Carluke Rovers welcomed St Peters from Paisley to the John Cumming Stadium today for this West Of Scotland league match. Carluke had won the reverse fixture earlier in the season but it had been a tight affair and this match was to prove no different.

There was a fresh breeze blowing across the pitch which gave St Peters a slight advantage in the first half. With the league being so competitive and very little between almost all the teams it was no surprise that the game started quietly. It took till the 11th minute for the first attempt on goal and it came from Carluke. Mikey Downes slipped in Jacob MacEachen, who was making his first start, but the striker pulled his shot just wide of the far post.

Then in 22 minutes St Peters could and should have taken the lead. A corner from the left was headed onto the Rovers bar before being cleared but it was picked up by St Peters and a shot from 18 yards also cannoned off the bar before being cleared to safety.

At this stage of the game St Peters were playing the better football and were definitely in the ascendancy. The woodwork came to Carluke’s rescue again in the 32nd minute when a slip up in the Rovers defence allowed St Peters to gain possession. The ball got crossed to the winger who took a touch before shooting across Garry Black in the Carluke goal but the ball struck the far post before being cleared.

This was another escape for Rovers but their luck was to run out in the 38th minute. Lewis Kenmore picked the ball up inside the Rovers half. He carried it forward and attempted to pass it wide but it rebounded off a Rovers player back into his own path with a clear shot at goal. He duly took the effort with his left foot and it crept in at the keepers’ near post. 0-1 to St Peters.

A couple of half chances fell St Peters way before halftime but the score remained 0-1 and Carluke knew there had to be an improvement in their second half performance if they were to get anything out of this game.

Indeed Rovers came out and played with more intensity in the second half. In the 50th minute Mikey Downs had an effort that was saved by Conor Thomson in the St Peters goal. The second half was a much more even affair and Rovers were to starting to find room down the flanks. Just after the hour mark they got an equaliser. Good work by Ross Steele saw the midfielder place a well timed pass into the stride of Jacob MacEachen and the young striker fired in a shot from an angle. It was close to the Keeper but the power meant he could only parry it into his own net and Rovers were level.

The same player, Jacob MacEachen nearly gave Rovers the lead when a long clearance found the striker on the right hand side. He moved in on goal but unfortunately he pulled his effort just wide of the left hand post. Rovers were to rue this spurned opportunity when only a minute later St Peters regained the lead. A long throw in to the middle of the Rovers goalmouth was not dealt with and in the ensuing scramble Jamie Millar poked the ball over the Carluke goal line. 1-2 to St Peters.

Both teams went for the next goal but the game was effectively ended as a contest when the ever reliable Olly Grenfell was sent off. The centre half got disposed outside the box and pulled the St Peters striker back when he was through on goal. As last man the Referee had no alternative but to send him off. This was to be the last meaningful action in the game and St Peters ran out the winners by 2 goals to one.

Carluke are on a bad run at the moment and they can only dust themselves down and look to finish the season on a high starting with an away game next Saturday against Rossvale with a 1:30pm kickoff.

Photography by Kevin Ramage