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Blunt Point fail to hurt Glengad
21.10.09
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QPS...1 (R Buchanan) Glengad...2 (PA McDermott, M Doherty) by Liam Porter, Inishowen Independent, in Moville THE lack of a cutting edge in front of goal cost Quigley’s Point Swifts dearly on Sunday when they lost out on a place in the Reserve League Shield final to a Glengad side who, on the balance of play, might feel lucky to have gone through. Two goals up inside 25-minutes, Glengad survived a late onslaught from the Point and, when they saw a rasping drive from substitute Dean Hegarty crash off the bar three minutes into added time at the end of the game, probably knew that their luck was going to hold. That said, the Glengad men had chances themselves to have the game wrapped up in the second half. Daniel McDaid saw one effort well saved by Point keeper JP McColgan while substitute Stephen McLaughlin was bundled over from behind as he was about to finish off a tap-in and was astounded to see a goal-kick awarded. |
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Still, it was Quigley’s
Point who had the best and the most chances and even
though they started the game brightly with some slick
passing football, they found themselves behind after
just three minutes when Paul A McDermott turned smartly
inside the box and fired a low shot into the bottom
corner to give his side the lead. McDermott gave the Point defence a torrid time throughout and Glengad might well have put the game beyond doubt if they’d managed to get him the ball a little more in the second half. But for the most part Quigley’s Point had the ball and Paul Hegarty and the impressive Paul Grant prompted attack after attack through Raymond Buchanan, Fergal Buchanan, Sean Harkin and Adam Harkin. Raymond Buchan’s clever back heel created a good opening for Grant in the 9th minute, but Martin Kelly in the Glengad goal was down smartly to grab his stinging left-foot drive. Sean Harkin then cut through the Glengad defence in the 19th minute finding Fergal Buchanan, but he saw his shot again saved by Kelly and Raymond Buchanan following up on the rebound saw his effort hacked off the line. Fergal Buchanan’s low cross in the 24th minute squirmed under Kelly and almost over the line before it too was hacked clear, but despite their dominance, Point fell further behind a minute later. Goalscorer McDermott turned provider this time with a well-delivered corner that Michael Doherty powered home with a well-placed header. |
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Fergal Buchanan again came
close on the half-hour with a lob that dropped just
inches over the bar and two minutes later he forced
another fine save from Kelly who pushed his drive around
the post for a corner. At the other end the dangerous McDermott turned and managed to get in a shot in the 32nd minute that beat McColgan, but that too was hacked off the line for a corner that almost brought a repeat of the second goal. This time however Doherty, who was once again unmarked as he ghosted in at the back post, headed over the bar. Six minutes into the second half Doherty almost grabbed his second in freakish manner, but his cross from wide on the right came off the post and Gerry McLaughlin following in on the rebound blasted his shot wide of the target. A short-corner by Quigley’s Point on the hour caught the Glengad defence napping and when the ball was worked to Fergal Buchanan he managed to fire in a shot that had to be cleared off the line. Even at this early stage in the second half Glengad were inviting pressure from the Point but with Stephen McLaughlin and Michael Farren in excellent form in front of the impressive Kelly, they were able to snuff out most of the danger. However the pressure finally paid in the 65th minute when Kelly was forced into a hurried clearance from a poor back-pass and Raymond Buchanan pounced to hammer home from inside the box. At that stage the Point pressed and pressed, but over-elaborated at times and the hard-working Glengad men managed to withstand the pressure. And they might even had wrapped the game up in the 78th minute when Paul A McDermott found Stephen McLaughlin with a clever pass, but he was upended as he went to tap the ball home and Glengad’s penalty claims fell on deaf ears. Three minutes later McColgan’s mistake gifted the ball to Daniel McDaid, but the Point keeper made up for his error with a terrific save to push McDaid’s strike away for a corner. The Point pressed and pressed and it looked as if they had snatched a late and dramatic equaliser when the ball was worked in from the right in injury time to Dean Hegarty, but his shot battered off the bar and Glengad held on to grab their place in the Shield Final. For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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