A first top flight win for Tombrack
TOMBRACK UNITED produced the perfect away display to earn their first-ever top flight win by seeing off Bridge Rovers in their Premier Division clash in The Bogside on Sunday.
Both sides were promoted from the second tier last season and were hoping to get their first points on the board for this campaign, but it was the visitors who got up and running, soaking up the pressure when they needed to and attacking with precision and flair when the opportunities arose.
They took their chances when they came, and the timing of the goals proved a real dagger through the heart of Bridge Rovers, with Kevin Coleman firing them in front just before the interval and James Coleman sealing the deal in the 91st minute.
The Castlebridge outfit began quite brightly, with Daniel Murphy seeing a couple of efforts deflected out for corners, but Tombrack quickly showed their threat at the other end when Richie O’Hara whipped a delivery across the face of goal.
Kevin Byrne then had a sniff of a chance for Bridge Rovers, after Kevin Murphy had cleverly flicked the ball into his path, but he couldn’t get a firm enough connection on the strike.
Tombrack’s Kevin Kenny, who terrorised the Rovers defence for the 90 minutes, then collected a pass from O’Hara, but his shot from wide on the left was easy for goalkeeper Bryan Tobin.
Kenny was again in the thick of the action on 25 minutes when he hared down the right wing and whipped in a cross which Tobin clawed away, and luckily for the hosts there was nobody following up.
The visitors went even closer seven minutes later when O’Hara played the ball into the danger zone, and with Kenny putting pressure on Tobin it looped over the goalkeeper’s head but was cleared off the line.
It was Bridge Rovers’ turn to threaten in the 37th minute when Kevin Byrne’s cross from the right was met by the head of Mark Mythen, but his powerful effort fizzed narrowly over the top.
Tombrack did make the breakthrough in the 44th minute when Kevin Kenny did well to create space for himself on the byline, before angling in a cross which the inrushing Kevin Coleman swept to the net.
After that sucker-punch just before the interval, Rovers would have been determined to start the second-half with a flourish, and they created their best chance of the game just four minutes after the turnaround.
The Murphys combined, with Kevin picking out Shane inside the area, but he curled his effort inches wide of the right post.
Tombrack came close to doubling their advantage just past the hour mark, but Tobin did well to save Kevin Coleman’s 20-yard free-kick and the ball was scrambled clear.
Bridge Rovers upped the pressure for the final 20 minutes but found it difficult to create clearcut chances against a well-drilled defence.
Shane Murphy had a sight of goal in the 78th minute after being played in by substitute Jody Hynes, but his effort from a prohibitive angle found the side-netting, and Kevin Murphy dragged a shot wide from outside the area two minutes before the end.
Tombrack made sure of the points in the first minute of injury time when Kevin Byrne floated a free-kick into the danger zone and James Coleman applied a cool finish, steering the dropping ball out of the reach of netminder Tobin. BRIDGE ROVERS: Bryan Tobin, Niall Murphy, Mark Tobin, Colin Redmond, Shane Hogan, Kevin Byrne, Ray McGlone, Shane Murphy, Mark Mythen, Daniel Murphy, Kevin Murphy. Subs. - Evan Devereux for M. Tobin, inj. (27), Jody Hynes for D. Murphy (63), Nathan O’Rourke for McGlone (63), also Stephen Carr, Mark Walsh, Tom Keavney, Jason Murphy. TOMBRACK UNITED: Paul Darcy, Matthew Hendrick, James ‘Bob’ Newe, Rory Newe, Kevin Kenny, Kevin Coleman, Darragh Hendrick, James Coleman, Eoghain Murphy, John Coleman, Richie O’Hara. Subs. - Brian Hayden for Murphy, inj. (14), Dane McGarry for R. O’Hara, inj. (44), Joe Newe for John Coleman (82). REFEREE: Jimmy O’Neill.