Today Carluke travelled the short distance to Stonehouse to play Royal Albert in this West of Scotland League game. Rovers were hoping to maintain their recent good form against a side below them in the table.

However the game was to be heavily influenced by the playing surface which was even bumpier than usual as it had been played on in the morning before the game. Although the pitch was the same for both teams it was more suited to Royal Albert’s style of play than the ball playing players that are smattered through the Carluke ranks.

As the game got underway Carluke were first to show when a cross by Dom Small found Josh Bell whose volley was pulled just wide of the far post. Then a slip in the middle of the park by a Carluke midfielder saw possession given away and the rare sight of a couple of passes saw the Albert No10 through on goal and his shot was powerfully hit into the back of the net. 1-0 to Royal Albert in the 13th minute.

This was a setback for Carluke which was further compounded 4 minutes later when the Ref awarded a very soft penalty when, due to the unevenness of the pitch, the ball bounced up and hit a Rovers player on the arm as he attempted to clear it. The spot kick was duly converted by the Albert player to make the score 2-0.

As it turned out this penalty in the 17th minute was to be Royal Albert’s last serious attempt on goal and Carluke were to fair not much better as the pressed to get back into the game. A free kick whipped in by Connor McKenzie went just past the far post in the 42nd minute was to be the closest effort for Carluke as they strived for a goal before halftime. However the half ended with Royal Albert in the driving seat 2-0 up.

Carluke started the second half on the front foot but Royal Albert were determined to protect their lead and were happy just to clear their lines. For all Carluke’s endeavours the closest they came was in the 55th minute. This was during a period of sustained pressure in the Albert box with Rovers moving the ball from left to right in an attempt to find an opening. The ball finally found it’s way to Christy Lawlor whose shot was heading in until it was brilliantly saved by the Royal Albert keeper.

Apart from a Connor McKenzie effort in the 78th minute that went just past the post there was not much more action in either goalmouth and the game petered out to a 2-0 victory for Royal Albert. This result was a blow to Carluke’s efforts to stay in the Division and they now need to go on a really good run to achieve their objective.

Next week Carluke are at home to Finnart in a game they have to look to take 3 points from.

Westcoast Storage and Removal Limited
Rovers Man of the Match
Ayden McCormack

Photography by Kevin Ramage