Saints suffer

Saints suffer

5 September 2012

HAD Saintfield United a fox in the box they might well have salvaged something from this uninspiring encounter at the School Field.

Dunmurry bossed the first half with aplomb and three goals inside 12 minutes towards the end of the half had them well clear.

However, they thought they had done enough and took their foot off the gas after the break and almost paid the penalty as Saintfield came storming back.

Goals from David Sherrard and a beauty from Ryan Sofley had Dunmurry on the back foot, but the Saints were unable to snatch an equaliser in a frenetic final quarter.

Dunmurry started with intent and played some neat football in their approach, but Saintfield initially defended well and more then held their own in the opening stages.

However, the visitors gradually got on top and with 10 minutes gone David Smyth got on the end of a cross from Mark Arnold, but was unlucky to see his effort hit the post.

Five minutes later at the other end David Morrow was given the freedom of the box, but Mark Wilton was quickly off his line to avert the danger. Dunmurry went back on the offensive and hemmed the Saints in as they went inn search of the breakthrough.

The opening goal duly arrived in the 24th minute when Mark Green had a shot well saved by Lee Young, but he kept his composure and when the ball rebounded back out to him, he calmly tucked it home.

It was 2-0 three minutes later and what a superbly constructed goal it was. Saintfield gave the ball away in the middle of the park as Dunmurry hunted in packs.

The ball was transferred out left to Smyth and he cleverly worked an opening for Darren Magill who beat Young from just outside the box with an improvised finish that had class written all over it.

Saintfield were now all over the place and Dunmurry should really have punished them for some naive defending before Smyth made it 3-0 when he converted a good cross from Stuart McPherson.

Morrow had a glorious chance to pull one back before the break, but he inexplicably shot wide from a great position, a miss that would come back to haunt Saintfield.

The second half opened with Saintfield on the attack and Phil King was just crowded out in the box after only 45 seconds as the home side went for broke.

Dunmurry remained threatening on the break and Green again hit the crossbar after he latched onto the loose ball after Young had parried his original shot.

Saintfield managed to reduce the leeway in the 63rd minute when Ryan Kelly threaded a through ball into the path of David Sherrard and he beat Dunmurry’s offside trap before slipping the ball past Wilton.

Sofley then set-up a hectic finale to the game when he rounded his man out on the right flank and let fly with an unstoppable shot that few goalkeepers would have saved, 3-2 and all to play for with 16 minutes left.

Dunmurry were now on the ropes, but Saintfield lacked a creative touch in the box and never really did enough to salvage a draw.

On this display the visitors will prove to be a hard side to beat, home or away.

Saintfield United: L. Young, D. Spence, Declan Sherrard, D. Martin, C. Taggart, P. King, B. Stoneman, R. Kelly, D. Morrow, David Sherrard, R. Sofley. Subs: M. Ross, A. Clarke, D. Skinner.

Saintfield United 2

Dunmurry Young Men 3

AMATEUR LEAGUE DIVISION 1B