Brilliant Beary on song for Sky Blues
NORTH END UNITED CHERRY ORCHARD
LIVE WIRE Adam Beary inspired North End to a deserved victory over Cherry Orchard in Curracloe on Sunday, earning them a place in the first round of the Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup.
The front man first won a penalty, which paved the way for Paul ‘Spot’ Murphy to fire the Sky Blues in front in the 75th minute, and he then added a superb second himself three minutes from time to wrap up the victory.
His pace and ability to play off the shoulder of the last defender posed a real problem for the Dubliners throughout the tie, and they eventually creaked under the mounting pressure.
After a first-half that was low on excitement, the tie came to life following the interval, with the Wexford champions really taking the game to their opponents, although they did appear vulnerable at the back on occasion.
They certainly looked shaky with just ten seconds on the clock when miscommunication between goalkeeper Dylan Owens and Gary Delaney saw the centre-half’s back header mercifully drift wide of the left upright and out for a fruitless corner.
Beary signalled his threat to the Cherry Orchard defence in the tenth minute when he skipped around the goalkeeper, but his shot from a tight angle hit the side-netting.
John Godkin’s charges were keen to bring Beary into the game at every opportunity, although chances were few and far between in a pedestrian first 45 minutes.
North End certainly came out with more fire in their bellies after the interval, and Jason Murphy’s curling left-footed effort took a deflection and forced a fine save out of Shane Fagan four minutes after the turnaround.
On 54 minutes Gary Byrne’s cross from the right wing came close to dropping in, and moments later he whipped in another teasing delivery from a corner, which a stooping Gary Delaney met with a firm header, but the effort was always rising over the top.
Within 60 seconds there was an identical opportunity at the other end, with Dean Murphy heading a Ryan Coombes corner off target.
Three minutes later and North End had another scare when Murphy ghosted in at the back post to get his head on a Seán Dixon free-kick, and Coombes’ follow-up effort was blocked.
Midway through the half it was North End’s turn to threaten when Adam Beary linked up with Jason Murphy, and the latter’s instinctive first-time strike was clawed away by Fagan.
Within a minute goalkeeper Dylan Owens was called into action at the other end, showing brilliant reactions to deny Ciarán Byrne.
Then with a quarter of an hour remaining North End were handed a gilt-edged opportunity to get their noses in front .
Beary showed his blistering speed to get a toe to a defensive header ahead of sprawling goalkeeper Fagan, and when his legs were taken from under him referee Nicky Boland had no hesitation in pointing to the spot.
You can’t beat a cool head in such a situation and captain Paul ‘Spot’ Murphy displayed just that, nonchalantly side-footing the ball to the right-hand corner of the net.
The Wexford town outfit then put the icing on the cake on 87 minutes, with Murphy and Beary again involved.
The playmaker spotted the run of Beary and when his lofted ball forward was nodded down by a defender, the striker was on to it like a flash and he lifted a delightful lob over the advancing goalkeeper from just inside the area to seal the deal for United.