450th appearance for Johnson

Football

Greenlaw 3
Langholm Legion 2

LEGION let a two-goal lead slip but the tide turned early in the second half and they were unable to retrieve their lead.
Legion were looking to continue their fine recent form in the league.
Goalkeeper Derek Johnson made his 450th appearance for the club and it was good to see Calum Ireland back after a lengthy spell out.
On a warm day and on one of the best, if not biggest pitches in the league, Legion were missing a few more experienced players but started brightly and took the lead within 10 minutes.
From a well-worked corner kick Craig Cuthbert found Ali Little who lost his marker and met Cuthbert’s low cross first time and his shot flew past the keeper.
Midway through the first half Legion extended their lead. After an Ali Little low drive, which was palmed away, Davie Borthwick squared the rebound across the box and Aidan Wilson smashed the ball home to claim his first goal for the club.
Greenlaw pushed forward and came close when a superb 20-yard strike crashed off the cross bar.
With five minutes to go, a long pass split the Legion defence and the Greenlaw striker latched onto it.
He dragged the ball across the front of the goal for his strike partner to slot home from 10 yards.
In the second half Legion tried to grab that vital third goal to restore their two-goal cushion but 10 minutes into the half the scores were level.
After good link-up play by the Greenlaw strikers, the ball was volleyed past the helpless Johnson in goal.
The tide had turned, and Legion now battled to stay on level terms but conceded a third goal.
Legion will feel that, on more than one occasion, the ball should have been cleared because Greenlaw scored an almost identical goal to their first.
Legion tried to respond and Barry Rayson came close, firstly with a header which cleared the cross-bar and then a long distance drive which was turned away for a corner.
With five minutes left, a header was blocked on the line and Borthwick came within inches of levelling when he flicked the loose ball goalbound, only for it to be frantically cleared by the home defence.
Legion kept on pushing but, in the end, they could not muster a leveller.
Barry Henderson, manager, said: “One thing to take out of the game is that, despite missing some key players, the lads who pulled on the shirt showed we could compete with one of the better teams in the division.”

Match Sponsor:
James Blackburn.

Team: D Johnson, C Pool, I Little, F Dell, C Ewart, A Wilson, B Rayson, C Cuthbert, A Little, S Collins, D Borthwick. Subs: C Ireland, R Hotson,
S Cook (all used).