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Ice cool in Cockhill
13.01.11
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Cockhill Celtic...2 (McCarron 6, Gallagher 53) Rashenny FC...0 by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent, at St Mary’s Park, Cockhill COCKHILL Celtic maintained their unbeaten record in the First Division with goals in either half from Liam McCarron and Mickey Gallagher giving them a comfortable 2-0 win at an icy St Mary’s Park on Sunday. At 2-0 down, Rashenny were handed a lifeline when referee Eddie Ivers awarded them a penalty, but keeper Leo McColgan pushed John Grant’s spot kick on the bar and with that whatever chance Rashenny had of getting something from the game evaporated in the chilly air. It was a game of crunching tackles: not the crunch of boot on shinguard, but the crunch of ice underfoot. While the players had little apparent problem in keeping their feet, the frozen pitch had a layer of icy slush with skinned knees and grazed thighs the order of the day for anyone who committed to a sliding tackle. |
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There had been no football
on grass for the past month through a combination of
inclement weather and the Christmas break, but Cockhill
had won the Charlie O’Donnell Futsal Cup final last
Wednesday week. Indeed, they started the better with
Jarlath Herrity running onto a through ball from
Gallagher and poking it past Rashenny keeper Christy
Ivers only to see it bobble inches wide of the left hand
post. The home side took the lead on six minutes when Liam McCarron rose to head home a Declan Kearney corner. But Cockhill lost their way after that and their frustration grew as the half wore on. Goal chances were rare, with only Herrity and Aidan Porter getting on target, but Ivers dealt with both comfortably. Rashenny looked good down the left flank, where John Grant and Donal Kelly caused Cockhill some problems. But while they the put in a couple of dangerous crosses, the visitors didn’t have enough penetration in the box to cause keeper McColgan any problems. |
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John Doherty (D) shot from
outside 30 yards on 25 minutes for an easy take for the
keeper, while Anthony Doherty got a flick on a Donal
Kelly cross on the half hour but didn’t get enough
purchase on it to trouble McColgan. Their best chance of the half came on 40 minutes when John Doherty (D) curled a 28 yard free kick around the wall but McColgan got down to save one-handed. Martin Donaghy, who anchored the Cockhill defence superbly throughout, managed to cut out another Doherty (D) cross a minute into the second period. Cockhill made it 2-0 with a stunning strike from right back Mickey Gallagher on 53 minutes. His shot from the wing, from all of 35 yards, dipped over Ivers and into the top left corner. Some on the Cockhill bench scoffed that he had intended to cross the ball, but Gallagher was having none of it. Kearney was inches wide moments later, but Rashenny had a chance to get back into it when they got a 62nd minute penalty for a jersey tug in the box, a decision that drew howls of dissent from the home side. They will consider justice to have been done when John Grant directed his spot kick high down the middle and McColgan got a hand to it to push it onto the bar and the defence cleared the ball from the danger area. Rashenny scarcely created another chance after that, while Cockhill finished the stronger. Kearney shot wide from a free kick on 73 minutes and moments later Donaghy had a header cleared off the line by Grant. Substitute Derek Doherty almost made it 3-0 just before the end, but his 20-yarder cracked off the crossbar and Eddie Ivers sounded the full time whistle soon after. Cockhill Celtic: Leo McColgan; Michael Gallagher, Martin Donaghey, Sean Porter, Neil McCarron; Aidan Porter (Derek Doherty 50 mins), Jarlath Herrity, Declan Kearney (Aidan O’Donnell 75 mins), Shane McDaid; Liam McCarron (David Laird 75 mins), Glen Callaghan. Rashenny FC: Christy Ivers; John Doherty (JE), Paddy Nelson, Sean Doherty, John Doherty (D); John Grant, Anthony Doherty (MT), Anthony Doherty, Donal Kelly (Damian Friel 65 mins); John McLaughlin. For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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