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Late goal a Hearts breaker
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Buncrana stunned as Convoy
hit back in injury time Convoy Arsenal...1 (Laverty 90+1) Buncrana Hearts...1 (Connolly Pen 49) by Liam Porter, Inishowen Independent, in Convoy A GOAL in injury time from experienced midfielder Maurice Laverty stunned table toppers Buncrana Hearts on Friday night as they let a one goal lead slip right at the death to leave with just a share of the spoils. The goal – a towering header from a well-delivered Gerard McGranaghan corner – shocked the visitors who had defended well throughout but who had ridden their luck a little in the closing stages of the game as Convoy pressed in search of that equaliser. Indeed the home side will feel they were well worth their draw in the end, although in the first half it was difficult to see where a goal might come from at all. |
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Buncrana did look the more
comfortable team on the ball in the first half, but
chances were few and far between in a hard-fought
encounter that saw most attacks break down before the
final ball was played. Convoy probably had the best chance of the half in the 8th minute when Gerard McGranaghan’s shot was tipped over the bar by Rory Kelly and from the resulting corner Luke O’Farrell headed wide. At the other end Ross Connolly was giving the Convoy defence plenty to think about even he if he wasn’t able to conjure up chances for himself and he did work Buncrana’s best opening in the 34th minute when his ball across the box found Johnny Bonner but his shot was blocked. Bonner who started the game at left-back was switched to the right in the second half and the move paid dividends for Buncrana immediately when he was upended in the box by Eunan Kelly and Ross Connolly tucked away the resulting penalty. The young Buncrana lad seemed to have the measure of Convoy’s John Sweeney and when he won a free on the |
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right in the 55th minute,
Buncrana had three chances to get the ball in the net. Centre half John McLaughlin and then Connolly both had shots blocked before Gerard McLaughlin hammered a shot towards goal that was hacked off the line by Steven Lindsay. John Doherty then headed a dangerous cross from Eccles away for a corner in the 63rd minute as Buncrana sought to increase their lead and from that corner they did have the ball in the net only to see it ruled out for a foul in the box. The most Convoy could muster in return was a header goalward from John Doherty from a Sweeney corner in the 73rd minute, but it wasn’t until the last fifteen minutes that the home side seemed to find their feet. The introduction of Shane Bonner on the right wing kick-started the revival and all of a sudden their youngsters Christy Bogle, David Shovlin and Luke of Farrell began to get on the ball and cause some problems. Bogle who impressed at right back raced down the wing in the 76th minute to create a chance for Lenny Boyce that he fired weakly at Kelly while O’Farrell linked up well with McGranaghan two minutes later to set up Maurice Laverty for a stinging shot that Kelly did well to tip over. If that was a good save then the Buncrana keeper surpassed it seconds later when he somehow got down to beat away John Doherty’s powerful header before the ball was hacked away to safety. John McLaughlin then headed away a clipped in ball from Shovlin in the 86th minute as Convoy pressed on but it looked as if they had blown their hopes of salvaging a point until Laverty popped up right at the death with that powerful header that broke Buncrana Hearts. Convoy Arsenal: Gareth Patton, Christy Bogle, John Sweeney, Steven Lindsay, John Doherty, Eunan Kelly, Luke O’Farrell, Gerard McGranaghan, Lenny Boyce, David Shovlin, Mark Sweeney. Subs: Maurice Laverty for Kelly (50); Shane Bonner for Sweeney (73); Shane Barclay for Lindsay (83). Buncrana Hearts: Rory Kelly, Diarmuid Fullerton, Johnny Bonner, Gary Duffy, John McLaughlin, Brendan Halpin, Johnny Eccles, Sean M Boucher-Hayes, Ross Connolly, Gerard McLaughlin, Johnny McCarron. Subs: Barry McFadden for Halpin (h-t); Greg Bradley for McCarron (80); Gerard Boyle for Connolly (85). For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent. |
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