St Peter’s are one point away from Premier title
Peter’s edge out Glens to close in on the Premier title
ST. PETER’S are just a point away from being named 2019/20 Andy McEvoy Premier Division champions after seeing off the stiff challenge of Glencormac United in a pulsating nine-goal classic on Sunday afternoon.
Having been clawed back from 2-0 up by the spirited home side, the champions-elect almost had the result snatched from their grasps by the Glens.
However, a clinical second-half performance saw them regain their advantage before seeing out the 5-4 triumph at the end of a frantic affair.
Since their first and, to-date, only defeat of the season back on October 11 against Avonmore, St. Peter’s have been a truly awesome unit.
Since that loss, they have been on a run of 11 straight wins, scoring 36 goals and conceding just seven in the process.
As an indicator of just how formidable they have been, Peter’s have scored 18 and let in just the one in their last five.
On Sunday, their dominant, smothering aura was very nearly shattered by a Glencormac team that was hell-bent on delaying the inevitable title party.
It all started so routinely for the league leaders. With barely 12 minutes on the clock, Jamie Kelly was played in down the left flank, where he stroked the ball calmly past Owen English in the Glens goal.
That lead was doubled shortly before the half hour when a long, hopeful ball up the middle of the field was punched unconvincingly clear by English.
Waiting on the edge of the area was Danny Byrne, who made no mistake in precisely lifting a volley up-and-over the head of the ‘keeper for 2-0.
In ordinary circumstances,
Peter’s would have gone about methodically dictating the tempo of proceedings through possession control, something they did to devastating effect against Ashford Rovers a number of weeks ago.
As it would transpire on Sunday, these were not normal circumstances, and Glencormac were in no mood to roll over and accept their fate. Nay Watters saw a shot tipped onto the bar by Niall Vaughan mere moments after the second goal went in, while the deficit was halved shortly thereafter, when a free-kick wide on the left by the dangerous Sam O’Callaghan sailed over the head of Vaughan into the corner.
O’Callaghan cleared off the line from Chad Ryan after English had missed his clearance from another long pass, before the Glens brought the game level.
Once again, it was a set-piece from O’Callaghan that played havoc, with Josh O’Callaghan sending a flicked header home at the back post to send the sides into half-time at 2-2.
The rallying cry at half-time from Glencormac management was a simple message of defiance: Peter’s were not going to – effectively - win the league on their turf. It would take just three minutes of the second period for that to ring true and for the Glens to find themselves in front for the first time. After Vaughan missed a corner from the right with a punch, Cian McGoldrick had the wherewithal to head the ball back across the face. On hand was Josh O’Callaghan who sent the sideline into raptures by volleying home.
It would require a performance befitting of champions for Peter’s to get past what was their toughest test since October, and that is what came. On 52 minutes, they were level at 3-3- when Jamie Kelly bundled his way towards goal before unleashing a strike into the bottom corner from the edge.
Barely a minute later, they were in front once again in what was turning out to be an emotionally exhausting war. Jake Adamson, brought on at half-time, precisely sent a first-time volleyed cross across the box from the right wing, where Chad Ryan stroked home to send Peter’s into delirium, with the taste of a league title well-and-truly on their tongues.
The game was all-but put beyond the hosts with 17 minutes left. Jamie Kelly did well to thread a reverse pass into the path of Adamson, who pulled a tantalising cross to the back post, where Danny Byrne rolled it home.
There was still time for one last twist to the tail when Josh O’Callaghan completed his hat-trick with a header from an excellent Simon Doyle cross.
Things threatened to turn ugly late on when unused St. Peter’s substitute Ryan Wogan was adjudged to have brought down Sam O’Callaghan when he was going to collect possession for a throw-in.
David Jameson showed Wogan a red card and ejected him from the sideline and, after the subsequent arguments subsided, it was the visitors who came away from the improbably dramatic game with one hand on the league title.