Source: FOOTYMAD
Feisty cup game post mortem - press
a tale of two halves From the P&J : All to play for after stalemate in Angus ARBROATH AND MONTROSE MUST MEET AGAIN FOLLOWING FEISTY DERBY ENCOUNTER Montrose and Arbroath played out a torrid draw, in which one player was sent off and a further six were booked, but managers Steven Tweed and Paul Sheerin were united in saying they were simply glad to still be in the Scottish Cup. Montrose made the early running and Paul Tosh went close three times. He drove two shots wide and a third was saved by Darren Hill. Montrose took a deserved lead on the half-hour when a Ross McCord corner was headed on by Tosh for Aaron Sinclair to score. Arbroath drew level in 58 minutes when Steven Doris broke on the left and cut inside to curl the ball past goalkeeper Daniele Giordano, who is on loan from Celtic. In 66 minutes Arbroath were reduced to 10 men. Josh Falkingham, booked on the stroke of half-time for a challenge on Fraser Milligan, picked up a second yellow for a dive on the edge of the Montrose box when challenged by Alan Campbell. Nine minutes later, Arbroath substitute David Dimalta was deemed guilty of the same offence and yellow carded when he went down in the box, again in a tangle with Campbell. The crime count continued to rise and it was Montrose who went closest to winning the tie when youngster Martin Boyle was denied by Hill six minutes from time. Montrose manager Steven Tweed said: “We had enough chances to win it and we were at our worst when they played with 10 men. They played 4-5-1 to stop us playing. We did well against them in a previous game. They had to try something different and it worked. “We had our chances and we are still in the cup.” The Montrose injury list is still a lengthy one and Tweed is waiting for news of Jonathan Crawford who was stretchered off with suspected medial ligament damage in the first half. Arbroath manager Paul Sheerin said: “We were far better in the second half than we were in the first and that has been the case in a number of matches.” Sheerin was too modest to link his introduction to the game in 56 minutes with the upturn in his side's fortunes. “When I went on we changed to 4-4-2 and everything in the game changed. Gavin Swankie began causing problems.” From the Courier Scottish Cup derby sees Arbroath and Montrose deadlocked Arbroath, as is becoming the norm, chose the difficult route in an Angus Scottish Cup derby with Montrose which eventually delivered incident and action. The slow burner was a contrast to the Gable Endies' league demolition of their Angus neighbours earlier in the season, but it sets up an enticing weekend replay and both managers were at least happy to see their sides still in the cup hat. Gayfield gaffer Sheerin declined to take all the plaudits for his side's turnaround, but there was no doubting the positive impact of his second-half involvement after they had played second fiddle to the hosts for almost an hour. And once again the Lichties finished with only 10 men following a second yellow for josh Falkingham in the 66th minute, a trend Sheerin is keen to halt. A cagey start to the tie gave way to a decent spell for the hosts but Paul Tosh will be disappointed his experience did not help him convert a string of chances. But he played a key role in helping Montrose get their noses in front on the half hour, heading on a Ross McCord corner for Aaron Sinclair to pop home on the line. Steven Steven Tweed's men continued to hold the upper hand for the remainder of the opening period and had a chance to seal the tie when McCord fired a Sinclair cross wide just after the interval. Game-changer: Sheerin's decision to join the action and change the formation paid dividends when Steven Doris hit the leveller in 56 minutes, beating Montrose keeper Daniele Giordano — a loan from Celtic — with a beautifully struck shot. There was more controversy in the final quarter when Lichties sub David Dimalta was booked for a dive in the box, then still time for Tosh, Martin Boyle and Paul Watson and Paul to have good opportunities. Sheerin's bewilderment over his side's inconsistency is exercising his mind. "The difference in our two halves was there for everybody to see," he said. "I wish I could put my finger on things," added the Lichties boss, who fears the way his side's week is laid out is impacting on their matchday performance.
