David Carmichael got life as Harthill Royal boss off to the perfect start as his side sealed a 2-1 victory over Glenvale, writes Kieran Polland.
The hosts had fallen behind before securing all three points in the West of Scotland Division Four clash at Gibbshill Park.
Glenvale took the lead six minutes in after Kamil Leszczynski fired home a 20-yard rocket that David Thomson could not keep out, but Harthill responded with goals from Graham Johnston and Luke Barclay to give Carmichael the win in his first match since taking over from co-manager Ali Grier and Stevie Barclay.
The victory sees the Royal jump up to fifth in the table, above Glenvale on goal difference.
As the rain hammered down, Harthill didn’t get off to the best of starts. After Barclay’s effort was well parried by Shaun Wigzell, Glenvale went right up the park and took the lead through Leszczynski’s excellent shot that nestled in the top right corner in the sixth minute.
It took a while for Harthill to regain their bearings with Thomson being the busiest of the two goalkeepers as Glenvale peppered shot after shot into his box.
But Harthill held their ground and earned their equaliser in the 26th minute after a well-worked short corner routine saw the ball bounce onto the head of Johnston, who was only too happy to steer it past Wigzell.
The visitors almost immediately responded when Leszczynski was played through on goal after beating the offside trap, but his attempt went narrowly wide.
The poor weather affected the play after half-time with not much in the way of goalmouth action, but with 18 minutes left to play Harthill found the breakthrough they were looking for.
Captain Gary Bonnes drove into the box from the full-back position and was rewarded for his determination when his
low cross found the ball at the feet of Barclay, who tapped in to give Harthill the lead.
The home side weathered the opposition’s late flurry to secure the win but were given a late scare after Thomson had to make a fine save from Glenvale substitute Greg McIntyre in stoppage time as they held on for all three points.
A delighted Carmichael said: "It was all about a new chapter for the boys and of course for the new management. It’s hard to go behind 1-0 so early on but we showed our mettle.
"It’s always important for any new manager that we started off with a victory but to be honest, I thought the win was well deserved.”
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