Carrickmacross 3-7 Rockcorry 3-9 Rock delight as seniors secure first league win Pardon the cliché but ‘a game of two halves’ is an old cliché in football terms and that is certainly what we got today, Sunday 18th August, when our senior team travelled to play Carrickmacross in the Drumlin Credit Union senior football league. The first half of this highly entertaining match we totally controlled and played some outstanding attacking football and held a commanding 0-4 to 3-6 advantage at the interval. However, while we enjoyed our fair share of possession during the second period we could not convert our chances and it was Carrickmacross, who came out with a different attitude and stronger will, who were getting scores on the board as they ate into our lead and managed to close the gap to 3-7 to 3-8. As the game entered the final few minutes the game could have gone either way but great credit must be given to the lads who showed tremendous character and spirit as they dug very, very deep to secure a deserved victory on a score-line Carrickmacross 3-7 Rockcorry 3-9 and thereby picking up our first ever league points in senior football campaign. The game was played in glorious sunshine on a perfect sod and while Carrickmacross kicked wide on the 2nd minute we registered the opening score of the match on the 4th minute when Paul McKeown blasted to the net following a superb move that included Anthony Tate, Lorcan Smyth and Fergal McGeough. We continued to remain on top and when Martin Carroll claimed the ensuing kick-out he off-loaded to Colin Quinn who found Mark McGuirk and he teed up Anthony ‘Mr Bojangles’ Tate who danced his way through the Carrickmacross defence before applying a tremendous right-footed shot past the goal-keeper. Two minutes later Lorcan Smyth glided over a peach of a point and only just moments afterwards Mark McGuirk hit a classy score following good approach play by Stephen Lynch. At this stage we were dominant and when Noel Carroll surged forward on the 9th minute he played a neat one-two with Mark McGuirk and produced our third goal, walloping an unstoppable shot past the Carrickmacross goal-keeper to open up a yawning eleven point gap. On the 11th minute, Lorcan Smyth was tripped en route to goals and he dusted himself down and converted the free-kick to leave the scoreboard showing Carrickmacross 0-0 Rockcorry 3-3. Carrickmacross finally got off the mark on the 13th minute courtesy of a well-worked score and added another point on the 16th minute to reduce the deficit. A promising Carrickmacross attack, on the 22nd minute, was broken down by Damien Matthews, Stephen Lynch and Conor McGeough who instigated a swift counter-attack that involved Colin Quinn, Keelan Clerkin and when Martin Carroll collected the ball he set-up Dwayne Rooney (who was introduced for the injured Fergal McGeough) and he finished in style with a terrific point to maintain our lead. Carrickmacross tapped over a free-kick on the 26th minute and shortly afterwards a promising move that included Lorcan Smyth and Mark Daly set up Noel Carroll who bore down on goals but sadly he spurned a great goal chance to increase our lead. However, Mark McGuirk hit a tidy score thirty seconds later following a nice off-load by Noel Carroll to leave the score 0-3 to 3-5. Carrickmacross pulled a point back on the 29th minute but this was quickly cancelled out when Dwayne Rooney hit another delightful score to leave the score board showing Carrickmacross 0-4 Rockcorry 3-6 at the mid-way stage. When the game resumed Carrickmacross came out with all guns blazing and within two minutes they were rewarded for their efforts with a penalty which they duly converted with a well-taken spot kick, but we still maintained a healthy 1-4 to 3-6 lead and seemingly appeared in no danger whatsoever of being overhauled! Paul McKeown combined well with Martin Carroll on the 6th minute and hit a fine point and a minute later Mark Daly kicked a neat point to leave the score 1-4 to 3-8. Carrickmacross kicked wide on the 11th minute but pouched for their second goal a minute later and added another point on the 18th minute to leave six points separating the sides, 2-5 to 3-8. We missed a few scoring opportunities on the 19th 21st and 22nd minutes from the boots of Martin Carroll, Mark Daly and Mark McGuirk and when Lorcan Smyth was brought down on the 24th minute his free-kick attempt dropped short and Carrickmacross swiftly and effortlessly moved the ball down the centre of the field and within ten seconds the ball was in the back of our net and had many people on the side-line asking where was Sean Kavanagh when you need him!!! With the score-board now showing Carrickmacross 3-5 Rockcorry 3-8 the game became a very tense affair and when Carrickmacross notched over further points on the 26th and 27th minutes the atmosphere was unbearable and not for the faint hearted! As the game moved into the final few minutes Carrickmacross had us pinned into our own half but the lads showed tremendous resilience, dug in hard and fought tooth and nail and denied Carrickmacross an equalising score. As the match entered injury time the lively Lorcan Smyth, who had an outstanding game and caused a lot of problems for Carrickmacross with his energy and athleticism and looked the most obvious candidate for man of the match, was dragged down approximately twenty-five metres from goals he showed nerves of steel and impressively sailed over the resultant free-kick to secure the victory on a score-line Carrickmacross 3-7 Rockcorry 3-9. Team & Scorers: Jamie Smith, Damien Matthews, Niall McKeown, Conor McGeough, Colin Quinn, Noel Carroll (1-0), Stephen Lynch, Martin Carroll, Mark Daly (0-1), Paul McKeown (1-1), Lorcan Smyth (0-3, 0-2f), Keelan Clerkin, Mark McGuirk (0-2), Anthony Tate (1-0) and Fergal McGeough, Subs: Dwayne Rooney (0-2) for Fergal McGeough (injured)
Posted on: Sun, 18 Aug 2013 18:45:17 +0000
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