Port Glasgow boss Tam Jamieson delighted with Eglinton win

Dylan McLaughlin led the way with a double strike in the 4-1 win over Eglinton at Parklea, while Chris Millar also found the net before Alex McWatters added the icing on the cake late on to keep Jamieson’s men six points behind leaders Knightswood at the top of the Fourth Division.

Speaking after the impressive win, over an Eglinton side who came into the game off the back of three straight league wins and some fine cup performances against opposition from several steps up the league ladder, Jamieson said: “We were superb today. All the players kept up the high intensity performance. It was a well deserved victory.

“When we get the first goal our front three are a handful for every team we play.

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"It was a great performance from Sam Murdoch when he was called upon to keep the back door closed, and Dylan McLaughlin, when he’s on his game, will give any defence problems.

“But overall it’s a team performance and everyone has contributed to the result. We’re delighted to keep the home run going for the committee and the fans.”

The Port hadn’t dropped a single league point at Parklea going into Saturday’s match, and though their preparations weren’t helped by a niggling injury that confined captain Gary Pattigrew to the bench, with Ross Kearns taking the armband in his place, Jamieson’s men were determined to start the match with their customary ‘high tempo, high press’ approach.

Port Glasgow made it six wins from six home Fourth Division fixtures this season with a 4-1 defeat of Eglinton. (Image: alex craig) And while a corner in the first minute came to nothing, it wasn’t too long before the home side made that early pressure count; there were just five minutes on the clock when Jack Purdue won another corner and Alex McWatters’ set-piece was only half-cleared, with Kearns’ effort striking the outstretched arm of Eglinton captain Stuart Hannah for a penalty which Dylan McLaughlin converted, sending the visitors' keeper Ross Lundy the wrong way to give the Port the advantage.

Purdue was inches away from making it two four minutes later, but his 25-yard effort went inches over Lundy’s crossbar as the Port kept the pressure up.

But the visitors’ recent form meant they weren’t to be trifled with, and the Kilwinning men had three good chances to get back into the match, though efforts from Marc Walker and Kris Chisholm didn’t seriously trouble Murdoch in goal.

Dylan McLaughlin celebrates after his early penalty put the Port on their way to a 4-1 win at home to Eglinton. (Image: ALEX CRAIG) In recent games, though, the Parklea men haven’t had difficulty in moving up a gear when required, particularly in the first half of games, and the same applied again on Saturday; with 15 minutes on the clock Shaun Rodgers played in McLaughlin, who beat two defenders before laying the ball across goal for Millar to double the hosts’ lead with his third of the season.

Murdoch was called upon to make a brilliant save to deny Liam Davis from a Walker corner, with Kearns throwing himself in front of Chisholm’s effort on the rebound to keep the Port’s goal intact.

The home side’s high tempo in the first half was limiting Eglinton to attacks on the break, but the Jousters’ efforts were limited by the Port’s high line, and Lundy had to make two great saves to stop Jamieson’s men making it three, first from a Ben McDowall header and then from a 25-yard effort by McWatters.

Dylan McLaughlin leads the celebrations after his second goal made it 3-0 to the Port early in the second half. (Image: alex craig) Eglinton tried their luck with a couple of efforts late in the half but Murdoch wasn’t seriously troubled as the Port reached the break two goals up – and two became three just four minutes after the restart when brilliant link-up play by Millar and Kearns saw the ball played into the path of McLaughlin for his second of the afternoon with a bullet of a shot past Lundy at the near post.

Lundy pulled off another good stop to keep out John Mitchell’s header from another McWatters corner, before McLaughlin had two great chances to complete his hat-trick, the first coming back off the post and the second creeping inches past the post with only the keeper to beat.

But midway through the second half Eglinton handed out a timely reminder to their hosts that they weren’t out of the game yet, with Walker’s corner picking out the unmarked Ewan Curragh to head home and reduce the deficit.

Finlay Grier trudges off after being shown a straight red card. (Image: alex craig) Any chance, however, that the visitors might have had of reducing the deficit further and setting up a grandstand finish suffered a terminal blow when substitute Finlay Grier was shown a straight red card for an off-the-ball kick at McDowall which was spotted by eagle-eyed referee Catterson.

With the extra man Port finished the match in the ascendancy, though Murdoch was forced to pull off two outstanding saves after a quick Eglinton breakaway sent Walker through on goal – and, as if determined there would be no more late scare stories, the home side finally killed the game off on 88 minutes when a cross from out wide found McWatters at the back post to volley past Lundy, making it six league wins out of six on home turf for Jamieson’s men this season and taking their goal tally to 28 in their last six matches in all competitions.

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After a hectic spell of league and cup action in recent weeks, Jamieson’s men have no game this weekend, giving his squad the ideal chance to recharge ahead of the long trip south to Dumfriesshire on November 30 to take on a Kello Rovers side who were relegated alongside the Port from the Third Division last season and who currently lie fourth in the standings, two places and four points behind the Undertakers.

Squad: Sam Murdoch, Euan Campbell, Jayden McGivern, Ben McDowall, John Mitchell, Jack Purdue, Chris Millar, Ross Kearns, Alex McWatters, Shaun Rodgers, Dylan McLaughlin. Substitutes: Ronnie Wilson, Curtis Woods, Mark Millar, Aidan Duffy, Chris Black, Gary Pettigrew, Jamie McKay.

Tam Jamieson said he was delighted with the manner of Port Glasgow's win. (Image: ALEX CRAIG) Other Fourth Division results on Saturday: Carluke 0-0 Royal Albert; Easterhouse 2-3 Knightswood; Campbeltown 1-5 East Kilbride Thistle.

Port Glasgow’s sponsors are Dragon Soup, Coop Funeralcare, The Caledonian Bar, Autotec, Dunns Mot centre, Clydeview Motors and Dare2Create.