just like to thank them and all the players who been here over the years for their help and support and I’m sure the club will continue to thrive and improve year after year. I’ll certainly be checking the results out every week. “

Next Saturday, The F.P’s are at home to Ashvale Victoria who currently sit 3^rd in the Premier Division behind joint leaders Drumchapel United andColvillePark after a good start to their season. This match is a2pm kick off at The King George the V Park in Wishaw.