Supporters at Buffs Park were treated to a cup cracker as The Buffs ran out 3-2 winners against, WOSFL Division 2 side, Muirkirk thanks to goals from Dylan Duncan and a brace from Jack McMahon, including an extra time winner.
Chances were few and far between, for both sides, during the opening stages of the match until some good Buffs football had Mark Lamont free on the edge of the box where he chose to play the overlapping Blair MacIntyre in, but Blair dragged his shot wide of the near post. The kirk dominated most of the early exchanges, but it was The Buffs creating more chances. Lamont found Campbell McLean well with a cross which Campbell chested down, but his shot was tame allowing goalkeeper to push the attempt wide. The visitors’ first real chance of the game arrived around the half hour mark when a poor pass from Ally McInnes in the Buffs goal found the feet of a Muirkirk forward but fortunately for The Buffs his shot went wide of the goal. The Buffs were consistently gifting the away side chances through errors whilst playing out, on one occasion, forcing Ally McInnes into making a great diving save to stop the ball curling into the top left corner of the Buffs net. Thankfully, despite being gifted multiple chances The Kirk were pretty wasteful in front of goal which allowed The Buffs to eventually carve out a clear-cut chance. A rapid counter attack from The Buffs let Campbell McLean slide through Dylan Duncan who outpaced his man before finishing brilliantly into the bottom left corner of the net to score his debut goal and give Buffs, at this point, a fairly undeserved lead heading into the interval.
The Buffs were the quicker of the two to start the second half and Eva Bembo had a glorious chance to extend Buffs’ lead as he shot towards an empty net but The Kirk defender somehow managed to deflect Eva’s effort onto the bar and then back into the goalkeeper’s hands. Dylan Duncan looked dangerous throughout and earned himself a chance to double his tally after beating his man well before firing his shot high and wide of the post. Duncan then had another chance to score after he controlled a cross ball brilliantly before hitting an attempt goalward that was saved well by the Muirkirk number 1. The away side looked to capitalise on a series of missed chances and did so following the breakdown of a free kick. Semple received the ball on the right-hand side and looped a cross into the back post where Dillon McLauchlin leaped highest to finish into the open net. Chances kept on coming for both sides as time went on and some great play between substitutes Aaron Boyd and Nathan Lennox had Josh Winton in who curled one towards the top right, but his shot was saved excellently by an outstretched Cameron Powell, who looked unbeatable throughout. It looked as if The Kirk had the tie wrapped up when a cross from a corner was headed back across goal and into the bottom corner by captain Paul Doyle, to give the away side a shock lead in the dying minutes, but to the home support’s delight there was still some more drama to come. Cammy Kerr lofted a hopeful ball into the Muirkirk box from a free kick which home grown hero Jack McMahon volleyed into the bottom right corner to send the tie into extra time after a chaotic final few minutes.
The Buffs dominated the majority of the first half of extra time and cashed in their domination when Jack McMahon bundled the ball into the back of the net after a goal mouth scramble in the Muirkirk box to reestablish the Buffs’ lead. The game really opened up as it went on and The Kirk had plenty of chances to score a third, but The Buffs defended valiantly to deny any chances of the game going to penalties. Jack McMahon had a brilliant chance to complete his hat trick when Cammy Kerr played him through on goal, but the opposition number 1 stood tall and saved well. Somehow more dram was still in store for spectators at Buffs Park as Muirkirk struck the post from long range with less than a minute remaining. The spectacle was topped off when Aaron Boyd was shown a red card after what looked to be a strange double booking.
It was a thrilling affair at Buffs Park which eventually The Buffs managed to navigate to earn themselves a place in the next round of the South Region Challenge Cup. Next week sees The Buffs welcome Renfrew in an important league match.
Elsewhere on the day seen ex-Buffs striker Ross Stewart come on for Southampton to make his Premier League debut against Manchester United in what would’ve been undoubtedly an incredible moment for Rosco who is fondly remembered by Buffs fans from his time scoring goals at Abbey Park. Stewart becomes the first ex-buffs player to ever grace the Premier League following his 12 million pound sale to Southampton from Sunderland last summer.
