Match Reports >> 2009 Match Reports >> Crossmolina 2-1 Bangor Hibs

July 5th 2009 Crossmolina 2-1 Bangor Hibs

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Crossmolina outlasted Bangor Hibs in the sun and rain at Abbeytown on Sunday afternoon but their deserved victory ultimately owed a little to good fortune. Just as both teams battled it out on the pitch the elements also vied for supremacy as thunder and torrential rain temporarily banished the sun and searing heat during the opening half. Similarly, Crossmolina’s bright start was dulled by a brave Bangor response. The hosts had settled into the game quickly and quickly launched long range efforts at the Bangor goal through Mark Howley and Eoin Corcoran, neither of which really troubled Hibs goalie Michael Gaughan. An overhead kick by Enda Jordan after seven minutes didn’t require much effort from the custodian either as he clutched the ball while standing stationary. In the twelfth minute Gaughan’s opposite number, Mark Fox, nearly gifted the visitors a goal when he raced outside his penalty and only succeeded in miskicking the ball sideways, granting Michael Doocey an open goal to aim at. Fortunately for the netminder the Bangor striker chose the wrong club and pitched the ball too high, sending it sailing harmlessly over the bar. After twenty minutes Sean Ginty became the first player to really test the keeper when he sizzled a shot from an acute angle on the left of the penalty area that Fox tipped over at his near post. Three minutes later Brian McHale executed a compact turn outside the penalty area before firing a rasping shot straight into Fox’s midriff. Crossmolina seemed to be controlling the ball more than their opponents but they failed to convert that possession into anything meaningful in terms of goalscoring chances.

Jordan could have changed all that after half an hour when he breached the Bangor defence but, with only Gaughan to beat, the winger pulled his shot across the face of goal and wide of the left post. Eoin Corcoran saved his teammates blushes three minutes later when he opened the scoring for Crossmolina after beating the offside trap and despatching Derek Sweeney’s pass between Gaughan and the near post. The striker could have doubled the advantage four minutes before the interval when he outfoxed his markers again with some lively movement but with only Gaughan to beat he lifted the ball over both goalie and goal, posing no threat to either. The second half was generally poor fare with Crossmolina coasting slightly on the strength of their second goal, inviting a comeback from the visitors, who duly obliged. Hibs had registered the first strike on target of the second stanza when Jason Healy met a left wing throw and nodded a header across the face of goal that Fox scrambled to gather. The small crowd that had braved the hostile weather were then treated to a brace of exquisite goals in the space of six minutes that justified their devotion. Crossmolina’s Stewart Griffin, whose influence on the game was impressive throughout, was in particularly mischievous form in the Deelsiders midfield and he co-ordinated his sides second goal with some great trickery and vision.

A long passage of play that saw both sides forming attacks culminated with Griffin prompting the move that was punctuated with Jordan receiving the ball in an apparently harmless position outside of the penalty area. The winger swivelled niftily before thumping an unstoppable shot past Gaughan. Bangor’s reply was equally emphatic as Brian McHale matched Jordan’s strike magnificently with a quality twenty yard finish from the left side of the penalty area into the bottom right corner that would have beaten any goalkeeper. After sixty five minutes Jordan was granted the freedom of the right wing on a counter attack but, possibly tired after galloping the length of the pitch, he failed to capitalise on the space when he drove the ball directly at Gaughan from twelve yards out. Bangor finished the game stronger and on a few occasions seemed likely to restore parity. With twenty minutes remaining McHale attempted to profit from Darren McManaman’s barrelling run but his carefully judged twenty yard shot curled just wide of the right post. Then, with just over five minutes left, the visitors crafted a gilt-edged opportunity that seemed certain to yield an equaliser.

Doocey and McHale combined wonderfully with a swift interchange of passes to carve open the home rearguard but Doocey’s shot from six yards was excellently smothered by Fox at his near post. Crossmolina called upon Lady Luck again three minutes before the final whistle when Jimmy Flannery’s goalbound run was abruptly ended by a tardy looking tackle in the penalty area but the referee chose not to award a penalty, much to the visitors ire. The hosts preserved their lead for the remainder of the match and will be glad to boost their league position with this much-needed win.

Crossmolina – Mark Fox, Darragh Carroll (Adam Gordon 79), Michael Cafferty, Patrick Cafferty, Sean Hiney, Enda Jordan, Mark Howley, Stewart Griffin, Paul Flaherty, Derek Sweeney, Eoin Corcoran

Bangor Hibs – Michael Gaughan, Sean Ginty, Gary Sweeney, Martin John Carey, Cormac Murphy, Ronan Cuffe, Jason Healy, Kyle Holmes, JJ Markwick, Brian McHale, Michael Doocey

Referee – M Regan

Match Reports >> 2009 Match Reports >> Crossmolina 2-1 Bangor Hibs