Lanark United 1-1 Glasgow Perthshire: Lanark co boss Simon Eeles laments conceding soft equaliser

Lanark United were on course for only a third league win of the season when they took the lead against Glasgow Perthshire on Saturday.
With upgrade work at Moor Park continuing (pictured), United played Saturday's league game at John Cumming Stadium (Pic courtesy of Lanark United)With upgrade work at Moor Park continuing (pictured), United played Saturday's league game at John Cumming Stadium (Pic courtesy of Lanark United)
With upgrade work at Moor Park continuing (pictured), United played Saturday's league game at John Cumming Stadium (Pic courtesy of Lanark United)

Gary Campbell tapped United ahead from five yards in the first half of a ‘home’ fixture for the Yowes, which was being played at John Cumming Stadium as repair works continue on Moor Park which remains out of bounds due to the damaging effects of Storm Arwen in November.

But Perthshire fought back to level through an own goal just a few minutes later, meaning this West of Scotland League Conference C clash finished 1-1 and moved United onto 10 points from 24 games.

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"The conditions were horrendous,” United co manager Simon Eeles told the Carluke and Lanark Gazette.

"Carluke is not great at the best of times with the wind. But on Saturday you can only imagine what it was like.

"The ball was going out so much and it was hard to get it back in. It was stop/start, stop/start so it wasn’t conducive to great football on Saturday.

"For their equaliser, our keeper David Cherrie collided with one of their players and we tried to hook the ball off the line but didn’t manage to get it.

"So we could probably have defended it a little bit better.

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"It was disappointing because we gave them very few opportunities.

"I felt we had been quite comfortable in the game. The second half was very similar to last week in that we dominated for long periods of the game but just didn’t create enough chances.

“That’s something we’re going to have to address quickly.”

Saturday’s draw moves bottom club Lanark onto 10 points from 24 matches ahead of this Saturday’s league trip to second placed Drumchapel United, with kick-off at 2pm.

"That’s obviously a really difficult game,” Eeles said. “Drumchapel have got a really good side, they’ve got lots of quality throughout their team.

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"But it’s one we’re looking forward to. We’ve got them and then we’ve got Rob Roy in the West Cup the week after so it’s two quality sides.

"Ultimately this is the type of games our players want to play in, really good tests that are coming up.”

Eeles also provided an update on the ongoing renovation works at Moor Park, with hopes that United will be able to play this season’s remaining two home league games there.

"A demolition crew’s been in,” he said. “They’ve started taking stuff away.

"So there’s a lot of work going on at the ground this week.

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"Hopefully it’s looking more positive. With stuff getting done, hopefully we’ll get the park safe to complete our home fixtures this season.”

Unsurprisingly, the torrential rain to hit Scotland in the days and hours leading up to last Saturday’s fixtures meant waterlogging was rife and led to the postponement of the scheduled fixtures involving the three other Clydesdale teams.

Forth Wanderers’ home game against Lesmahagow Juniors in Conference A and Newmains v Carluke Rovers in Conference B were both off.

League fixtures this Saturday are: Bellshill Athletic v Forth, Girvan v Lesmahagow, Carluke v Cambuslang Rangers.

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