Pollok moved to within one point of league leaders Auchinleck Talbot as they secured three valuable points in heavy conditions at Western Park. The wear and tear of two hard-fought cup ties with Irvine Meadow showed as 'Lok manager Rab Sneddon was forced to make three changes to his side. Prolific striker Bryan Dingwall was unavailable, as was David McGeown, and Mark Booth was only fit enough to occupy a spot on the bench. In their place came Alan Waddell, Richie Newall and Stevie Miller.

In the third minute Zander Ryan cut in from the right flank to test Eric Phillips, but the Renfrew 'keeper easily stopped his shot. One minute later a fierce 25-yard drive from Alan Brown seemed destined for the top corner of the net, only for Kris Robertson to make a magnificent save to claw the ball away for a corner. It was a corner at the other end that was to provide the first goal of the game. Ryan flighted the ball in from the right to be met by DEREK HEATON, whose header ricocheted off Renfrew's John McLay and beyond Phillips to give the visitors a sixth minute lead. McLay could have levelled matters moments later, but he delayed his effort sufficiently to allow Andy McClay to break up the chance. After 18 minutes Waddell latched onto a long ball and struck a left-footed shot at goal, but his tame strike was taken comfortably by Phillips. 'Lok then forced a series of corners, with Heaton denied by a good Phillips block and Newall seeing a well struck volley deflected wide. Ryan picked up a booking for dissent before Pollok claimed a second goal on the stroke of half-time. Ryan lifted the ball over the Renfrew offside trap to release Robert Downs on the right, and he cut the ball across the face of the goal to present ALAN WADDELL with a straightforward chance to notch his 17th goal of the season.

McClay failed to re-emerge for the second half, with Booth taking over his midfield duties, but 'Lok were to carry on in the same vein in which they had finished the first half. After 55 minutes Chris Cruickshank combined with Downs, who laid the ball into the path of Newall. His pass with the outside of his boot was perfectly weighted, and CHRIS CRUICKSHANK gleefully ran onto the ball before despatching it beyond the helpless Phillips. Cruickshank was provider shortly afterwards when his cross was touched away from Downs by Phillips and landed in the path of Ryan, but he blazed over from close range.

'Frew could have scored on the hour mark when Robertson's punch landed at the feet of David McKenzie, but his goalbound shot was kept out by a brave header by Newall that prevented a certain goal. At the other end Downs had a shot blocked at the back post before McLay was booked for Renfrew after a late challenge on Robertson after the 'keeper had taken possession of the ball. Ryan then made a goal-line clearance for 'Lok, but it was to be his last contribution to the game as a foul on Alan Prentice saw him dismissed from the action as he received a second yellow card. Even this numerical disadvantage did not stop Pollok from claiming a fourth goal after 84 minutes. Newall played a free-kick into a dangerous area and, under pressure from Downs, JON CRAWFORD could only bundle the ball into his own net to complete a miserable day for the home side.

Having won nine league matches in a row 'Lok are now back in the title race, although if they want to reach double figures they will have to overcome a testing trip to Brig O'Lea Stadium next week, where they face fellow Scottish Junior Cup quarter-finalists Neilston.

Renfrew: Phillips, Hammond, Farquharson, Crawford, Quigley (McFarlane 79), Harvey (Mort 60), Brown, McLay (McCann 70), Prentice, Barr, McKenzie. Not used: Gallagher, Smith.
Booked: Crawford (10), Harvey (52), McLay (68), Mort (73)
Pollok: Robertson, Carruth, Cruickshank, Aitchison, Heaton, Miller, Ryan, McClay (Booth 46), Waddell (Black 79), Downs (O'Donoghue 84), Newall. Not used: Turnbull, Gardiner.
Booked: Ryan (26)
Sent off: Ryan (75, 2nd yellow)
Ref: Derek Rose

Pollok secured a place in the last eight of the Scottish Junior Cup with a hard-fought 21 victory over Ayrshire cracks Irvine Meadow. Lok made two changes to the side that had drawn at Meadow Park seven days earlier, with Andy McClay replacing Raymond Logan in midfield and Joe Carruth coming in for Stevie Miller on the right of the back three. Meadow boss Chris Strain opted to replace John McDonald with the speedy James Tyler up front.

Lok's first chance came in the second minute when from a Zander Ryan corner, Derek Heaton put the ball over the bar. The home side suffered a huge blow in the 14th minute when Mark Booth had to be replaced through injury with Stevie Miller but the ex-Maryhill man put in an excellent, hard-working shift to such a degree that Booth's absence was barely noticeable.

With the bulk of play being in midfield, chances were few and far between. In the 24th minute, Ryan put in a cross to the near post that David McGeown was just beaten to by visiting keeper Michael Wardrope. Soon after, McGeown fired a long-range shot on goal that the Meadow keeper dealt with comfortably. Meadow were beginning to come under pressure by now, and they were fortunate when a poor kick by Wardrope was not punished.

McGeown was soon requiring treatment after a heavy challenge from ex-Arthurlie midfielder Kenny Gillies had the livewire Lok ace prone on the turf. Not long after play restarted, on the half-hour mark, Pollok found themselves thrust into pole position in the game when Robert Downs tried to get onto a long Robertson punt before being brought down in front of goal by Craig Baxter just as he was about to connect with the ball. Referee Tommy Robertson flashed a red card at the former Glencairn centre half and awarded Lok a penalty. Wardrope was then booked for unsporting behaviour and after a brief delay ROBERT DOWNS dispatched the ball beyond the keeper to sent the Lok support among the 1,684 in attendance wild.

Faced with 10 men and leading by a goal to nil, Lok were in control, but the game took an unexpected turn almost immediately when from the restart JAMES TYLER chased down Carruth's backwards header to Robertson then rounded the Lok keeper before thumping the ball into the empty net. Derek Wingate then put over a free-kick that former Stranraer team-mate Gary McPhee headed wide from the edge of the box.

Pollok started to recover from losing the goal and Dingwall won a free-kick at the angle of the penalty area after he was fouled by Billy Mason. Zander Ryan's dipping, curling effort was just over Wardrope's bar. The last action of note in the first half was a McGeown snap-shot that was saved.

Referee Robertson had his notebook out again early on in the second half when a poor challenge by McPhee on Andy McClay left the Lok playmaker with a nasty gash on his knee. Fortunately he was able to continue and from a corner a minute later, Downs volleyed wide of the target as Lok sought to get back ahead.

In 53 minutes however, the third penalty of the two games was awarded when Derek Heaton was penalised for handball inside the area. Kenny Gillies had scored with a spot kick last week, sending Robertson the wrong way, and chose to shoot the opposite way on this occasion but the Lok keeper read it perfectly this time and pulled off a fantastic save. Play raged forward to the other end and Miller placed a neat pass from the right touchline to Downs who delivered a quick, clever ball to Dingwall. He then surged into the area, beat two Meadow defenders then drilled a low-shot beyond Wardrope as soon as the goal was in his sights.

Meadow made a few changes as they chased the game, with Chris Strain and Joe Gold being introduced in place of Stephen Swift and Charlie Adams, but Pollok were now looking for the goal to kill the tie, and McGeown set up Dingwall in the 58th minute, only for the Lok top scorer to be tackled before he could get a shot away. Meadow had a chance soon after at the other end when Tyler's cross was headed wide by sub Gold. The Lok support were then treated to a rare sight as Joe Carruth surged forward from his defensive position and after skipping his way through the Meadow midfield, dispatched a low shot/cross that just evaded Dingwall at the back post.

A slice of Lok's good fortune ran out when Dingwall tried to get onto a long kick upfield by Robertson, and in throwing himself towards the ball managed to injure himself. He was withdrawn for Alan Waddell a minute later who, as he battles back from a hamstring injury, was quickly involved in proceedings.

Meadow were still very dangerous themselves though, and Lok were on occasion inviting trouble upon themselves. With nine minutes left, Heaton sent a header back across the Lok goal and a free-kick given away a minute or two later allowed Strain the chance to shoot for goal, but his effort went over the bar. Lok won a free-kick in the 85th minute about 25 yards out, but Ryan misjudged it and sent his attempt into Newlandsfield Road. As the minutes ebbed away, Meadow began to panic and another poor clearance by Wardrope, well out of his goal, landed at the feet of McGeown on the halfway line who seemed to respond to the cries of "Shoot!" from the enclosure. That it went 30 yards wide didn't ultimately matter.

With a minute of normal time remaining, Rab Sneddon had sent on Davie Turnbull to kill the game, and the Lok forward's ability to keep the ball when in possession was vital in helping kill a few seconds as the game went into five minutes of stoppage time. Indeed, at one point he managed to run half the length of the pitch, holding off all challenges put upon him and in the process won a corner. The full-time whistle went to immense celebrations on the terracing as 180 minutes of graft and effort finally paid off.

The sponsor's man of the match was Derek Heaton, but there were standout men on both sides, with Andy McClay running the show for Lok in midfield and Andy Essler making an impressive return to Newlandsfield with his current side. Meadow are an excellent side but they met their match in Pollok who continue to make a mockery of their initial 20-1 odds of winning the Scottish Junior Cup.

Pollok: Robertson, Carruth, Cruickshank, Aitchison, Heaton, Booth (sub 14 for Miller), Ryan, McClay, Dingwall (sub 66 for Waddell), Downs (sub 89 for Turnbull), McGeown. Not used: G. Wilson, Newall.
Booked: Downs 43, Heaton 53, Waddell 72, Miller 87.
Irvine Meadow XI: Wardrope, Mason (sub 73 for Whalen), Noble, Gillies, Wingate, Baxter, Swift (sub 55 for Strain), McPhee, Adams (sub 55 for Gold), Tyler, Essler. Not used: Armstrong, McLaughlin.
Booked: Gillies 27, Wardrope 29. McPhee 49, Adams 55, Wingate 86.
Sent off: Baxter 29.
Ref: Tommy Robertson

Pollok left it late to rescue their dreams of Scottish Cup glory as they salvaged a 1-1 draw with Irvine Meadow XI in their fifth round tie at Meadow Park. With Joe Carruth, Andy McClay and Alan Waddell still unfit, Rab Sneddon stuck by the eleven who had defeated Shotts Bon Accord the previous week.

Meadow's plans looked as though they were set to be thrown into turmoil after only two minutes when Gary McPhee was carried off with what looked like a serious injury, but he was to return to the action after four minutes of treatment. Raymond Logan fired a snap shot over the crossbar for 'Lok after six minutes with the first attempt at goal, before Derek Wingate tried his luck with a long range free-kick that Kris Robertson clung onto in the Pollok goal. A cross from Billy Mason nearly found Charlie Adams after 18 minutes, but Stevie Miller was alert to clear the danger from under his own crossbar.

The home side claimed the lead moments later, however, in controversial circumstances. As Stephen Swift raced into the penalty area he fell in the vicinity of Stevie Aitchison. Referee Thomas Robertson was in no doubt that an infringement had taken place and duly pointed to the penalty spot. KENNY GILLIES made no mistake as he despatched the ball into the net beyond Robertson to open the scoring for Meadow.

The lead should have been extended moments later when indecision from Derek Heaton caused problems for Robertson and John McDonald was left with a gaping goal to aim at. Somehow, however, he pulled his shot wide of the target as 'Lok were presented with a reprieve. They could have levelled matters after 36 minutes when a corner from Zander Ryan found the head of an unmarked Raymond Logan, but he missed the target with his effort.

Having failed to trouble Michael Wardrope in the first half 'Lok opened the second half with more attacking intent. David McGeown played the ball in to Bryan Dingwall who knocked it goalwards, but the 'keeper held easily. He also held a volley from Robert Downs before Meadow introduced James Tyler to the action. He combined with Andy Essler down the left hand side of the park, but Gillies could only volley the cross from the former Pollok man over the bar. Swift then shot wide before Chris Strain joined the action in place of Adams, and he released fellow substitute Tyler, who could only fire the ball across the Pollok goal without troubling Robertson.

Davie Turnbull replaced McGeown for 'Lok after 72 minutes before another Tyler shot was saved by Robertson. With eight minutes to go Pollok had a golden opportunity to draw level when Mark Booth played a neat one-two with Dingwall on the edge of the box, but his weak effort was smothered by Wardrope.

With two minutes to play substitute Simon Black controlled a corner kick from Zander Ryan, but he fired the ball wide of the left hand post. As time ran down Richie Newall replaced Miller for 'Lok, and deep into injury time the visitors were awarded a corner kick. Newall's first attempt was blocked by Strain for another corner, which this time was taken by Ryan. DAVIE TURNBULL timed his run perfectly to connect with the ball at the back post, and his inch perfect header evaded the Meadow defenders on the goal-line as it struck the inside of the upright and landed behind Wardrope to send the travelling support into raptures. Referee Robertson blew for full-time immediately upon the resumption of play.

Although the result brings to an end Pollok's recent winning run all at Newlandsfield will be delighted to have a second bite at the cherry after looking certain to head out of the competition.

Irvine Meadow XI: Wardrope, Mason, Noble, Gillies, Wingate, Baxter, Swift, McPhee, Adams (Strain 70), McDonald (Tyler 53), Essler. Not used: Whalen, Armstrong, Gold.
Booked: Adams (44), Gillies (59), McPhee (62)
Pollok: Robertson, Miller (Newall 90), Cruickshank, Aitchison, Heaton, Booth, Ryan, Logan, Dingwall, Downs (Black 83), McGeown (Turnbull 72). Not used: G. Wilson, Gardiner.
Booked: Robertson (44), Booth (45), Dingwall (48), Logan (78)
Ref: Thomas Robertson

Pollok set a new Stagecoach Super Premier League record as they recorded their eighth win in a row in the competition after overhauling a two-goal deficit against Shotts Bon Accord at Newlandsfield Park. With Andy McClay and Alan Waddell both suffering from injury 'Lok boss Rab Sneddon was forced into two changes to the side that defeated Renfrew. Raymond Logan and Robert Downs were the replacements drafted in. Shotts meanwhile gave debuts to Colin Allison and Stephen Low.

It was the visitors who crafted the first opportunity of the game when Colin Allison and Mark McKeever combined to set up Ross Jamieson with a sight of goal, but he sliced his shot wide of the post. 'Lok responded with a chance for Bryan Dingwall, who lifted the ball over 'keeper Iain Banks before heading it goalwards, only to see Stephen Low clear the ball off the line. Shortly afterwards Dingwall had a fierce shot parried by Banks, and when the ball broke to Downs he could only shoot wide. Banks made another fine stop after 20 minutes when he kept out a Logan header, and one minute later Logan was again denied when the Shotts defence made a second goal-line clearance, this time after a header from a Zander Ryan corner.

It was the visitors who drew first blood after 26 minutes when sloppy defending allowed McKeever to cross for the unmarked KEVIN BROWN, who drove the ball beyond Kris Robertson. Shotts hopes were dealt a blow after 40 minutes when injury forced Banks to depart proceedings, with Andy McCondichie replacing him in the Bon Accord goal. They were to extend their lead in first half injury time, however, as when McKeever had a shot saved by Robertson the ball broke to COLIN ALLISON, and although his first effort hit the bar, he made no mistake at the second time of asking when the rebound fell his way.

If the first half finished in the worst possible way for Pollok, the second half could not have started any better. A Dingwall cross from the left found the head of ROBERT DOWNS, and he powered the ball past McCondichie just 25 seconds after the restart to give 'Lok a lifeline. Shotts nearly restored their two-goal advantage when a quick free-kick by Stevie McInulty caught the 'Lok defence napping, only for Brown to knock the ball wide. After 57 minutes Ryan crossed for Dingwall, but an excellent save by McCondichie stopped the prolific striker from adding to his tally for the season. The equaliser was to arrive three minutes later when Pollok were awarded a free-kick on the left-hand edge of the penalty box and ZANDER RYAN curled the ball just inside the upright to bring the scores level. Stevie Miller nearly opened his Pollok account with a strike from 30 yards that flew just over before Dingwall showed superb control to craft an opportunity for himself, but his shot was narrowly off target.

The same player then had a speculative overhead kick saved by the Shotts 'keeper. Downs had a fabulous chance to give Pollok the lead after 81 minutes when he latched onto a long clearance from Robertson, but he could only lift the ball well over the crossbar from an excellent position. The home side were not to be denied, however, and took the lead two minutes later. Dingwall's perfectly weighted ball found ZANDER RYAN on the right-hand side of the park, and he showed terrific balance and poise to hold off two defenders before coolly prodding the ball beyond McCondichie. He was denied a hat-trick moments later when his free-kick from a tight angle was held by the visiting 'keeper, but his earlier contributions in the match were enough to ensure that the three points remained at Newlandsfield.

With league leaders Auchinleck Talbot in Scottish Cup action it was crucial for 'Lok to keep the pressure on at the top of the table, and they will be delighted to have done so after trailing to a side that have title aspirations of their own.

Pollok: Robertson, Miller, Cruickshank, Aitchison, Heaton, Booth, Ryan, Logan, Dingwall, Downs (Turnbull 83), McGeown (Newall 73). Not used: G Wilson, O'Donoghue, Gardiner.
Booked: McGeown (50), Dingwall (68)
Shotts BA: Banks (McCondichie 40), Herriot (Currie 83), Jack, Low (White 73), Gaffney, McInulty, McKeever, McLintock, Brown, Allison, Jamieson. Not used: Donnachie, Murray.
Booked: Jack (41), Jamieson (45), Brown (49), Low (59)
Ref: Paul McDowall