Derby tie settled with crazy goals

Derby tie settled with crazy goals

29 August 2012

ARDGLASS’ indomitable never-say-die attitude, a large slice of luck and an own goal helped them overcome Killyleagh at St. Nicholas’ on Saturday.

However, Killyleagh were left wondering how on earth they ever let this cup encounter slip form their grasp after taking a 1-0 advantage into the last 15 minutes. A manic three-minute spell, turned the game on its head as Ardglass changed their fortunes with two quick-fire goals that killed Killyleagh off.

Ardglass went into the game without Michael Magee, Ricky Kerr, Chris Deegan and Jim McStravick and Killyleagh took full advantage as they dominated a poor first half.

Chances at either end were hard to come by with the sticky playing surface causing havoc with both sides’ attempts to play a passing game.

Killyleagh were dealt a bad blow after just seven minutes when they lost play maker Darren McConnell who was injured in a bone crunching challenge for possession with Eoin Curran and replaced him with Ian Mannus.

Play was disjointed with both sides struggling to come up with something original in attack, but with 28 minutes gone Eoin Curran was presented with a shooting opportunity when Killyleagh failed to clear their lines.

Alas, his attempted volley flew well wide of the target. Ten minutes later the same player went close with another volley, but goalkeeper Nathan Curran remained untroubled.

Curran then proved Killyleagh’s saviour when he dived smartly at the feet of the rampaging Stevie Deegan inside the box. The opener wasn’t far away and with 42 minutes gone Neil Young pickpocketed ‘keeper Mark Armstrong in a race for possession and somehow curled the ball home from way out on the right hand side of the box with his left foot.

Brian Healy read the riot act to Ardglass during the break and his side came out for the second half in determined fashion.

Deegan hit the base of the Killyleagh upright after 49 minutes with an improvised effort and less than 60 seconds later Adam Neale pulled the back for John Murray to have a lash, but his strike went wide.

Murray went close again two minutes later after good work from Young as Killyleagh played well within themselves and gave Ardglass little room to operate in. The next 20 minutes took an eternity to pass as the game went through another sterile period with little to excite the reasonable crowd.

However, the longer the game went on the more likely it looked that Killyleagh would hang on to their lead as Ardglass were running out of options up front, their toothless attempts at breaching the YC rearguard floundering before they even reached the box.

Even pushing Ian Kearney, who oozes the glue that helps keep Ardglass together, forward failed to ruffle Killyleagh’s feathers as the game hurtled to its conclusion.

All that changed in the 75th minute when Gareth Telford fired a cross into the box from out on the right. Hugh Dickson’s clearance struck a team-mate in the back and the ball looped back up over Curran for a fortuitous equaliser.

Ardglass now went for the kill and three minutes later Eoin Curran’s searing pace out on the left flank took him past two defenders. Curran’s explosive shot was well saved by Curran, but he could only manage to parry it into the path of Ian Kearney and he made no mistake from six yards out for game set and match.

Ardglass: M. Armstrong, R. Curran, A. McGarry, J. Telford, I. Kearney, E. Curran, G. Telford, S. Halpin, C. Teggart, S. Deegan, M. Feenan. Subs: M. Crangle, L. McEvoy, C. O’Connor.

Killyleagh YC: N. Curran, J. Kennedy, G. Murray, N. Walsh, H. Dickson, J. Heron, D. McConnell, B. Walsh, N. Young, A. Neale, J. Murray. Subs: R. Montgomery, S. Kennedy, I. Mannus.

Ardglass 2

Killyleagh YC 1

BORDER CUP 1st ROUND