O’Neill Sportswear Football League Division 2
Glenravel 3-15 Glenavy 0-12
A strong second half performance from Glenravel saw them cruise past a very good Glenavy team but there was very little to separate these teams for much of the first half. Indeed had Glenavy’s full back, Oisin Hamill, goaled when one on one with Glenravel keeper Johnny Fyfe late in the first half this could have been a different game. Instead Fyfe saved and the unfortunate Hamill had to be stretchered off as a result of the collision. Everyone at Saffron Gael wishes Oisin a speedy recovery – he had been very influential up to that point.
Niall Swann opened the scoring for the home side with a lovely point from distance and this was followed up a few minutes later with a point from Daniel McQuillan. Glenavy’s talisman Fergal Henry opened for the visitors before Cormac McKeown opened a two point lead for Glenravel with a deft finish. Henry and Oisin Hamill brought the game all level as Glenavy started to find some rhythm in their play. But the home team regained control with three points from Danial Higgins and a brace for Cormac McKeown to give them a three point lead. Both sides would exchange two points each to leave the score 0-08 to 0-05 in favour of Glenravel as we entered injury time. However a defensive lapse from Glenavy allowed Glenravel’s Rian Lennon to ghost in behind the defence and he gave Glenavy keeper Stephen Daly no chance as his shot found the back of the net. When referee Karol Doherty blew the short whistle Glenravel would have been happy enough to go in leading 1-08 to 0-05.
Having conceded a goal in the last minute of the first half, Glenavy would have hoped for a bright start to the second half to get back into the game and indeed they scored directly from the throw in when Patrick Gallagher reduced the deficit to five points. But Glenravel took full control of the game for the next ten minutes and went on to score 1-04 without reply, the goal coming from Danial McQuillan. So with twenty minutes remaining Glenravel led 2-12 to 0-06 and looked to have secured victory. Glenavy would come back with three points of their own from Fergal Henry and Fintan O’Boyle to leave six between them with fifteen minutes to go and the away supporters were hoping for a comeback. But it didn’t prove to be for the visitors. Both teams would exchange points up to the end of the game to leave a healthy gap for the home side, and as he had done in the first half, Rian Lennon popped up with his second goal of the game in the dying minutes to leave Glenravel comfortable winners 3-15 to 0-12.
