18/02/2006

Lisnafillan Swifts 5 - 1 Carnlough United

Lisnafillan increased their cushion to 6 points over promotion rivals Blackstone Rovers who were in cup action at the weekend with a fine 5 - 1 victory over a stubborn Carnlough side at the Showgrounds. Although at opposite ends of the league table, Carnlough certainly did not come to make up the numbers in what was a very competitive tie.

Lisnafillan started well and threatened early through Trevor McAleese who set up a dangerous opportunity for Roy Calderwood before coming close himself in a frantic first fifteen minutes. This was by no means a one sided affair however with Carnlough providing some creative, flowing football throughout their midfield without ever penetrating the Swifts’ staunch defence.

As the teams settled it seemed that goals were going to be scarce as both defences held strong and the game became bogged down in midfield. Ryan Kenny took charge for the Swifts, working the ball wide to William Crockard on the wing. The wide man outpaced his marker and fed the ball inside to Rodney Beggs whose first time pass released Greg Marrs. The big midfielder broke into the box but was denied by a defender’s hand, leaving the referee no alternative but to award a penalty for the home side. Roy Calderwood stepped up and placed his shot just beyond the outstretched ‘keeper to make it 1- 0 to Lisnafillan.

Far from lying down, Carnlough responded with some very attractive attacking football which had Lisnafillan chasing shadows. Their two strikers interlinked well to tangle up the Swifts’ defence. They failed at four attempts to clear the danger before Carnlough's front man found himself unmarked in the Lisnafillan box with a simple tap-in, levelling the tie at 1-1 before half-time.

Half-time: 1-1

Lisnafillan regrouped and came out in determined fashion for the second half. Both McAleese and Crockard carried the attack to Carlough who were already showing signs of fatigue along their back line.

Trevor McAleese regained the lead for the home team with a splendid individual goal that his selfless running merited. He picked the ball up on the left, beating his marker and then riding a very strong challenge as he made his way into the box. His persistence paid off as he finished at the second attempt after the brave ‘keeper spilled his initial shot.

Again Carnlough fought back but were restricted to a few long range efforts. This second half was played at a furious rate and the home team piled on the pressure in a bid to make the tie safe. After a few good chances, created mainly by the wide men, it was Greg Marrs who popped up to take advantage of a tired Carnlough clearance. The big midfielder made no mistake when the ball fell to him twelve yards out and he drilled the ball home to make it 3-1.

Unlike previous weeks where Lisnafillan would have switched off at this point, they pushed for more. McAleese was the main threat and his final contribution to the game came when he received the ball just outside his own 18yard box. He made a mazy run the entire length of the pitch, getting to the opposition bye line before despatching a pin-point cross for Roy Calderwood who made it 4-1 with 20 minutes to go. Unfortunately McAleese was caught by a late tackle as he delivered his telling cross sustaining a serious leg injury which should rule him out for the rest of the season.

Phil Alexander replaced the excellent McAleese with almost immediate effect. He drew the save of the game from the Carnlough ‘keeper from a sweetly struck volley and then had a goal disallowed for offside after excellent build up play by Calderwood.
Alexander’s contribution was to count though when he turned provider for Jay Russell who had raced forward from left back. The big forward made room for himself in the middle and spotted Russell on the overlap, feeding him an accurate pass. Russell beat the defender and waited for the ’keeper to commit before cheekily chipping it over his head to round off the day 5-1 for Lisnafillan.

Full-time: 5-1