Largs Thistle 4 Troon 2


Largs overcame Troon in a six goal thriller played in good spirits at Barrfields Park to round off the league season for both sides.
The match had been rescheduled from last month after the original match was abandoned due to high winds.
Largs, who have been unbeaten at Barrfields since August, were certainly given a scare in the first half, but Thistle dominated after that, and deservedly took all three points.
The opening goal came in under 90 seconds after Largs got off to a solid start pushing down the left hand side and won a free kick just outside the penalty box.
Former Falkirk and Livingston midfielder Mark Millar curled a beautiful dipping free kick over the wall which gave Troon keeper Johnston little chance.
Troon fought back though with Martin going close after a good attack on the right forced Largs keeper Ross Lundy into a blocking save, with Thistle skipper Creag Little clearing to safety.
But Troon were not to be denied on 21 minutes when Ryan Stevenston finished smartly from the edge of the area.
And Troon U19s captain Cammie Reid put the visitors 2-1 up when he a fizzing 25 yard effort which found the back of the net after travelling through a ruck of players and Lundy couldn't stop it.
Largs were suddenly in trouble, and reacted with ex-Meadow man Graham Muir trying his luck with a long range effort which keeper Johnston beat away at the right post.
It was a see saw battle at this point with Troon winning a free kick on 38 minutes and Pooler's blazing effort smothered by Lundy in the Largs goal.
Thistle were pushing up towards the interval in search of an equaliser, and Kevin Struthers went close as he fired agonisingly wide with a Troon defender getting a touch to nick it away.
From the resultant corner, Millar sent in a high curling ball for Struthers to make amends with a powerful downward header to level matters before the interval.
At the start of the second half, Stevenston forced a good save from Lundy on 49 minutes, but this was one of Troon's few forays into the Largs box in the second half as Thistle stepped up the gears.
A silky move from Largs down the left resulted in Struthers sending a curling cross into the box and Largs top scorer Scott Adam got a flying foot on the effort as he side volleyed into the top right corner to put Thistle 3-2 up on 68 minutes.
Largs dominated the last 20 minutes as Troon were pegged back into their own box for extended periods.
Struthers held off a defender to crash a curling effort off the crossbar, and then Adam stepped up for a free kick on 80 minutes and lashed the ball home from the left wing, blazing his effort into the top right corner. It was a sensational effort.
Thistle were really motoring at this point with the introduction of their two wingers Ben Black and Ryan McKie and Largs came close to making it five as Black's cross from the left was fired into the roof of the net by Adam who was denied his hat-trick by the offside flag.
It was a strong finish from Thistle which will see them off in good fettle for next weekend's Scottish Cup final against Auchinleck Talbot.


LARGS: Lundy, Sewell, McMaster, Little, Jamieson, Muir, Carter, Fleming, Adam, Millar, Struthers. Subs: Black, McKie, Faulds, Begley, Farrell (GK).

TROON: Johnson, Morrison, Reid, McCready, Clark, Chatham, Fulton, Malley, Stevenson, Pooler, Martin. Subs: McGill, Crawford, McLoy, Murphy, Spence (GK)