McGillivray Treble Secures Dramatic Passage as Young North Kelvin Push Hosts to the Limit

Hugh Dunnitt – Special report

Toryglen Thistle scraped into the next round of the cup yesterday, defeating a relentless North Kelvin 21s side 4-3 in a chaotic match that saw the hosts reduced to ten men for the final half-hour.

What began as a routine afternoon for Thistle turned into a desperate defensive battle, culminating in a deserved, yet nerve-wracking, victory that owed as much to sheer grit as it did to attacking flair.

McGillivray: The Match Winner

The star of the show for Toryglen was undoubtedly McGillivray, who netted a crucial hat-trick across the 90 minutes (30′, 50′, 86′). His final, decisive strike, coming late in the game, settled the tie just as the North Kelvin fightback threatened to overwhelm the home defence.

Thistle’s other goal came courtesy of MacGregor (46′), just seconds into the second half, briefly establishing a two-goal cushion.

However, the impressive young North Kelvin outfit consistently found responses, matching Thistle’s scoring spree with goals in the 46′, 53′, and 80′ minutes. Every time Thistle seemed to pull clear, the 21s dragged themselves back into contention.

The Red Card Crisis

The game’s pivotal moment arrived in the second half when Lindsay was dismissed, leaving the home side to defend their narrow lead with ten men.

“A game that was comfortable for majority was made hard when we went down to 10 men with 30 or so to play,” a Thistle source admitted post-match.

The decision injected belief into the North Kelvin ranks, allowing them to dictate play and apply sustained pressure. It took a monumental effort from the remaining Thistle players to withstand the onslaught, relying on committed tackles and last-ditch blocks to see out the result.

Grit and Compliments

Credit must go to both sides. Thistle’s “lads dug deep and got the win,” proving their mental toughness in adverse conditions. Meanwhile, North Kelvin 21s earned high praise from their opponents, who lauded them as “a very good young side that will do very well” this season.

Toryglen Thistle now march on, but the manner of this victory serves as a stern warning: future progress will require the kind of commitment shown in the final, frantic moments of this dramatic cup tie.

FINAL SCORE: TORYGLEN THISTLE 4 – 3 NORTH KELVIN 21s