McBookie Premiership

KILWINNING RANGERS 2

RUTHERGLEN GLENCAIRN 2

BUFFS saw their slim title hopes considerably dented as they were held by a visiting side who are fighting relegation.

The home side were first to go close as Calvin Kemp tried a snapshot from 20 yards which McLellan held comfortably down low.

Glencairn responded with a flick on by Leyden which set up Dale Simeon for a shot. but the effort didn’t seriously test David Markey.

Kilwinning exerted a spell of pressure with a series of corner kicks which the Glens defended strongly, before one angled pass broke the line of the defence and set up Carlo Monti who fired his angled effort high over the crossbar.

However Buffs seized on a defensive error. A seemingly harmless pass back by Rhys Donaldson bounced unluckily over the stopper’s foot and rolled into the empty net to put them 1-0 up.

Tommy Maitland then went close with an audacious overhead kick effort which flew narrowly wide of goal.

Glens pulled themselves level in the 29th minute with some determined play.

Leyden’s reverse pass set up a 50/50 challenge between Wingate and Maitland which the Glencairn man won to run through on goal. David Markey deflected the shot onto the post, but following up was Dale Simeon to calmly place the rebound into the net despite defenders rushing back onto the goal line.

Glencairn’s support were in dreamland in 38 minutes after a break out of defence released Leyden on the left, and he in turn spotted the run through the middle of Dale Simeon and picked him out with a perfect pass, allowing Simeon to dribble round Markey and roll the ball into the empty net.

There was always going to be a reaction from the home side, though. Buffs are top of the league for a reason, and they set about trying to recover the situation by dominating the early stages of the second half.

Alex McWaters whipped in a vicious curling cross in 46 minutes which had McLellan beaten but no Buffs player could get on the end of it. Kilwinning’s first substitution saw Ricky Hanvey replace right back Jamie Whyte in 55 minutes as manager Chris Strain tried all he could to unlock the determined Glencairn back line.

Monti looked to be the man who could turn the key, and he spun away from Hewitt before seeing his angled shot deflected for yet another corner-kick. The resulting cross finally saw the Buffs get the reward of an equaliser.

Monti’s fine delivery was met by Tommy Maitland’s glancing header which bounced into the net off the inside of the far post.

Four minutes into added time, the hosts went mighty close as Monti’s run and cross picked out the head of Ally McColm, but he couldn’t turn his header on target from six yards out.

KILWINNING RANGERS: Markey; Whyte (Hanvey), McCloskey, Syme, Maitland, Stuart, McWaters (McColm), Frye (Davis), Monti, Lewis, Kemp. (Subs not used - Agnew, Taylor (gk).