Carluke were playing at their temporary home in Coatbridge, courtesy of Albion Rovers. The pitch was grass but it was in very good condition for the time of the year.

It only took Carluke three minutes to create their first effort and first chance. A run down the left and the ball was crossed by Ben Rennie and the resultant shot was fumbled by the keeper and pounced on by Mikey Downs. But although the ball was in the net, the ref blew for offside.

Carluke were the dominant team in the first half without creating too many chances, but that changed in the 34th minute. A free kick was crossed in by Nicky Prentice, where it was met by the head of Ollie Grenfell. The defenders’ powerful header was cleared off the line, but it hit off the unfortunate Kyle Dalziel and ended up in the back of his own net. 1-0 to Carluke.

In the 37th minute, Giffnock had a rare attack down the left wing. Their winger cut in and tried to slide the ball into the far post, but it went just wide. That was more or less the end of the action in the first half.

Carluke started the second half knowing that they needed a cushion of a second goal and it nearly came in the 50th minute. A corner for Carluke was cleared, but only as far as Kyle McAdam. His 25-yard effort skimmed off the top of the bar and went to safety.

The second goal finally arrived just after the hour mark, albeit through a soft penalty. A Rovers corner was cleared but picked up by Ross Steele. The midfielder had his back to goal and appeared to be bundled over. The ref gave the penalty and the same player duly converted. 2-0 to Carluke.

At 2-0 down, Giffnock pushed more men forward and came more into the game, creating a couple of chances. At the same time though, they were leaving spaces at the back that Carluke were keen to exploit. Ben Rennie went on a mazy run past a couple of Giffnock players, but his powerful shot was well saved by Taylor Heard in the Giffnock goal.

However, with just about the last kick of the game, a break down the right wing saw Rovers striker Mikey Downs through on goal and his shot from the angle about 15 yards out went in at the far post. 3-0 to Carluke and the game over.

This was a good result for Carluke to get back to winning ways, but a trip to an improving Wishaw team next Saturday will be another tough test in this competitive division.

Photography by Kevin Ramage