Shamrocks keep hopes alive
GLENMUIR UNITED SHAMROCKS 2 4
SHAMROCKS pushed the Under-12 Premier title race to the wire despite having a player dismissed in this, the penultimate game of their campaign at Glenmuir Park.
The win closed the gap between the winners and league leaders Blayney Academy to a mere point, with only one game each left to play.
The task looked like it would be relatively straightforward for the visitors when they opened a 2-0 lead in this encounter after 11 minutes.
Rhys O’Hare, who was causing all sorts of problems on the left wing, steered home a cross in between the unlucky home goalkeeper’s legs to put Shamrocks ahead.
Then O’Hare turned provider as he pulled a cross back for Danny Putnam to rifle a first-time shot low into the bottom corner of the net from outside the penalty box.
However, a wicked bounce left Shamrocks goalkeeper Frankie O’Hare powerless as the ball rolled into his net, and suddenly there was only a goal in the match.
Glenmuir quickly pressed to take advantage of Shamrocks’ vulnerability and it took a brilliant full-length flying save from O’Hare to keep out a free kick. From the resulting corner the home side went extremely close to equalising as the ball flew across the goal-line.
Kayden Fisher then settled Shamrocks’ nerves, reacting sharply as the ball broke in the Glenmuir penalty box to restore the visitors’ two-goal advantage.
But Glenmuir’s Sammy Okeke was a veritable bags of tricks, with wonderful balance and pace, making him a danger any time the ball came to him. He was foiled twice in succession by O’Hare as he produced an opening out of nothing.
Okeke continued to put it up to the Shamrocks defence, who struggled for answers as he teased defenders and wriggled openings for his side throughout the second half.
It was far from comfortable for Shamrocks, even more so when they had a player sent off for dissent, but with 10 minutes remaining Fisher latched onto a long clearance and fired into the top corner to put the result beyond doubt.
Rhys O’Hare struck the butt of the Glenmuir post when he intercepted a short kickout and it took a good save by the Glenmuir goalkeeper to deny Cormac Drumm.
But the threat of Okeke never waned, and from another of his many probing runs into the Glenmuir box the opening fell for a colleague to cut the deficit to 4-2.
Okeke also laid on further chances for teammates to score again, but the clock ran out on Glenmuir.
GLENMUIR: Oran McEvoy, Sean Copeland, Caelom Sharkey, Sammy Okeki, Andrew Hoey, Shane Mullany, Calum Doherty, Elliot Usoh, Oisin Gallagher, Shane McKenna.
SHAMROCKS: Frankie O’Hare, Dominic Bawalkiew, Conor Hamill, Jordan Hutchinson, Danny Putnam, Rhys O’Hare, Kayden Fisher, Brooklyn Kavanagh, Cormac Drumm, Shea Quinn, Niall O’Connor, Nathan Ellis, Ross Martin.