South Belfast Youth League u11
St Mary’s FC 2-3 Crusaders FC
The team news from the St Mary’s camp had Eoin Lundy grabbing a starting jersey and otherwise the team was along familiar lines for this North Belfast derby against Crusaders at Blanchflower.
St Mary’s took the initiative right from the first whistle and attacked the Crusaders goal with purpose and intent with the in-form Matthew Shannon and Eoin McNicholl rampaging down the flanks and skipper Conor Bannon and the tigerish Mark Davey controlling the central areas but the only thing that was missing was the finish.
Twice Shannon got into good positions but slightly over run the ball allowing the Crues keeper to gather while Mark Davey fired an effort into the side netting and St Mary’s luck was summed up when Eoin O’Reilly broke through the Crusaders rearguard only to kick the turf as the ball agonisingly drifted wide.
The Crusaders front pairing tried to feed off the scraps up the other end but found the St Mary’s defensive quartet of Patrick Ross, Oisin Donaghy, Coramc Mullan and Aidan Begley tough opponents.
St Mary’s were excellent from start to finish throughout the first period but all the lovely football they played counted for nothing at the break as the teams trooped off with the game still scoreless.
The script was written when with six minutes into the second period, Crusaders broke the deadlock with a good finish and just as St Mary’s started moving up the gears, they were hit with a further body blow as the Crues striker capitalised on a St Mary’s defensive mix up to register a second score.
Matthew Shannon pulled a goal back for St Mary’s having collected an Oliver Breen kick out and produced a fabulous run matched by a finish of the highest order into the roof of the Crusaders net to reduce the deficit but the Crusaders reply was swift, as they regained their two goal advantage with ten minutes remaining.
Mark Davey coolly rounded the Crusaders goalie before side footing home to reduce the arrears but the clock was to beat the Glengormley lads as the referee blew for time once the game was re-started from the kick off.
St Mary’s have one league game remaining and following today’s performance, they owe the management, supporters and more importantly the palyers themselves a performance to end what has been a fantastic league campaign, on a high.
This was certainly a case of three points dropped for St Mary’s today but if anything, Crusaders proved that a team can be ungracious in victory following the conduct of their management on the sideline today.
Onwards and upwards for St Mary’s. We shall not be moved!!!!!!
Man of Match – Mark Davey (St Mary’s)
