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Gleneely fail to subdue Rashenny
striker
19.12.08
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Gleneely Colts...2 (McConway 19, McKinley 90+3) Rashenny...5 (Collins 32, 48 & 55, J Doherty 45+1, S P Doherty 90+2) by Simon McGeady, Inishowen Independent, at Glenview Park THANKS in chief to a hat-trick from striker Shane Collins, Rashenny shrugged off the burden of falling behind to run out convincing winners over Gleneely Colts, and in doing so gained ground on Glengad and Cockhill Youths in the race for the First Division crown in 2009. This division has already effectively split into two mini-leagues of four, with the top half all realistic contenders for promotion. Unfortunately for the Gleneely football fraternity, their Colts are not one of those teams and must fight it out with Greencastle Carrowmena and Sea Rovers to avoid the ignominy of Inishowen’s wooden spoon. The gap in quality between the sides was there for all to see on Sunday. The visitors created the bulk of the chances and dominated possession, while their hosts defenders worked overtime and their forwards were forced to feed on scraps. Playing down the Glenview Park slope in the first half, the Ballyliffin side were first to threaten. In the 4th minute winger John McLaughlin and centre forward Shane Collins combined to tee-up Brian Devlin, but the Rashenny midfielder’s shot was deflected wide. |
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Rashenny’s fullbacks were
being put under minimal pressure with right back Barney
Friel, especially, enjoying the freedom of Glenview
Park. The right-back was at the heart of much that was
good about Rashenny’s play in the opening skirmishes.
Friel picked out Michael Doherty with a fine through ball but the alert Barry Diver slid in to snuff out a dangerous chance. Shortly after, following a superb Rashenny short passing move, Anthony Doherty ghosted past a pair of Gleneely defenders, but once more that man Diver was an effective last line of defence. Against the run of play, Gleneely opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a fine counter attack. Diver cut out the ball inside the centre circle and hit a superb through pass between Sean and Michael Toland that the speedy Emmet McConway darted onto from the right wing and beat away keeper Toland at his near post with a crisp low drive. |
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It could have been two in
the 28th minute when Stephen McLaughlin hit a through
pass that TJ McKinley scampered onto, but with only
Toland to beat, the Gleneely forward scuffed his shot
wide. On the half hour Sean Toland pounced on a loose ball 30 yards out and drilled in a shot which was too hot for McNamee to handle, John Doherty, however was unable to convert the rebound. Two minutes later Rashenny had their reward for territorial dominance when Shane Collins rose highest at the near post to glance a header into the far corner of McNamee’s net. The Gleneely man between the sticks is a stand in for regular keeper Mark Mooney, who suffered a serious hand injury earlier this season, but even Mooney would have struggled to keep out Collins neat header. Gleneely were still a danger, especially when Danny McLaughlin got time to pick out a pass, unfortunately for the hosts, McLaughlin didn’t see enough of the ball. The Colts might have taken the lead for the second time on 40 minutes when Martin McLaughlin and Emmet McConway combined to release Ruarai Kelly but Toland was out bravely to smother the shot. The sides looked set to go into the break level-pegging, but in injury time Kelly had a rush of blood to the head and hacked down Collins in the area and Charlie Doherty had no option but to point to the spot. Up stepped John Doherty to fire low past McNamee and give his side the lead. The tide didn’t change in the second half. Gleneely were caught cold at the start of the second period when Collins rounded the keeper to score after Brian Devlin forced the Gleneely defence into a panic-pass inside their own box. As the half wore on Rashenny’s fluid passing led to several good openings. Michael Toland, a calm hand on the tiller, ensured the visitors played the ball out from the back whenever possible. Any thoughts of a Gleneely comeback were forgotten in the 55th minute when Anthony Doherty set up Collins who completed his hat trick with a low drive across McNamee. Despite being outclassed, the Colts kept up the fight. Barry Diver forced a point blank save from Toland and John Doherty shot over minutes later before McKinley wasted Gleneely’s best chance of the half. In the 84th minute a quickly taken free to Martin McLaughlin saw the defender cross for Diver to head over. Rashenny sub Sean Paul Doherty and Barney Friel both went close to a fifth for the Trawbreaga Park boys before, in injury time, Sean Paul Doherty’s measured finish did make it five. There was still time for McKinley to force home a scrappy second for the hosts, but that did little to take the sheen off a fine display from Rashenny. Gleneely Colts: Eddie McNamee, Martin McLaughlin, Stephen McLaughlin, Barry Diver, Ruarai Kelly, Danny McLaughlin, Emmet McConway, Keith McLaughlin, TJ McKinley, Drew Crumlish, Enda Folan. Subs: J Doherty for Crumlish (56), Hugh Kelly for Folan (60), Christy McElhinney for M McLaughlin (76). Rashenny: Michael Toland, Barney Friel, Sean Toland, Michael Toland, Paul McConalogue, Brian Devlin, John Doherty, Anthony Doherty, Shane Collins, Michael Doherty, John McLaughlin. Subs: Sean Paul Doherty for M Doherty (65), Kieran Friel for Collins (65). For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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