Pollok’s reward for their narrow win over Giffnock was an away trip to Bellshill Athletic in the second round of the West of Scotland Cup, and it was another close one at Rockburn Park as the Lok required a 91st minute winner from Forde to win the match.
Maxi made four changes from the side beaten by Drumchapel the previous Saturday. Truesdale replaced Fry in goal with Nelson, Gallacher and Lapsley coming in for Faulds, O’Kane and McPhie. There was also a tweak in formation with Nelson and Gallacher playing wide in a midfield four and Docherty playing more through the middle as a strike partner to Forde.
The opening seconds saw a nasty challenge on Forde. From the free-kick Pollok worked the ball down the right and Lapsley curled in a low cross which Forde flicked over the bar.
The away side were dominating possession in the early stages and a ball into the box found Gow, but he couldn’t quite get the ball under control and he left it for Nelson to strike a low volley just wide of the post.
Nelson was heavily involved again just before the quarter hour mark. Truesdale claimed a free-kick into the box and set Nelson away with a quick throw out. He made significant progress down the right touchline before crossing. A defender got a block in but the ball fell for Bain who curled an effort inches wide of the far post.
Truesdale set another attack in motion in the nineteenth minute, this time with a long ball straight down the park. Docherty got on the end of it but Murdoch was off his line quickly to narrow the angle and deflect Docherty’s shot behind.
The home side had worked their way into the game without really threatening until the 38th minute. Main lost possession in midfield as he looked to set another attack in motion. A clever pass through the Pollok rear-guard found Markey who opened the scoring with a composed finish.
Pollok tried their best to get back on level terms before the interval but saw a Main header go wide, a Docherty shot well saved at the expense of a corner and then a Gow header comfortably saved.
HALF-TIME: BELLSHILL ATHLETIC 1 – 0 POLLOK
The travelling support were looking for a reaction in the second half and whatever Maxi said to the players during the interval obviously worked. A well-constructed move saw them level four minutes after the restart. Great work by Duncanson in retaining possession allowed him to play it to Docherty in space. He produced a perfectly weighted reverse pass and Forde rounded Murdoch and slotted home.
A Bain cross was then diverted wide by Main on the stretch as Pollok started to pin the home side back. A clever free-kick from Forde which bounced just in front of Murdoch was spilled by the keeper but he did well to recover and flick the ball away to prevent Nelson from scoring off the rebound.
Nelson was not to be denied for long though and scored in the next attack. A Lapsley pass found Nelson in space and he produced an excellent finish in off the post from a very tight angle.
Pollok’s hopes of going on to a comfortable win were quickly dashed by a Bellshill equaliser two minutes later. Gow’s partial clearance was returned to the edge of the box where Fraser took a touch before sending a stunning, looping volley over Truesdale and into the net.
With something to hold on to again the Bellshill defence made life difficult for Pollok as they struggled to create clear-cut chances. As the game entered its’ final ten minutes Smith – on for the injured Forrester – headed a Forde free-kick wide and then saw a header from a Bain free-kick tipped round the post.
As the clock ticked past the ninety-minute mark both benches were no doubt starting to think about which five players would be selected to take a penalty, but Pollok hadn’t given up on finding a winner as Duncanson found Nelson with a pass out of defence. With Docherty making a run inside to create some space, Nelson threaded a wonderful ball through to Forde who slipped the ball past Murdoch from a tight angle. That strike was Forde’s 119th for Pollok, taking him past club legend Bryan Dingwall to sixth in the all-time list and the highest Pollok scorer of the 21st century.
The away side should really have added a fourth before the end when Lapsley sprinted clear. He had Docherty and Forde in support but Murdoch was out quick and blocked his shot.
FULL TIME: BELLSHILL ATHLETIC 2 – 3 POLLOK
Man of the Match: Adam Forde
Report by Peter Thomson
Highlights and post-match interview, sponsored by Scottish Property Centre:
