Stow 3

Greenlaw 2

Kenny Paterson at Stow Park

STOW look set to launch a late charge into the Division A title after picking up three vital points and two new signings.

Grant Gass’ second half strike saw the Villagers edge past Greenlaw, and with new signing Ryan Grant also getting on the scoresheet and Jay Wilson also agreeing to join the club from Coldstream, Stow will attempt to catch the leaders before the end of the season.

Alongside Ben McGregor, Paul Young, Gareth Wood and Ryan Pritchard, there is plenty of East of Scotland League experience in the amateur side, which manager Fraser Riddell is delighted to call upon.

He said: “Jay Wilson is a massive signing for us, and means we have a good squad for the second half of the season.

“I don’t bother looking at the league table anymore because it changes so much. All we are concentrating on is winning each game.

“It was a good performance today, much better than our last game couple of games. We looked much hungrier which is a good sign.”

The game was switched on Saturday morning to Stow Park after Greenlaw’s WP Happer Memorial Park was ruled unplayable.

The change of venue did not affect the first 24 minutes, with four goals scored in a pulsating start in awful conditions.

Greenlaw struck first after just five minutes when William Smillie header from a long throw looped over Stow goalkeeper Tom Kerr.

But the hosts were level just two minutes later as James Runciman latched onto Gass’ superb through ball and fire high past Alan Anderson.

And when Grant tapped home a Craig Wood cross for a debut goal, it became 2-1 with just ten minutes on the clock.

Stow’s lead lasted longer than Greenlaw’s did, but only by 12 minutes. A handball by James Runciman saw referee Keith Wallace award a free kick, and Lee Hannan’s low effort found the bottom corner.

Referee Wallace intervened again on the half hour, when he adjudged Anderson was fouled by Gass after James Kerr’s high cross found the net. It appeared harsh, although not an uncommon decision to give the goalkeeper the benefit of the doubt.

The second half was a tighter affair, with both sides badly tiring on the heavy park.

Tiredness leads to mistakes and the decisive goal on 61 minutes resulted from poor play at the back by Greenlaw, allowing Gass to slide the ball beyond Anderson.

As the game neared its conclusion, Stow fell further and further back, and required goalkeeper Kerr to help retain their lead.

He firstly saved bravely at the feet of William Smillie before producing a superb injury time block to deny the same player after the otherwise impressive Pritchard missed the ball.

Stow: T. Kerr, B. Runciman, J Kerr (K. Rutherford 63), R. Pritchard, G. Wood, P. Marszalek (C. Riddell 89), R. Grant, C. Wood, G. Gass, J. Runciman, S. Hunter.

Greenlaw: A. Anderson, L. Hannan, J. Thomson, R. Smillie, W. Smillie, S. Bonnington, C. Black, J. Ngoa (R. Weymss 78), A. Oldham (T. Hume 63), R. Beveridge, J. Hogarth.