Sunday 16 October 2005
LOUGHMACRORY 2 - 12 5 - 02 NEWTOWNSTEWART
Last gasp goal send deserving U13s through
Loughmacrory took on Newtownstewart on Sunday, October 16th, knowing that a victory would send them into the knockout stages of the competition and thanks to a last minute goal from Ryan Donaghey they earned a one point victory. Newtownstewart got the first score of the match after three minutes, a long ball in was finished to the back of the net. Loughmacrory needed to find their feet after this early setback and they quickly did, firing over the next five unanswered points to take a two point lead. Newtownstewart then moved the ball up the field again and tagged on a point to close the gap to the minimum. Loughmacrory were playing some great football by this stage and indeed 21 minutes into the game got themselves a penalty after Liam McCartan was brought down in the Newtown penalty area. The resultant penalty however was brilliantly saved by the visiting keeper. Newtownstewart then added a second major with five minutes to go in the half to take a two point lead. Indeed it could have been much worse for the Lough had ‘keeper Terence Molloy not pulled of a brilliant save from the penalty spot just before half time to equal the heroics of his opposite number and so at half time it was the Lough who trailed, 2 - 01 to 0 - 05.
The second period was just five minutes old when Newtownstewart rattled the net once more but Loughmacrory kept fighting away and their persistence paid off, aided by some fine points taken from the boot of Niall Donaghy, as they again pulled the gap back to one. At this stage it was the Lough who looked like would go on and win the game but Newtownstewart had other ideas and in the space of three minutes had added two more goals to take a seven point lead approaching the final five minutes. The Lough’s never say die attitude proved vital at this stage. Cormac McGaughey fired over two points in quick succession and indeed when Niall Donaghy fired the ball to the net to close the gap to two points the home support sensed that the Lough would go on and win. This seemed like a done deal when they were awarded yet another penalty. This time Ryan Donaghy's effort missed the target and went wide. From the resultant kick out the Lough claimed possession and Ryan Donaghy's long range effort carried right into the net to give the Lough a one point victory.
