Dumbarton & Vale of Leven Reporter | Sport | MISSED CHANCES WERE HORRENDOUS

Tuesday, 6th January, 2009

Published: Tuesday, 26th February, 2008 10:00

MISSED CHANCES WERE HORRENDOUS

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Vale of Leven 1 Shettleston 2

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MARCHING ORDERS: Gourlay’s red card was the turning point of the game

VALE boss Hugh Hamill blasted his shot shy troops after a third home defeat in a row has left his side trailing in the title race.

His side got off to a great start — taking the lead inside 10 minutes — but after Alan Gourlay saw red Shettleston took full advantage while Hamill watched his side pass up several gilt edged chances to salvage at least a point.

Gaffer Hamill said: “It was horrendous. I am so hacked off with dominating games and not winning them. It really is wearing me down.

“Every game we create plenty of chances but we don’t score enough goals. I have good players who have scored for fun in other seasons but it hasn’t happened this time.

“We are now running out of games and if we don’t get out of that league, well I just can’t face another season in Divison Two.”

Vale went ahead in the seventh minute when Jack Buchanan won then duly dispatched a free kick high into the net with the keeper well beaten.

Buoyed by this start, Vale continued to dominate the first half. The visiting Shettleston keeper did well to repel efforts from Dougie Wilson and it seemed a second was in the offing.

But shortly before half-time Gourlay picked up a yellow card for beating the ball away and this was soon to come back to haunt him. A minute into the second half, Gourlay collected a second yellow — in part thanks to streetwise behaviour from Shettleston’s Billy Shand.

Manager Hugh Hamill rang the changes to shore up the defence but they were soon left exposed. A long ball into the box deceived keeper Matt Carr as it held up in the wind. His attempted punch fell kindly to William Da Silva who fired through a ruck of players.

And on 55 minutes, Shand further haunted the Millburn men when he struck the winner.

From then on, Vale created plenty of chances to equalise, including one effort hacked off the line.The defeat leaves Vale in third place, trailing Forth Wanderers and Cambuslang Rangers.

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