Stefan swoops to secure feisty derby contest

21 February 2018

BALLYNAHINCH Olympic placed one hand on the Division 1A title after this win at The Showgrounds on Saturday.

And they had to do it the hard way — coming from behind and playing for the last 30 minutes with only 10 men,

And what a mixed day it was for young Stefan Mason. He scored Olympic’s second goal which ultimately decided the game, before getting his marching orders for a second yellow card 17 minutes into the second half.

Adam Neale got the home side off to a dream start in the opening minutes with a stunning finish. He was picked out by Jamie Sharvin and then produced a top drawer finish to fool Ryan Walsh.

It was 1-1 by the 10th minute. Olympic were awarded a free kick on the edge of the area and Niall Murray unleashed a rocket which deflected off the defensive wall to give 17 year-old Killyleagh stand-in keeper Bradford McClurg no chance.

After this chances were few and far between, although Olympic ’keeper Walsh, at full stretch, poked away a Neale effort with his toe from Lee Morrison’s cross, and then two minutes later in a repeat attack, featuring Morrison and Neale, he finger-tipped Neale’s header over the crossbar.

The Olympic danger was coming from an unexpected source. Left winger Scott Hunter was causing all sorts of problems and he produced a super run and shot which inched just wide in the 24th minute.

Then came one of the big turning points of the game. Walsh had saved superbly at the expense of a corner to deny Jack Sharvin, after he had combined with his brother Jamie. From the resultant corner, the ball was not cleared properly and from 25 yards Jack Sharvin unleashed a full volley that rippled the corner of the net before Walsh had even moved, a contender for goal of the season.

As Killyleagh celebrated, the referee ruled it out suggesting a Killyleagh attacker had made a move to hit the ball.

The big Showgrounds crowd were then treated to another dazzling run from Hunter that caused panic in the YC back line.

It sparked Olympic’s best spell of the game and they took the lead in the 39th minute. Morrison got the ball caught under his feet on the six yard line, with his back to play, and the ever-alert Mason nipped in to rob him and slot it home.

The visitors started the second half on fire and pinned Killyleagh back. Murray and Nathan Jones started to threaten for the first time and when they unlocked the defence in the 52nd minute, Mason was unlucky to see his shot flash into McClurg’s side netting.

Remarkably, though, neither ‘keeper was called on to make a save in the entire second half. It is not a game that will live long in the memory. It was niggly with plenty of afters at times and several players were fortunate that some of the off the ball exchanges happened out of view of the referee.

Then came the other big turning point of the game in the 62nd minute. Mason was given a second yellow for diving in the area, reducing Olympic to 10 men. After some of the exchanges which happened earlier, it was harsh to say the least.

Olympic simply reorganised and dug in. Man of the match Stephen Noade, who with Connor Reid had been involved in a titanic struggle in midfield with Darren McConnell and Jordan Kennedy, was inspirational, with his brothers Ryan and Jason in command in the back line.

Incredibly, the only time Killyleagh looked like scoring came three minutes after the sending off when McConnell, wide on the right, played the ball across the area, but Dalton Tate produced a brave block to deny Keegan Rice as he thumped his shot goalwards. Killyleagh lacked width, although they did produce one late chance.

Jack Sharvin weaved his way into the area and for the first time managed to beat the advancing Walsh, but up popped Ryan Noade to kick it off the line in the 97th minute.

Olympic’s season-long unbeaten league record was always going to be tested at The Showgrounds, but their second half performance, especially when down to 10 men, underlines it’s on days like this that league titles can be won.

Killyleagh take a break from league action on Saturday when they travel to Poleglass to face Colin Valley in the third round of the Clarence Cup.

Killyleagh: B McClurg, S Lindsay, J Murray, D McConnell, Jon Joe Sharvin, J Kennedy, K Rice, Jamie Sharvin, A Neale, Jack Sharvin, L Morrison. Subs: N Walsh, P Russell, K Sullivan.

Ballynahinch: R Walsh, D Tate, A McClean, R Noade, J Noade, C Reid, S Mason, S Noade, N Murray, N Jones, S Hunter. Subs: C McNamara, R Molloy, C Dougan.

Killyleagh YC 1

Ballynahinch Olympic 2

AMATEUR LEAGUE DIVISION 1A

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