Jeanfield Swifts welcomed Balmoral AFC to Riverside Park for a thrilling league encounter, and it didn’t take long for the home side to show their attacking intent.

The Swifts were off to a flying start in the 2nd minute when R. Gillies was fouled inside the box. A. Abboud stepped up to take the penalty, but the Balmoral goalkeeper produced a brilliant save, diving low to his right to deny the opener.

However, the Swifts wouldn’t have to wait long to get their first goal. Just 5 minutes later, A.Abboud's run sent him clear of the defence. He delivered an inch-perfect cross into the box, and while J. Jardine’s header rattled the crossbar, R. Gillies was there to pounce on the rebound, scoring from a yard out.

On the 11th minute, Balmoral were awarded a penalty of their own. The visitors made no mistake from the spot, calmly converting to level the score at 1-1.

The Swifts responded swiftly, and after 15 minutes, N. McNicol threaded a ball through to A. Abboud. The forward showed great composure, curling the ball past the onrushing keeper with the outside of his boot to restore Jeanfield’s lead.

The pressure continued to mount on Balmoral as the Swifts extended their advantage in the 27th minute. R. Green’s ball out wide to A.Abboud was perfectly weighted, and Abboud delivered another flawless cross for J. Jardine to emphatically smash home from close range.

Two minutes later, A.Abboud’s persistence paid off again. He managed to turn his marker and unleashed a powerful shot that crashed off the crossbar. R.Gillies was in the right place at the right time to head in the rebound and secure his second goal of the match.

In the 32nd minute, a long ball over the top found A.Abboud once again, and his header across goal was expertly finished by J.Jardine, who made no mistake in smashing home his second goal of the afternoon.

The second half the goals dried up, but the Swifts continue to push for more. On the 65th minute A.Abboud was given a second chance to score a penalty, he calmly stepped up and this time scored.

Balmoral did manage to pull one back in the 83rd minute, as a free header from a corner found its way into the back of the net, making the score 5-2.

But Jeanfield were not done yet. With just three minutes remaining, K. Brown delivered a corner that was flicked on by Gillies at the edge of the box. Gillies then showed his class, lifting the ball over one defender and lobbing it into the top corner for his hat-trick.

Fulltime
Jeanfield Swifts AFC 7
Balmoral AFC 2

R.Gillies ⚽⚽⚽
A.Abboud ⚽⚽
J.Jardine ⚽⚽

Man of the match was Ronan Gillies who put in a standout performance. He bagged a hat-trick and worked tirelessly across the pitch.

#coyjs