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Gleneely claim season first
win
20.11.08
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Aileach Reserves...3 (Stephen O’Donnell 9, 68, 76) Gleneely Reserves...4 (Shane Diver 33, 45, 69; Corey O’Brien 51) O’Donnell hat-trick not enough for Aileach by Jonathon Downey, Inishowen Independent, at Burnfoot Photo by Evan Logan GLENEELY secured their first win of the season in a match that was dominated by the home side from beginning to end. Aileach and Gleneely scored seven goals between them but it could have and should have been a lot more. The match produced two hat-tricks, two dubious penalty decisions and a host of missed chances in front of goal. Aileach showed their threat early on with Dermot McGlynn going close and Stephen O’Donnell’s header hitting the woodwork. In the ninth minute Aileach took the lead when Stephen McGuinness knocked in a low cross for Stephen O’Donnell to finish. The home side kept pushing for a second but found Gleneely’s back four doing well to barricade their goal. Stephen O’Donnell had another headed opportunity on goal saved by Adrian Doherty in the 15th minute before linking Martin O’Donnell with a half-chance. Gleneely upped their tempo 20 minutes in when Shane Diver created space for himself only to see his shot go wide. Two minutes later Aileach missed a glorious chance when Dermot McGlynn’s effort was parried by Adrian Duffy but Stephen O’Donnell’s follow-up was straight at the keeper. |
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Gleneely finally got their
break in the 33rd minute when Shane Diver was brought
down in the D by Mark McLaughlin. McLaughlin was very
lucky to get away with a yellow card as it looked like
he was the last man. Nevertheless Gleneely punished that
mistake when Shane Diver drilled the free past Ciaran
McDermott in the Aileach nets. Shane Diver should have added his second six minutes later when he broke away from his marker but failed to beat the keeper one-on-one. A minute later Paul McHugh’s effort for Aileach was well saved by Gleneely keeper Adrian Duffy. In the 43rd minute there was a flurry of shots in the Gleneely box with Simon McLaughlin’s effort off the bar coming closest. Just before half-time Gleneely took the lead when Shane Diver beat the off-side trap and this time he made no mistake and slotted the ball past McDermott. |
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After the interval Aileach
took the initiative in attack with a number of chances
in front of goal, with accuracy again the key component
missing. Gleneely though were a different outfit in the
second half, with Martin McKinney coming on and helping
out in defence and bringing a little belief back into
the team. In the 51st minute Gleneely capitalised on their limited opportunities when Corey O’Brien poked in from close range after confusion in the Aileach defence. On the hour mark, the pace of the game was slowing down with action pitched mostly in the Gleneely half and the away side resorting to counter-attacking. Christy McElhinney and Dermot McGlynn came close for Gleneely and Aileach respectively but on 68 minutes the hosts pulled one back when Stephen O’Donnell raced through onto a long ball and knocked it past Duffy in goals. A minute later, however, Gleneely won a penalty after Mark McLaughlin took down Shane Diver. If he should have been sent off for a similar challenge in the first half, McLaughlin could feel a little injustice for this time he timed his tackle well and won the ball cleanly. Shane Diver converted the penalty to complete his hat-trick and give Gleneely a 4-2 lead. In the 72nd minute Simon McLaughlin should have made most of a good opportunity, but he failed to find a way past Duffy with the goal at his mercy. There was another debatable penalty four minutes later, this time it favoured the home side. The referee blew for an infringement in the Gleneely goalmouth and the Aileach camp happily accepted it, though they too looked surprised. Just like Diver, Stephen O’Donnell completed his hat-trick via a penalty and set up a nervy last 15 minutes for Gleneely. Gleneely had everyone back in defence bar Shane Diver as they hoped to secure their first victory in eight games. The hosts missed chance after chance but Adrian Duffy was doing well in goals, making two good saves and one great one from a Stephen McGuinness shot. In injury time Aileach thought they had their equaliser but McGuinness had his goal ruled off for offside and there would be no saving grace for the home side. Aileach Reserves: Ciaran McDermott, Paul McHugh, Mervyn McGowan, Eddie McGrath, Mark McLaughlin, Seamus O’Donnell, Stephen McGuinness, Dermot McGlynn, Stephen O’Donnell, Martin O’Donnell, Simon McLaughlin. Subs: Michael Gallagher for Martin O’Donnell (52); Gerard Arbuckle for Mark McLaughlin (72). Gleneely Reserves: Adrian Duffy, Christy McElhinney, Hugh Kelly, Mickey Harkin, Kevin Doherty, John Doherty, Kevin Doherty, Corey O’Brien, Shane Diver, Danny McLaughlin, Kevin McDermott. Subs: Martin McKinney for Kevin McDermott (half-time). For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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