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Sligo/Leitrim Super League Round 1 24/08/08
Boyle Celtic 2 v Manorhamilton Rangers 2
Manorhamilton Rangers opened their Super league campaign with a hard
fought draw against a very physical side Boyle Celtic on a pristine
Boyle pitch. Boyle is always a hard place to secure points and today
was no exception. A strong wind prevailed throughout this game and
made crossing the ball difficult. Manor launched the first attack of
the game with just two minutes played when Ronan McGourty latched
onto a ball from Paul Ferguson. He played a clever pass onto Alan
Hickey who in turn chipped the keeper and watched the ball sail into
the Boyle net, only for referee Paul Kilcoyne to rule it offside.
Boyle were guilty of some reckless tackles early on and referee
Kilcoyne warned both Colm Morris and Michael McHale in the first
four minutes of this game. A resulting free kick should have seen
Manor take the lead when Diarmuid Clancy played Paul Ferguson
through. He beat two Boyle defenders and squared the ball to Pat
Sweeney. The ball seem to bobble as Sweeney struck a shot and the
ball went narrowly wide.
Manor were the better team in the first twenty minutes but Boyle
should have punished some bad defending by Manor when John Maughan
was put through on goal courtesy of a suicidal back pass from Thomas
McDonald. With just keeper Martin Cleary to beat Maughan sent his
shot wide when it seemed easier to score. Minutes later Boyle again
attacked from a corner kick. Stephen O’Hara came to Manor’s rescue
this time when he bravely threw himself in front of a header
destined for goal. In the resulting goalmouth scramble O’Hara
received a bang to the head from a clash of heads with Boyles Chris
Richardson. The game was held up for a few minutes whilst he
received treatment.
When the game resumed Manor went on the attack again. Brian McDonald
went on a blistering run down the left wing. He crossed the ball to
Paul Ferguson who unleashed a rasper of a shot on Boyle’s goal and
John Conroy made the save of the match when at full stretch, he
finger tipped the ball over the crossbar. However this save was to
cost Conroy dearly as he received a muscle injury and had to be
replaced three minutes later.
With Manor winning the upper hand Boyle were growing increasingly
frustrated and had two players booked in the space of five minutes.
First Martin Mullin received a yellow card for fouling Paul Ferguson
as he took off on a run towards goal. John Maughan received a yellow
card four minutes later for a cynical foul on Diarmuid Clancy as he
cleared his lines upfield. From the resulting free kick came the
first goal of the game. Clancy sent the ball soaring up the midfield
to Ferguson. He beat two Boyle players and was about to shoot when
Noel McKenna upended him in the penalty area. The referee had no
hesitation in pointing to the spot. Ronan McGourty stepped up to
take the penalty. He struck it poorly and the keeper parried the
ball. It fell kindly to McGourty who made no mistake on the second
attempt and dispatched the ball to the Boyle net to put Manor 1-0 in
front.
A minute later Pat Sweeney forced a good save from the Boyle keeper
with a well struck shot. Manor lost Anthony McDonald to injury and
he was replaced by Fergal Clancy. Clancy proved to be a continual
thorn in the side of Boyle Celtic as he set off on attacking runs
time and time again.
Another mix up in the Manor back four just two minutes from half
time between Steve O’Hara and Thomas McDonald should have led to the
equaliser for Boyle. John Maughan saw the ball trickle to him from
the mix up. He inexplicably sent the ball wide from two yards out.
To be fair Manor keeper Martin Clearly narrowed the angle for him
but chance like that must be taken in the Super league.
Manor were unlucky not to go further ahead on the stroke of half
time when Pat Sweeney sent in a cross which was met by a diving
header from McGourty who sent the ball skimming off the Boyle post
and wide. The referee blew the whistle for half time and left Boyle
wondering how they had failed to score in the first half.
Manger George Elliott halftime team talk must have been impressive
because the Manor lads came out a different team with more purpose
in the second half. Within a minute of the restart Fergal Clancy
played a peach of a pass to McGourty. He sidestepped a Boyle
defender and should have scored with only the keeper to beat.
However he twice struck the ball straight at the keeper and Boyle
survived.
Manor seemed to be finding their range and endured a purple patch
with some find shots reigning down on the Boyle goal from McGourty,
McDonald and Fergal Clancy.
Boyle scored against the run of play on sixty minutes, when a Manor
attack broke down. The counter attack from Boyle saw John Maughan
burst through the Manor defence. With just goalkeeper Martin Cleary
to beat he looked odds on to score. Cleary dived to Maughans feet
and made full contact with the ball. It cleared as far as Thomas
McDonald who put the ball out for what he thought was a corner.
However the referee had other ideas and pointed to the penalty spot
much to the dismay of the Manor players citing the Cleary save as
being a foul on Maughan.
Maughan stepped up to take the penalty. His shot was saved by Cleary
onto the post. The ball went straight back to Maughan who headed the
ball goal bound. Cleary again saved this and Maughan latched onto
the ball to beat Cleary at the third time of asking. An incensed
Manor manager Elliott berated his defenders from the touchline for
their slow reaction to the missed penalty.
Ten minutes later Boyle took the lead when a pinpoint pass from Lee
McKillion was met by a glancing header from Raymond Maughan who
found the Manor net. Boyle growing in confidence were unlucky not to
extend their lead when John Maughan was through on goal. The ball
was taken off his foot in a last ditch tackle by Manor captain
Thomas McDonald. Manor regrouped after this and for the last twenty
minutes dominated the game. The equaliser came from good work down
the right wing from McGourty who found Alan Hickey. He sent in a
cross which was headed to the roof of the Boyle net by young
Glenfarne native Fergal Clancy. Manor attacked at will during this
period but were unable to break down a resolute Boyle defence. Chris
Richardson was booked for a clumsy tackle on Diarmuid Clancy late
on.
Manor should have taken all three points with eight minutes
remaining when a glorious cross was sent in by O’Hara. Alan Hickey
in space all on his own only had to direct the ball towards the net
to score. Somehow he missed the ball completely and Boyle again
survived. Eugene McSharry replaced Brian McDonald who ran himself
into the ground in a fine display.
John Maughan was lucky to stay on the field when he badly tackled
Diarmuid Clancy. The referee appear to pull out a yellow card,
checked it and put it back in his pocket and verbally cautioned
Maughan. Maughan had been previously booked and should have walked.
Steve O’Hara was later booked for Manor for a clumsy challenge on
Morris.
Boyle hit the post at the death and had it gone in it would have
been an injustice to Manor. The game finished 2-2. Neither manager
will have been happy at the finish with this a game where goals
resulted from schoolboy errors. On the plus side for Manor a solid
performance from O’Hara, Ferguson, B McDonald, D Clancy and F
Clancy, plus two goals and a resilient fight back from 2-1 down.
Fergal Clancy who came on a substitute will have given the manger
something to think about for next week’s game at home to City
United.
Manorhamilton Rangers: Cleary, D Clancy, A Hickey, T McDonald©,
O’Hara, A McDonald, Sweeney, Ferguson, G Hickey, B McDonald,
McGourty, Subs F Clancy (for A McDonald), E McSharry (for B
McDonald), Keany, McDermott.
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