It was a sunny but cold Sunday morning at Auldhouse as Giffnock Over 40s welcomed Hamilton Palace in an entertaining contest.

Match Report

Giffnock controlled the early stages of the game but couldn’t quite trouble the Hamilton keeper despite their dominance in possession and territory.

At the other end, Giffnock number one Murray was called into action and produced a great save from a curling chipped effort that looked destined for goal.

The breakthrough eventually came when Willie Stewart put Giffnock 1–0 up with a great cross come shot that drifted dangerously into the corridor of uncertainty, leaving the keeper helpless as it found the net – 1–0 Giffnock.

Giffnock continued to press forward and Gordy cut inside two men before striking a powerful effort from the edge of the box that rattled the crossbar.

A good cross from Barry then picked out Marty, but his header drifted just wide of the post. Marty had another opportunity shortly afterwards but his shot from the edge of the box sailed well over the bar.

The home side did get their second soon after. Marty, with time and space, threaded a through ball to Kev, who showed great composure to produce a lovely chipped finish over the keeper. 2–0 Giffnock.

Giffnock’s pressure continued and Willie again made his mark on the game. After great pressing and tackling to win possession, he unleashed an unstoppable strike from around 30 yards that flew into the net. 3–0 Giffnock.

Hamilton did threaten before the break with some nice play that led to their striker firing a shot just over the bar.

Half-Time – Giffnock SC 3 Hamilton Palace 0

The home side almost added a fourth early in the second half. A great cross from PJ found Barry at the back post, but his header from close range just cleared the bar.

Hamilton Palace pulled one back when a ball played in behind the Giffnock left allowed their midfielder to cross for Stokes, who finished from close range. 3–1 !!!!

Hamilton began to grow into the game and looked a different side after the interval. Another nice move saw Giffnock goalkeeper Murray make another excellent save to keep the visitors at bay.

A quick Hamilton breakaway then saw their striker unlucky not to divert a dangerous pass into the back of the net, while moments later Hamilton went close again with a powerful shot from distance that struck the crossbar.

Giffnock responded well and restored their three–goal cushion. Marty played a well-weighted ball through to Givvy, who finished nicely to make it 4–1 to Giffnock.

Hamilton Palace weren’t finished though and pulled another goal back when a ball to the edge of the box was cut back for Cal, who produced a good finish. 4–2 !!!!

Giffnock substitute Rookie was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet when his curling effort crashed off the bar.

Hamilton continued to play some nice football late on and had another effort that drifted just wide, but Giffnock saw the game out.

Full Time – Giffnock SC 4 Hamilton Palace 2

Overall it was a very good first fifty-five minutes for Giffnock, where they controlled the game and built a strong lead. However, a sloppy last half hour saw them cause a few problems for themselves.

A good win for the team, but performance levels will need to be raised next week when they face Weirs.