Star rout Argyll rivals
Lochgilphead Red Star travelled to Cowal last Saturday to play Argyll rivals Dunoon in a league clash and returned home with the points thanks to an excellent first-half performance.
With the stadium out of action, the game took place on the tight astro at Dunoon Grammar School which made it difficult for the sides to play their usual passing games.
The visitors adapted well, however, and exploited the high defensive line.
Craig Aitken opened the scoring after 12 minutes when he broke clear and got on the end of a long ball from Aaron Moore. The Red Star youngster beat the keeper to the ball and executed a lobbed header from just outside the box to put Star 0-1 up.
Dunoon looked for a way back into the game and forced a succession of corners, however, it was Star who grabbed the second from the penalty spot.
Ciaran McPhie was felled by a clumsy challenge from the Dunoon full back and dusted himself down before beating the keeper from 12 yards.
Star made it 3-0 just after the half-hour mark when they once again hit their hosts on the break.
This time Angus Lewis was the architect with an excellent lofted pass which found McPhie who cut in and finished well from just inside the box.
McPhie completed his hat-trick and gave Star a 4-0 half-time lead when he reacted well to a corner which Dunoon cleared. It fell to the Star marksman on the edge of the box and, with the aid of a deflection, he kept his shot on target to give Star a healthy lead at the halfway stage.
Into the second half and Star didn’t pose as much of a threat going forward as they soaked up a good bit of Dunoon pressure but the backline, marshalled by Coll McCallum and Kyle Selfridge, was not unduly troubled.
With 15 minutes remaining, Star added a fifth when McPhie broke clear on the right wing.
His effort was parried by the keeper but fell nicely into the path of Aitken who doubled his tally for the day from close range.
The hosts grabbed a late consolation which they deserved for their second half efforts when an excellent strike from the edge of the box beat Leon Murphy in the Star goal.
Tomorrow (Saturday) Star look to continue their climb towards the top of the table as they welcome Cardross to the Joint Campus.
The game kicks off at 1pm. For more information follow @ RedStarLoch on Twitter.