Carluke welcomed BSC Glasgow to the John Cumming Stadium for the first ever meeting of these two teams. As in previous weeks the weather was perfect for good football and in the first half the visitors certainly produced some.

The game got underway with Carluke fielding four new faces in goalkeeper Lewis Sanderson, midfielder John Hetherton and forwards Gavin Goodall and Jay Blair. The first chance of the game fell to BSC when in the 8th minute their No8 cut in from the right and shot low and hard forcing a great save by keeper Lewis Sanderson who got a hand to it directing it past the post. Then in 21 minutes a good run down the right wing by BSC saw the ball crossed in but the header from their No7 hit the bar and was cleared to safety.

Carluke were riding their luck at this stage and it was no surprise when in the 33rd minute BSC took the lead. A corner from the right was met flush by the head of their No5 and his bullet header went into the roof of the net. 0-1 to BSC. This goal had been coming and BSC continued to press looking for a second and it duly arrived in the 35th minute. A freekick was awarded 25 yards out and the BSC No10 duly dispatched it into the top corner giving the keeper no chance 0-2.

This lead was no more than they deserved at this stage but Carluke were contributing to their own downfall with the goals they were conceding. This was further highlighted right before halftime when from a Carluke corner BSC broke and the same No10 found himself one on one with a Rovers defender. He had the pace and strength to get away and calmly slotted his shot past Sanderson in the Carluke goal. This was to be the last kick of the first half and BSC duly went in with a comfortable 3-0 lead.

As the second half got underway Rovers manager Thomas Devine made several changes giving some of the new starts a rest and bringing on Jamie Murphy, Christy Lawlor and Josh Bell. This was to help freshen things up and Carluke gave a better account of themselves in the second half.

However it was BSC who were to strike first when their No8 latched onto a through ball and calmly placed his effort past the Rovers keeper to give them an unassailable 4-0 lead. To Rovers credit they never let the heads drop and continued to try and find a way through a resolute BSC defence. They finally got a break in the 76th minute. A good cross by William McGlone to the backpost was collected by Dom Small on the bye line just before it went out and he managed to cut it back to Josh Fullarton who had the easiest of tasks and duly rolled the ball into the empty net. 1-4.

The second half was a more even contest but again it was BSC who were clinical with their chances on goal. A cross from the right was met by their No6 and his glancing header in the 81st minute went in off the far post giving Sanderson in the Carluke goal no chance. 1-5. The Rovers weren’t finished though and in the 84th minute scored the best goal of the game. Dom Small collected the ball on the left and went on a mazy run past 3 BSC players before threading a lovely pass through to Christy Lawlor. He in turn collected the ball and rounded the BSC keeper before rolling the ball into the empty net to make the final score Carluke Rovers 2 BSC Glasgow 5.

To put things in context the first half performance by BSC was as good as anything we have seen this season but Rovers stuck to their task and with so many new faces it will take time for the players gel and in some cases regain their match fitness and the future is looking bright. Next week Rovers are at home against Saltcoats Victoria and again expect a difficult game in what is a competitive league.

Photography by Kevin Ramage