SHIRE 1 ANNAN ATHLETIC 3

Anyone forced to leave this match after 35 minutes would have found the final outcome almost impossible to believe.

In that time Shire dominance was so complete they could easily have been four goals ahead. And the fact that they managed only one seemed to worry no-one in black and white, with every Shire fan in the crowd convinced a more substantial advantage was only a matter of time.

But an out-of-the-blue equaliser galvanised the visitors and drained the confidence from what had been a dominant Shire team as quickly and effectively as someone pulling out the plug of a bath full of water.

After the interval disastrous defending played more than a hand in the goals that allowed Annan to claim a win that even they were probably surprised to leave with.

After a promising performance in the cup at Forfar, Shire coach Jim McInally was in no mood to make any changes to his starting eleven for the fifth game in a row.

However, Derek Ure was given a seat on the substitutes bench in place of Scott Johnston. David Dunn, Marc McKenzie and Craig Donaldson were all kept in reserve.

The team set out in its usual 4-4-2 formation with Stephen McGuire and Simon Lynch up front. They were looking for the perfect start to boost their chances of staying top of the league and should have been ahead after just 40 seconds.

Some great work by Paul Weaver fed Lynch who threaded the ball perfectly for McGuire. The Shire striker was clean through with only the keeper to beat but somehow shanked his shot wide of the target.

But that was just the frontman finding his range. After just three minutes another lightning break from deep again ended with a Lynch through ball for McGuire and this time he steadied himself before hitting a low drive past the keeper and into the net off the inside of the post.

But Annan showed after seven minutes they were not there simply to make up the numbers when Cox’s shot was deflected into the path of Bell who laid into into path of Gillfillan but his 20 yard effort went just over the bar.

The good thing for Shire was they continued to create decent chances. After eleven minutes Lynch’s ball in behind the defence should have been cleared by Gilfillan but Weaver dispossessed him and forced the keeper into a save.

Just short of the quarter hour it should have been 2-0. This time Lynch created some space for himself and ran in on goal but Kelly made a brave diving save at his feet.

Lynch was unlucky not to increase the advantage on 31 minutes after collecting the loose ball following Stevenson’s corner and despite connecting perfectly there was nothing he could do about Kelly’s instinctive, point-blank save.

The more chances Shire failed to take the more obvious it became that an Annan breakaway would bring them back into the game and that’s what happened on 38 minutes. Shire failed to clear their lines, a weird bounce deceived Hay and that gave Gilfillan the chance to cross and Peter Watson threw himself at the ball from inside the six yard box to head home.

On the stroke of half-time Annan’s Lewis Sloan tried his luck from long-range but Jamie Barclay pulled off a routine save.

Annan made the brightest staryt to the second period and just two minutes in Lewis Sloan crossed from the right, Cox dummied but there was no-one running in behind to take advantage.

After 49 minutes Michael Bolochowecky started and finished a flowing Shire move but he was denied by a great diving save at his feet .

But a disastrous error on 54 minutes from Hay gave Annan a surprise advantage. The full-back tried to usher the ball back to his keeper but misjudged his effort and that allowed Cox to nip in and lob the stranded Barclay to make it 2-1.

Shire certainly didn’t gave up and McGuire missed a great chance to level the scores when he collected a Lynch flick on at the back post but sent a blistering drive into the set net.

But it was McGuire’s mistake that put the game beyond the team. His misplaced pass on the edge of the Annan box allowed Sloan to punt the ball over the top and Cox outpaced David King before scoring the third goal with a scorching half volley.

Shire were even denied an injury-time consolation when Lynch's angled drive at the back post hit the post and went wide.

SHIRE : Barclay, Hay(Dunn 63), Richardson(Ure 63), King, Bolochoweckyj, Tully, Weaver, Stevenson, Lynch, McGuire, Rodgers(McKenzie 75).

ANNAN ATHLETIC : Kelly, Steel, McBeth, Watson(S. Sloan 58), Neilson, Gilfillan, Muirhead, Jardine, Cox(Storey 69), Bell(Anson 75), L. Sloan.

REFREE : C. MacKay

ATTENDANCE : 359.