Bellurgan pay the penalty as Kingscourt draw late comfort

KINGSCOURT 2 BELLURGAN UNITED 2

BELLURGAN let victory slip in the closing minutes to allow Kingscourt to pick up their first point of the campaign and move off the bottom of the table.

In a tale of two halves with a strong wind having a big bearing on the play the visitors went ahead ten minutes from time when substitute Gavin Donnelly headed home a sweet cross by Shane Finnegan from no more than six yards at the back post.

Then Finnegan had the chance to seal victory five minutes later when he broke through the home defence on the right only for the Kingscourt goalkeeper to block his shot at the expense of a corner.

Instead the concession of a penalty two minutes from the end by Niall Donnelly enabled Kingscourt to salvage what was a disappointing draw for Bellurgan after losing at home the previous Sunday.

They spurned a good chance to take the lead after 15 minutes. A low corner kick by Shane Finnegan struck the knee of Darren Gaynor no more than handful of yards out at the far post and went over the crossbar.

The Kingscourt centre-forward was also guilty of a bad miss when he steered his shot wide of an empty goal after rounding Robert Arthur. But he made amends by putting the home side ahead when he ran onto a ball played over the top of the Bellurgan defence and tucked it into the net

Bellurgan with the wind after the break pressed for the equaliser with Ciaran Sheelan having a shot tipped round the post by the home goalkeeper, and Owen Armstrong fired over the bar when a headed clearance fell to him outside the penalty box.

Darrren Gayor put them level finishing off a sweet move involving Gavin Donnelly who went past his marker on the left and fed Ciaran Sheelan who turned the ball across goal for Gaynor to score from nine yards out.

Right at the death 17 year-old Bellurgan substitute Cian McDonald was denied a dramatic winner when the Kingscourt goalkeeper threw himself across his goal to turn his post past the post. BELLURGAN: Robert Arthur, Niall Donnelly, James Renaghan, Emmet Rogan, John Smith, Paddy Quinn, Brian White inj ( Gavin Donnelly 35), Owen Armstrong, Shane Finnegan, Ciaran Sheelan (Cian McDonald 80), Darren Gaynor.