The Danes overcame an early setback and a string of missed opportunities to secure a crucial 4-2 home victory against Alva at Rothesay Joint Campus, with captain Sean Lawrence making a decisive second-half impact.
The home side found themselves behind after just two minutes when a sloppy pass in the defensive third was punished by Alva’s number seven, who curled a magnificent left-footed shot into the top corner, giving goalkeeper William Lawrence no chance.
Despite the shock opener, The Danes settled well, dominating possession. Experienced midfielder Jim McAlister was central to the equaliser in the 16th minute, winning the ball back and then dribbling past two Alva players before finding Reynolds, who had dropped deep to instigate the attack. Reynolds moved the ball on, then timed his run perfectly to get on the end of a pass from Jack McKirdy and slotted the ball low past the visiting keeper.
The Danes continued to push, with full-back Calum Robertson surging forward in the 43rd minute and combining well with Reynolds and Donald McLean down the right-hand side, but his final effort from inside the box drifted narrowly wide, leaving the score level at 1-1 at the interval.
The second half brought a significant boost for The Danes with the introduction of skipper Sean Lawrence, who was able to join the team after fulfilling work commitments.
While Alva initially threatened from another defensive lapse, forcing a simple save from William Lawrence, it was Sean Lawrence who swung the momentum. After a series of fierce shots were denied by the Alva keeper, the pressure finally told in the 63rd minute when Lawrence was brought down in the box. He stepped up confidently to convert the resulting penalty, sending the keeper the wrong way and scoring his 20th goal of the season to put The Danes ahead.
Just five minutes later, Lawrence was on the scoresheet again. Combining with McKirdy, Lawrence received the ball with his back to goal, showed great strength to turn his marker, and finished low across the keeper with his left foot to extend the lead to 3-1.
In the 75th minute, The Danes secured the win. Jack McKirdy, tireless throughout the match, intercepted a poor Alva pass from the backline and showed a great turn of pace to burst through on goal before sliding the ball calmly under the keeper for 4-1.
While the result was secured, The Danes were disappointed with their lack of clinical finishing as they missed a number of gilt-edged chances late on. Stephen Reynolds, who was the creative architect all afternoon, provided two excellent passes for Donald McLean and Jack McKirdy, both of whom failed to hit the target from close range.
Alva pulled a goal back against the run of play in the 83rd minute via a looping header from their centre forward, but it was nothing more than a consolation. The final whistle confirmed a 4-2 victory, securing all three points for the home side.
The Danes were pleased with the character shown to overturn the early deficit, and it could have been a more convincing scoreline on another day.
Next up: The Danes face an away league fixture against Eaglesham AFC before the three-week festive break.
