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Snow way back for unlucky
Carrowmena
22.01.09
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QPS Reserves...2 (P Hegarty pen 28, og 89) Carrowmena...1 (McGonagle 1) By Liam Porter, Inishowen Independent, at Muff FOOTBALL can be a cruel game at times. Just when it looked like Carrowmena had weathered everything Quigley’s Point could throw at them to salvage a point from this league encounter, a cruel deflection off defender Declan McDermott undid all the good work and gave all three points to the home side. The goal with just a minute left on the clock must have brought a huge sigh of relief to QPS because having dominated the game in terms of chances created, it looked as if they were going to drop two precious points. But if it brought relief to the home side, it was a real heartbreaker for the visitors who had worked extremely hard to smother out QPS and who had manfully thrown in challenges and blocks throughout the game to deny the Point’s attackers. |
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All that after the visitors
had taken the lead too, Damian McGonagle firing them
ahead with a wonderful strike with just a minute of the
game gone. With the weather across the county affecting sports fixtures everywhere there was a doubt too about this fixture, but despite some snow and water on the surface of the pitch it was passed to play on. There might have been snow on the ground, but it certainly didn’t turn out to be a day for cool finishing and the home side in particular will wonder how they managed to squander so many gilt edged chances. Mark Duffy was at the centre of all things bright for the Point in the early stages as he tormented Carrowmena down the right hand side and he had the home side’s first shot in anger in the 4th minute after he’d been sent clear by Fergal Buchanan. A minute later, Buchanan, who also looked lively in the early stages for QPS, skipped past a defender in the box, but found himself eating muck and referee Tom McAree immediately pointed to the spot. Paul Hegarty stepped up to take the kick, but while he struck the ball hard enough it was close enough for Peter Faulkner to make a good save, even if it took a second grab at the ball to ensure |
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it didn’t sneak over the
line. Mark Duffy’s pin point cross a minute later found Dean Hegarty at the back post, but his header flew over the bar but after those early minutes Carrowmena tightened up and snuffed out attack after attack from Point. However a rash tackle in the 28th minute on Mark Duffy saw them once again concede a penalty and Hegarty unfazed by his earlier miss, stepped up to hammer low into the same corner to level the game. The visitors almost struck back just before half-time with a brilliantly struck free kick from PJ Thompson, but Brian Lynch in the home goal made an excellent save tipping the ball over the bar. The early stages of the second half though all belonged to Quigley’s Point and Peter Faulkner was called into action to make another fine save in the 48th minute, tipping a fierce shot from Hugo Curran onto the crossbar. A free-kick from Dean Hegarty was then beaten away by Faulkner in the 48th minute while Damian McCallion also fired in a shot just wide in the 60th minute. Yet with the teams still level the visitors might have nosed themselves in front in the 63rd minute when substitute Michael Lafferty nipped in front of his marker at a corner only to see his shot fly inches past the post. At the other end Fergal Buchanan raced clear a minute later but steered his shot off target and saw the loose ball hacked away for a corner from which Buchanan headed goalwards only to see Faulkner save. QPS tried to change things up with the introduction on the right of the lively Sean Green, but Carrowmena were held together superbly at the back by Michael Farren, seemed to have an answer for anything thrown at them. They were unlocked in the 83rd minute when Paul Hegarty sent his brother Dean away on the left, but once again Faulkner dived brilliantly low to his right to tip away the shot. Faulkner also denied Green with his feet in the 84th minute after earlier Adam Harkin’s mazy run had created another chance for Buchanan that had been blocked. It looked as if there was no way through for the Point and when Green and Buchanan combined to set up Paul Hegarty in the 86th minute only to see him blaze over the bar from six yards, it had the hallmarks of just one of those days for the home side. However right at the death they got a stroke of luck for their endeavours, Buchanan’s deep cross causing difficulty for under pressure defender Declan McDermott who saw the ball rebound off his legs and into the net. There was no time for an equaliser for the visitors, even with keeper Faulkner up for a corner in the Point box in the last seconds and Point held on for what certainly was a hard-fought victory. QPS Reserves: Brian Lynch, Simon Wallace, Damian McCallion, Trevor Gallagher, Cathal McColgan, Hugo Curran, Mark Duffy, Paul Hegarty, Fergal Buchanan, Deam Hegarty, Adam Harkin. Subs: Mark Wallace for Cathal McColgan (9 mins); Sean Green for Mark Duffy (67 mins). Carrowmena Reserves: Peter Faulkner, Declan McDermott, Jason Crumlish, Michael Farren, Martin Thompson, Kevin McCauley, James McDermott, Finbar McCallion, Anthony McDermott, PJ Thompson, Damian McGonagle. Subs: Michael Lafferty for Jason Crumlish (20); Mark McGonagle for Kevin McCauley (77 mins). For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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