Galbraith at the double for Ardglass against YC

Galbraith at the double for Ardglass against YC

21 January 2015

STEVIE Galbraith shot Ardglass to the top of the Amateur League’s Premier Section for the first time in the club’s history.

A second half double inside the space of eight minutes from the striker, earned Ardglass all three points to propel them to the league summit as 

their vast experience eventually told in the second half.

It was a dream return to The Showgrounds for Galbraith as he tries to match his father’s awesome goalscoring record in an Ardglass shirt.

Although Ards Rangers and Albert Foundry have games in hand on Ardglass, the latest victory underlines they are on course for at least a top three finish and the crown of the district’s top placed team in 2015.

This league encounter at The Showgrounds on Saturday sparkled from the start with both sides creating some early chances. Galbraith almost broke the deadlock after four minutes, but his header from Liam Mullan’s corner was cleared off the Killyleagh line.

At the opposite end Jamie Sharvin and Kieran Sullivan combined to create an opening for John Murray. And then, just as quickly, Ian Kearney went close after good work from Ricky Kerr.

Killyleagh’s Andy Wallace brought off a fine save to deny Kerr from Chris Teggart’s corner in the ninth minute before Jamie Sharvin was denied by Mark Armstrong after good work from Hugh Dickson and Aaron Gilmartin.

It was the home side who took the lead after 12 minutes. Murray played in the highly impressive Andy Carberry and he slotted home at the second time of asking.

It continued to be end to end and Jamie Sharvin was denied by a timely block from Neil Teggart, again following some pressing from Carberry. Ardglass went straight down the field and levelled just after the half hour mark.

Their talisman Kearney picked up the ball in central midfield and when his surging run was not checked, he threaded through for Galbraith to feed Mullan for a spectacular finish, though in fairness to Wallace he did well to get a hand to the pile driver only to see it hit the net off the inside of the post.

Galbraith had a chance to punish Killyleagh as they tried to play the offside trap, but he was thwarted and then the YC’s best player, Andy Carberry, was unlucky from Sullivan’s cross. Just before the interval Wallace produced an outstanding save to deny Owen Curran’s superb run.

The game ended as a contest inside eight minutes in the second half. Killyleagh were competing well, although man of the match Kearney, Magee and Kerr were starting to get on top in the middle and it was from another Kearney intervention that Ardglass made the breakthrough in the 56th minute.

The YC back line appealed for offside as Galbraith was left on his own. He needed no second invitation, slotting past Wallace.

Killyleagh responded with dangerous frees from John Joe Sharvin and Gary Murray before Kearney was denied by another super save from Wallace from an Ardglass free.

A defensive mix up in the 64th minute ended the game as a contest as Galbraith slid the ball past Wallace into an empty net.

Ardglass used their experience to great effect and never looked seriously threatened in the closing 25 minutes. Kearney came closest to adding to their tally in the closing minutes as he raced through for what would have been a fitting goal to cap a superb individual performance. But he was denied once again by Wallace.

Killyleagh, who suffered a setback when last week’s two-goal hero Jamie Morrow was injured in the warm-up, introduced him in the dying stages and although he, along with John Joe Sharvin, John Murray and Andy Carberry, kept plugging away, there was never going to be a way back.

Overall, though, it was one of the YC’s better performances at The Showgrounds this season.

Killyleagh: Andy Wallace, Johnny Murray, John Joe Sharvin, Gary Murray, Gary Carberry, Kieran Sullivan, Hugh Dickson, John Murray, Jamie Sharvin, Aaron Gilmartin, Andrew Carberry. Subs: Jamie Morrow, Danny Morgan, Scott Grieves.

Ardglass: Mark Armstrong, Brian Crangle, Chris Teggart, Ian Kearney, Neil Teggart, Ryan Curran, Ricky Kerr, Owen Curran, Stephen Galbraith, Michael Magee, Liam Mullan. Subs: Lee McEvoy, Ciaran Dorrian, Christian O’Connor.

Killyleagh YC 1

Ardglass 3

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