Bellurgan keep slim hopes alive
BELLURGAN UNITED 4 TRIM CELTIC 3
A goal in stoppage time gave Bellurgan a dramatic victory in a game of two very contrasting halves with the home side having a two goal lead overturned and Cormac Renaghan one of three players sent-off in a drama-filled closing 15 minutes at Flynn Park on Sunday in the premier division of the North East League.
The points keep Bellurgan’s interest alive in the title race, but they do need leaders Muirhevnamor who they trail by five points to slip up in their final three games.
Missing James Renaghan and Ciaran Sheelan from the defeat the previous week by the leaders, they had to re-shuffle with Diarmuid Murphy partnering Ray Finnegan in defence, and Owen Armstrong filling in in mid-field while joint manager Paddy Quinn and Cormac Renaghan formed a striking spearhead.
They went in front after five minutes when Owen Armstrong attacked down the left and whipped in a cross that evaded attackers and defenders alike and sailed into the net at the far post.
They had chances to increase their lead, with Niall Donnelly spurning an opening from a cross. Brian White went close with a shot from the edge of the box, and Owen Armstrong was thwarted by a goal line clearance after rounding the Trim goalkeeper.
However, he wasn’t to be denied grabbing his second goal on 20 minutes when he collected the ball on the edge of the box and turned and shot into the bottom corner of the net.
The home side should have had victory sewn up by the break. Instead the game, took a complete turnabout with Trim erasing the two goal deficit and moving ahead after 65 minutes.
They scored twice in as many minutes. The first arrived five minutes into the second period when they got in behind the home defence and their centre-forward applied a smart finish into the bottom corner of the net when the ball was pulled back to him on the edge of the box.
Their second goal resulted in much the same fashion, as Trim opened up the Bellurgan defence down the right.
Bellurgan were really rocking then when from a corner kick a Trim central defender headed the visitors in front, and they were very much in the ascendancy.
Gradually Bellurgan clawed their way back into the game, with Brian White forcing a good save from the Trim goalkeeper, and Stephen Finnegan’s header just cleared the crossbar.
The impetus then totally shifted back to Bellurgan with Trim reduced to ten men, with a player sent-off for a second yellow card offence.
The pressure all built up again on the visitors but while Bellurgan created openings they were not able to convert them. Then eight minutes from the end a ball into the Trim box provided Stephen Finnegan with the opportunity to shoot. His attempt was blocked but Paddy Quinn re-acted quickest to tuck away the rebound.
A few minutes later a free-kick on the edge of the Trim box resulted in a bout of pushing and shoving, and a player from either side was shown the red card Cormac Renaghan was dismissed for the home side, and Trim were down to nine players with five minutes left.
Two minutes into added time a great delivery by substitute John Smith into the vistors box was headed into his own net by a Trim full-back. BELLURGAN: Robert Arthur, Daniel O’Connor, Ray Finnegan, Diarmuid Murphy, Sean McEvoy (John Smith 65), Brian White, Diarmuid Murphy, Stephen Finnegan, Niall Donnelly, Cormac Renaghan, Paddy Quinn(Owen Traynor 80). Other sub Daniel McDonald.