Two Stevies spare Kilmore blushes

Two Stevies spare Kilmore blushes

11 April 2011

Kilmore Rec 2
Iveagh United 1
INTERMEDIATE CUP

KILMORE duly booked their spot in the second round of the Intermediate Cup at Robert Adams Park on Saturday - but they made heavy work of it.
Iveagh, who play in Division 1C and who were tanked 8-1 by Killyleagh YC in the Steel and Sons Cup earlier in the season, refused to lie down and roll over after going 2-0 down to early goals from Stevie Rogan and Stephen Galbraith.
The plucky visitors steadfastly rejected Kilmore's languid attempts to take complete control and forced the home side to battle for supremacy.
It all started so well for Kilmore. With just 10 minutes gone, Conor Walsh rolled a free into the path of Rogan and he drilled in a daisy cutter that gave goalkeeper Matt McGinley no chance.
It was 2-0 four minutes later when man of the match Rogan lofted over a free from the right and Galbraith ghosted in at the back post to head home from close range.
Kilmore, who started with a 3-2-3-2 formation, should have pushed on from this, but their play lacked sparkle and chance after chance was wasted.
Neil Teggart went close to making it 3-0 in the 17th minute after he sped past three defenders, but his blistering shot was brilliantly saved by McGinley.
The game entered a sterile period with little happening until sloppy defending in the 34th minute allowed Iveagh's Michael Henderson to create an opening, but he was denied by good covering from Peter Kelly.
Kilmore upped the pressure as the first half drew to a close, but McGinley denied Galbraith and Teggart with excellent saves. Teggart was also a bit too inattentive in the 45th minute when Mark Holland's creativity carved the Iveagh defence open, but the former Sunderland and Portadown striker's first touch in the box was a heavy one.
The second half was more or less a damp squib, but Kilmore had lost interest and Iveagh nearly made them pay.
Nathan Curran, who was a virtual spectator in the first half, saved superbly from Michael Henderson after 58 minutes as Iveagh bared their teeth.
McGinley continued to deny Kilmore at the other end and he saved from Sean Bell, Galbraith and Peter Kelly to keep his side in the game.
Iveagh were finally rewarded in the 90th minute when top scorer Henderson beat the offside trap and drilled the ball past Curran with an angled drive.
Kilmore Rec: N. Curran, P. Gill, M. Holland, P. Kelly, S. McCarthy, M. Miskelly, C. Walsh, S. Rogan, K. Lewis, S. Galbraith, N. Teggart. Subs: L. McGonagle, S. Bell, L. Graham.