Northern Irish Football League Cup Semi Final
Mourneview Park, Lurgan
Admission: £13.00
Programme: None
Attendance: TBC
When I plan business trips away from home, it is always with one eye on football games I would be able to take in in the evenings. From that point of view, it was not ideal that circumstances dictated that I had to visit the Republic of Ireland in January, with the League of Ireland not starting their season until February, with no pre-season nor lower league games scheduled this midweek. However, when I noticed this game just over the border in Northern Ireland, it was too good to resist and I therefore tailored my plans. And so a day which started with a customer visit in County Galway, before heading eastwards stopping off to visit another in County Offaly, and then checking into my hotel in Navan (a relatively convenient location from which to visit another customer north of Dublin the next morning), from where Lurgan was about an hour and a half drive northwards.
Mourneview Park is considered to be one of the best in Northern Ireland, understandable in terms of facilities, although it is nowhere near as interesting a stadium in terms of character or charm as many others in the province, nor indeed south of the border. All seater stands run along both lengths, one with good elevation but with supporting pillars partly obscuring one’s view, while the other has no supporting pillars. Behind one end there is a covered terrace, while there is nothing behind the other end, apart from a wall with advertising hoardings and an electronic scoreboard. Refreshments are available from a mobile kiosk, with a very small club shop located inside the rear wall of the main stand. Disapprovingly, Glenavon no longer produce any kind of programme, not even online.
There was plenty riding on this game. Not only was it a League Cup Semi-Final, with a day out at Windsor Park in a Cup Final at stake, but it was a very local derby, with just 7 miles separating the two clubs. So it was little surprise that this game was sold out, with Portadown virtually filling one of the all-seater stands. That contributed to an excellent atmosphere for the game, off the pitch at least. Glenavon would certainly be considered favourites tonight though, playing in the NIFL Premiership, from which Portadown were relegated at the end of last season after finishing seven points adrift at the foot of the table. League positions . This season, they are currently in fourth place in the NIFL Championship , following 13 wins and a draw from their 18 league games so far, and are six points adrift of leaders Dundela. Glenavon are in sixth place, following nine wins and two draws from their 25 league games, and have a real battle on their hands to finish in the top six place for the mid season split, and are only above seventh placed Coleraine, and just a point and two points ahead of the eight and ninth placed teams respectively.
Having my booked my tickets in advance, I was concerned that this game might get postponed, with sub-zero conditions and further sleet or slow forecast to fall in Northern Ireland today and going into this evening. Fortunately, the club tweeted during the day that there were no concerns regarding the pitch, and indeed, conditions turned out to not be too cold after all, with no sign of sleet or snow.
A match report can be read by clicking here, also copied and pasted below
Video highlights can be viewed by clicking here, or a full match rerun can be viewed by clicking here
Portadown stun derby rivals Glenavon to book spot in BetMcLean Cup final
Can lightening striker twice for Portadown in the League Cup?
The Ports defied the odds in winning the trophy as a Championship club back in 2009 and now they stand one step away from producing what would be an ever greater shock.
Ryan Mayse’s 27th minute penalty was enough to give the Shamrock Park men a 1-0 win over local rivals Glenavon to send them into a March 10 decider against Linfield.
Having taken three Premiership scalps already Niall Currie will fancy his chances of taking a fourth.
The signs of what was at stake in the game were there from the start. A hectic pace, strong tackles and a feistiness that comes with the territory of a local derby – and increases in intensity when it’s a Cup semi-final – was very much in evidence more so than attractive football.
That didn’t matter to the crowd that filled Mourneview Park, craving the excitement of derby action that is denied them in the league at present with the two teams a league apart.
Gradually though things did start to settle – although there was still no quarter asked when it came to challenges – and chances came.
Only a heavy touch from Mayse that took away his angle for a shot, prevented Portadown from having the first meaningful opportunity after 11 minutes at the end of a slick move that sent Mark Russell away on the left before delivering a low cross.
A looping header from Danny Wallace, who had got free of his marker to meet James Doona’s free kick four minutes later, had the Glenavon fans behind the goal ready to celebrate only for the ball to drop just the wrong side of the post.
Portadown had looked dangerous on quick breakaways, always trying to find Mayse or Russell in the wide areas while Zach Barr was the outlet through the middle.
That was the route by which Portadown created the opening goal on 27 minutes, which frustratingly for Glenavon came only a matter of seconds after they’d had the ball in the box at the other end.
Possession was surrendered cheaply when Peter Campbell’s attempted pass went straight to Luke Wilson, he immediately sent the ball from the edge of the box towards Barr, just inside the Glenavon half. The burly striker got away from Wallace, got a touch on ball just before goalkeeper Mark Byrne made contact with him, sending it wide of the post, and that was enough for referee Christopher Morrison to deem it a foul and point to the penalty spot.
Mayse stepped up and cool as you like struck the ball into the bottom left corner, just beyond Byrne’s outstretched arm.
It then became a tale of fine margins that somehow kept the game at 1-0. Aaron Hogg produced a superb save, launching himself to his left to push Gavin Hodgins header around the post from David Toure’s cross shortly before half time.
Then there were close calls at both end early in the second half. Eamon Fyfe somehow put the ball over the bar from 10 yards with an almost empty net in front of him as the Ports went in search of a second goal and Glenavon went even closer when Jack Malone cracked a 30 yard shot though a crowd of bodies before agonisingly coming back off a post.
In need of something, Glenavon began to pile pressure on, however, crosses were put in too close to Hogg, a couple of shots were straight at him and others were blocked. They just couldn’t find a way through.
When Malone was then presented with a free kick opportunity seven minutes from time he failed to find the target from 25 yards.
Right at the death former Ports player Stephen Teggart could have forced extra time only for his shot to hit Hogg.
It summed up Glenavon’s night. A tale of missed opportunities and double disappointment in derby defeat and a Cup final place escaping them.
GLENAVON: Byrne, Touore, Birney, Wallace, Quinn, Smoddy (Garrett 56 mins), Baird (Clarke 56 mins), Malone, Campbell, Hodgins (Teggart 79 mins), Doona (Lotefa 77 mins). Unused subs: Gracey, Kerr, Prendergast.
PORTADOWN: Hogg, Chapman, L Wilson, D Wilson, Traynor, McCawl (Montgomery 62 mins), Thompson, Mayse (Coyle 83 mins), Fyfe, Russell, Barr (Kane 72 mins). Unused subs: Buchanan, Coyle, Redman, Kane, Williamson, McKay.
Referee: Christopher Morrison (Belfast)
No comments:
Post a Comment