Whitechurch slip past Ballyowen

WHITECHURCH FC’S outside chance of promotion, from the UCFL Division 3A, were given a boost last Saturday when they travelled to Griffeen Valley Park and left with a narrow 2-1 win over Ballyowen Celtic reports John Mooney.

The visitors had started the season very positively but as time wore on results were becoming had to find, however, that was rectified that last weekend when coming from a goal down.

This a was a really good game, despite the wind blowing across the pitch, and, really, Ballyowen will be coursing their luck as they saw too many chances going the wrong side of the post.

The visitors started really brightly with Dean Ryan getting in behind the home defence twice in the opening 10 minutes, but he fluffed his lines on both occasions.

Those misses came back to haunt them on 13 minutes as the home side took the lead, and it was a disaster for the Churches keeper Tony Hackett.

Adam McClelland held up the ball on the edge of the area and slipped it back to Mark Lowry who centred, and as Hackett came to gather the wind decided to intervene and take it out of his path and into the net.

Whitechurch had a narrow victory over Ballyowen Celtic Photos by John Mooney

They should have kicked on from that but Hackett redeemed himself when he produced a couple of decent saves, before the visitors were back on level terms with five minutes to go to the break.

Sean Doyle picked up the ball on the edge of the Celts area and drew two defenders before slipping the ball to Craig O’Neill, and he smashed home a beauty to level the tie.

It was set up nicely for the second half and Ballyowen came out flying with McClelland firing inches wide, and a couple of efforts from Lowry and Luke Monoghan flying across the face of goal with no one there to put the final touch to them.

Ballyowen Celtic conceded a goal in the seventy fifth minute to lose the game

The thing is Whitechurch hung in and, with two players off through injury from the opening half, relied on their more experienced players to keep cool heads and it paid off on 75 minutes when they scored what proved to be the winner.

David Berry was the provider as he raced down the wing and put over an inch perfect centre for Sean Quigley, who could have had a hat-trick on the day, to volley home to get their slim hopes of promotion back on track.