The Turf FC faced off against Craghead Legion First in a gripping friendly encounter at Hamsteels Collery Welfare on 27 July 2025. The match, which kicked off at 10:30 am, with both teams showcasing their skills in a tightly contested affair.
The Turf FC lined up in a 4-1-2-3 formation. Andy Gowland took his place between the sticks, shielded by a back four consisting of Nathan Sterling on the right, Jamie Tincknell and Jonny Thirlaway in central defence, and Brandon Fitzgerald on the left. Ian Johnstone operated as a lone central midfielder. Lewis Sullivan and Joe Currie occupied the right and left attacking midfield positions respectively, while Owen Hardy and Ryan Hardy flanked striker Lewis Currie, who was looking for his eighth goal in eight games.
The first half saw early chances at both ends of the pitch, Andy Gowland was called straight into action with a lofted ball over the top of his defence, leaving him 1v1 with the striker. Darting from his line, Gowland storms out of his box, and pounces for the header, wiping out the striker in the process, but clearing his lines well enough for the team to recompose themselves.
The Turf FC take the initiative, and it was Lewis Currie who broke the deadlock in the 25th minute. Brandon Fitzgerald crosses the ball into the area, and with a little assisted shove on the Craghead man by Lewis Sullivan, the ball falls to Lewis Currie, who takes the ball on the edge of the area, and fizzes the ball down to the keepers right, straight into the back of the net, leaving the Craghead goalkeeper with little chance. This goal injected confidence into The Turf, but they slowly began to drop in their level.
As the match progressed, Craghead found themselves with a corner kick. Being the more aerially dominant side, the ball was swung in, and met with the strong head of a Craghead man, fired towards goal, but came crashing against the crossbar and back into play.
Craghead came back for a second time, playing the ball on the edge of the box. The striker takes the shot as the ball curls towards the bottom corner, but Gowland refused to be beaten, and dashes down to his side, saving an almost certain goal.
The players retreated to the sidelines for half-time, with the away side looking to build on their advantage in the second half.
The second half began with a tactical substitution for The Turf as Scott Thompson replaced Lewis Sullivan just after the restart. This change aimed to bolster the midfield and maintain control of the game. With the restart in action, Craghead came out swinging, aiming to bring their game back to life as they looked to dominate the game. Craghead began taking advantage of their pace upfront, sending the strikers through 1v1 time and time again, but we're all squandered by Gowland between the sticks, playing in a sweeper keeper role and taking control of his box.
The Turf looked to reestablish themselves into the game, pushing for the second goal with good football on the deck. The ball was played through with Scott Thompson giving chase, the keeper collects the ball and slams into the young Thompson in a pointless challenge that should've seen the Turf awarded a pen, but when the ref speaks with the keeper, he carries on with no action taken as the game continues.
Craghead pushed for an attack, playing the ball through 1v1 with the keeper. Gowland rushes off his line as the two dive in for a 50/50, and smash into each other. But Gowland manages to collect the ball cleanly, but not without taking a knock. Luckily, it didn't hinder the rest of his game, and the match carried on.
As the match wore on, The Turf made further adjustments, with Ian Johnstone making way for Lewis Sullivan in the 65th minute, followed by Nathan Sterling being substituted for Dan Gowland in the 70th minute. These tactical switches were designed to keep the momentum in favour of The Turf.
Craghead broke through again with a well-placed pass into the striker, breaking through the defence, looking to get the shot off as Gowland back-tracks to goal. As Craghead is about to strike, Brandon Fitzgerald came out of nowhere and makes a blinding tackle to keep his sides lead.
In the 75th minute, Brandon Fitzgerald was replaced by Ben Walton, as The Turf sought fresh legs to maintain their lead. However, the tide turned dramatically in the 80th minute. With the wind blowing against the Turf throughout the first half, Craghead were awarded a throw-in, taking it quick. In the moment, Dan Gowland and Jonny Thirlaway at the side found themselves fumbling with each other over who is to clear the ball, only to be shoved aside by the Craghead striker, who hits the ball on the half-volley, catching it in the wind as it sailed into the back of the net, leaving Andy Gowland with no chance at the spectacular goal from outside the box, a true 'screamer'. The sudden shift in momentum left The Turf reeling, as they had to regroup and refocus in the closing stages of the match.
Despite both teams pushing for a winner, the match ended in a stalemate, with The Turf FC and Craghead Legion sharing the spoils. The performance of Lewis Currie, who not only scored but also led the line effectively, earned him the accolade of Man of the Match.
