Donnelly completes the comeback to fire Glentoran up into third
JAY Donnelly’s late winner saw Glentoran move into third in the Danske Bank Premiership table with a hard-fought win over Warrenpoint at Milltown.
That goal completed a comeback after the visitors had gone behind to Adam Carroll’s opener following a howler by Glens keeper Rory Brown. However, Conor Mcmenamin levelled from the penalty spot two minutes later before the lively Donnelly sealed the win eight minutes from time.
The majority of the first half was all Glentoran as they dominated, but it took until half an hour in for them to trouble Gabriel Sava in the home goal.
After Ruaidhri Donnelly had flicked an effort wide from a Jay Donnelly cross, the younger of the two brothers really should have broken the deadlock on 30 minutes when he latched onto a Rhys Marshall through ball.
Although Sava blocked his initial effort, the ball rebounded to Donnelly, who thought he had scored only for Luke Gallagher to stop it on the line before Danny Wallace cleared.
Two minutes later, Donnelly saw his goal-bound effort from 18 yards out following a Mcmenamin
lay-off deflected over by Wallace. However, Barry Gray’s home side had arguably the best chance of the half two minutes before the break following a sweeping counter-attack begun by Wallace.
He found Kealan Dillon on the halfway line and his superb diagonal ball sent Adam Evans scampering down the left flank. Wallace had continued his run forward and got on the end of Evans’ first-time cross. However, the centre-back could only miscue his effort wide.
The game then sprang to life early in the second period with two goals in as many minutes before the hour mark.
Warrenpoint took the lead on 54 and it’s a goal Glens keeper Brown will want to forget. As Carroll attempted to latch onto Evans’ flick on down the left, Luke Mccullough directed it back towards his keeper. However, as Brown scrambled to keep it from going for a corner, he only succeeded in pushing it straight into the path of Carroll, and the Linfield loanee kept his cool to side-foot home.
But the visitors were awarded a penalty two minutes later when Wallace needlessly scythed down Rhys Marshall in the box and referee Lee Tavinder had no option but to point to the spot. Mcmenamin stepped up to convert.
The winner then arrived on 82 minutes with a quickly-taken free-kick setting Marcus Kane free down the left. The Glens skipper produced an inch-perfect cross to the back post where Jay Donnelly climbed highest to power home.
WARRENPOINT TOWN: Sava, Mullen (Deasy 67), Ball, Wallace, Gallagher, Mcveigh (O’sullivan 84), Mccaffrey, Dillon (Swan 67), Doyle, Carroll, Evans
Subs not used:
Byrne
GLENTORAN: Brown, Marron, Kane, Mccullough, Mcclean, Bigirimana, Clucas (Mitchell 77), Marshall, Mcmenamin (Mcdonagh 62), J Donnelly (Plum 84), R Donnelly
Subs not used: Morris, Gallagher, Gorman, Crowe
Referee: Lee Tavinder (Dungannon)
Man of the match: Gael Bigirimana
Match rating: 6/10
Coleman, Cowan, Hutchinson,