Maryhill got back to winning ways in an entertaining game against Lugar Boswell Thistle, despite ending the game with ten men following Tony Etherson’s red card.

Andrew Reid put the hosts ahead but goals from Craig Patterson, who had earlier missed a penalty, and Jay McInally saw the Hill come back to win 2-1.

It was a bright start from Ross Wilson’s men with McInally firing wide inside the opening seconds of the match and with 10 minutes on the clock, they were awarded a penalty after a foul on McInally by Lugar keeper Dylan Rooney.

The forward usually takes the spot kicks for the Hill, but this time Patterson was tasked with finding the net from 12 yards, but he instead fired his effort straight over the bar and out of the ground.

Lugar fought back though and after they went close through a free kick, they opened the scoring on 23 minutes. Denver Bolland’s low shot was well pushed away by Glen Cameron, but Reid was on hand to fire the rebound into the empty net.

There was a huge claim for a penalty for the home side after half an hour when Chris Love appeared to block a shot with his arm, but the referee waved away the hosts’ claims, before the Hill broke clear and McInally saw his shot well blocked by Rooney.

Just a minute later though, Maryhill did level the scores. Ross McKenzie just about managed to stay onside before playing a great ball across the face of goal where Patterson was waiting to atone for his penalty miss by tapping home.

The turnaround was complete soon after when a bad pass out from the back went straight to McKenzie who found Kyle McAvoy, with the forward showing great feet to work a shooting opportunity and although Rooney kept his shot out, McInally was first to react to prod the Hill in front.

He should have had another before the break when Patterson picked him out in the middle, but he placed his shot wide.

After the restart, things became more of a battle with neither side really to create many clear-cut chances with a McInally snapshot and Christopher Hunter’s header as close as either side would come.

Just as the game was heading for stoppage time though, things kicked off when Etherson was sent off for Maryhill. His challenge was strong but clean as he won the ball, only for the referee to brandish him with a red card.

Love wasn’t happy with the decision, making his thoughts clear to the referee before he was pushed over by the Lugar physio, sparking a melee which involved players and substitutes from both sides. Despite the attempts from both managers to calm things down and drag their players away from the trouble, they were both also sent off in the aftermath by the referee.

Maryhill held out though to pick up three points that keep them well within touch of that all-important top four finish.

Lugar Boswell Thistle: Rooney, Wallace, Doolan, Hunter, Donnelly, Kerr, Mackin, Rocks, A. Reid, Bolland (L. Reid, 77), Hendry

Maryhill: Cameron; McEwan (Smyth, 73), Love, Etherson, Meechan; McDonald, O’Donnell; McKenzie (Martin, 81), McEvoy; Patterson (Ewart, 68), McInally