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Match Report · Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Posts: 128

U-18 v Drumcree/Milltown
(7-a-side, Quarter Final)
03/03/2009

Knocknamuckley entered the knockout stages of the Lurgan BBOB Sevens at the quarter final stage, having finished as group leaders. They were drawn against a combined side, from Drumcree and Milltown, who had finished in 8th position in the league stage, with one win and one defeat from their two games.

The opening minutes of the half saw few direct chances on goal, but the first chance fell Muckley’s way. A Gregg Harrison long throw picked out a good run from John Henderson. Hendo met the throw with a header from point blank range that the goalkeeper managed to push away. The goalkeeper soon made another save, when he, strangely, volleyed away a long range Harrison strike.

After Muckley controlling most of the possession without doing a whole lot with it, they nearly fell one behind. A Drumcree/Milltown player picked up the ball around half way and went on a mazy run past a number of Knocknamuckley players, dodging some weak challenges, as he approached goal, and just as he was about to pull the trigger, Stephen Russell got back to make an important block.

Russell was again involved in the action when he lost possession in his own half. He did well to win the ball back and then went on a run from left to right, beating three opposition players, and then put in a low cross to Harrison. Harrison laid the ball back to the advancing Henderson, who made no mistake with his shot, and tucked it away to give Knocknamuckley the lead.

Knocknamuckley launched another attack, this time through Graham Cowan, who found space at the back and played a good pass down the line into the run of Harrison, his cross picking out Adam McKeown at the back post with no-one between him and the goalkeeper, but, uncharacteristically, McKeown missed the target.

Andy Calvert was required to make a good block at the back, before Muckley had another chance to stretch their lead. Harrison ran with the ball, and played a pass into McKeown, who played the ball back to Harrison, putting him clean through on goal, but his shot lacked conviction allowing the keeper to make the save.

Half time 1st Knocknamuckley 1 v 0 Drumcree/Milltown

Knocknamuckley began the second half well. Russell picked the ball up on the left, deep in his own half. Showing great vision he floated a long diagonal ball to the right hand side, into the run of Harrison, who picked out Henderson with a centre, but the midfielder blazed over.

From a Drumcree/Milltown goal kick, Henderson won the ball in the air, with his header dropping to McKeown, but the goalkeeper got a hand to his powerful shot, tipping it over the bar. From the resulting corner McKeown was to come even closer as his heard was cleared off the line, but as the ball wasn’t fully cleared a goalmouth scramble ensued, with the ball needing cleared from the goal line for a second time.

With Knocknamuckley going in search of the second goal which they thought was necessary to kill the game off, Colin Irwin was introduced from the bench and nearly had an immediate impact when his shot was cleared off the line, giving rise to another goalmouth scramble.

Knocknamuckley’s next chance came following a Seth Mathers goal kick, which was flicked on by the head of Irwin, but he directed his header wide of the post. Following this well waited goal kick, Mathers got the next one perfect, with the ball dropping on the head of Henderson a couple of yards from goal. Henderson rose well to get the perfect deft header to send the ball towards the top corner with all of its original pace. Somehow the Drumcree/Milltown goalkeeper managed to stretch out a hand in time and turn the ball away, to again deny Muckley.

Following Knocknamuckley controlling the majority of the match, Drumcree/Milltown began to take control of the play as full time approached, as they piled forward in search of the equaliser, and Muckley began to wish that they had taken some of their wasted chances.

A Drumcree/Milltown forward burst through on goal, Cowan came across to try and snuff out the threat. The forward’s pace was too much for Cowan who committed the foul, just on the edge of the penalty area. Luckily for Muckley only a free kick was awarded, and Cowan escaped without a caution, despite being the last man, which could have warranted a dismissal. The free kick came to nothing.

Drumcree/Milltown again breached the Muckley defence, their striker finding himself with only Mathers between him and the Muckley goal, although he had a very narrow angle to shoot at goal. Mathers advanced quickly in order to further narrow the striker’s options, but appeared to over commit, and there looked a case for a foul and a penalty kick in the dying moments. Fortunately for the Muckley shot-stopper, the referees whistle didn’t sound and the attack broke down.

The pressure from Drumcree and Milltown kept building as the game approached full time. Andrew Poole needed to be alert to block a volley as time ran out, and finally, much to the relief of the Knocknamuckley side, the full time whistle sounded.

This result means that Knocknamuckley progress to the semi final of the competition which they won the season before last. Despite squeezing through to the semi finals, a performance of this standard won’t be enough to see them progress to the showpiece at Mourneview Park, as the game seemed to pose more questions than it answered. A positive which can be taken from the game is that the side kept their second consecutive clean sheet, but need to work on taking their chances.

Full time 1st Knocknamuckley 1 v 0 Drumcree/Milltown

Team: Mathers; Cowan, Calvert; Russell, Henderson, Harrison; McKeown: C.Irwin, Poole, Campbell.

Goal: Henderson