Watters bags four to help Glens to victory
Striker scores four goals to earn win for Glencormac
GLENCORMAC UNITED NEWTOWN UNITED 4 3
NAY Watters was Glencormac’s saviour, after his last-minute strike – his fourth of the day – earned his team a late-late 4-3 win over Newtown United on Sunday afternoon, thus further cementing their place in second in the Andy McEvoy Premier Division.
Glencormac seemed to have affairs well in-hand at the end of the first-half, thanks to Watters’ hat-trick that sent them into the break with a 3-1 lead after Stephen Dowling had given the visitors a shock lead.
The Magpies turned the game around in an electric second-half performance, with Sean Heffernan drawing his side level with eight minutes left.
Up stepped Nay Watters to spare Glencormac’s blushes, as his shot from the edge of the box found its way into the back of the net to steal the three points.
Due to the mucky, wet, and windy conditions that bogged down much of the first-half on Sunday, this was never going to be a feast for the footballing purists, while Glencormac frequently struggled under the high-ball from Newtown.
It was an instance of the latter from where the first goal came.
A straight-forward long ball down the middle of the field was misjudged by the Glencormac defence.
From there, the ball found its way into Stephen Dowling in the middle of the box, allowing him the opportunity to bury the ball past Eoin English in the Glencormac nets to give the visitors a shock 1-0 lead.
It did not take long for Glencormac to respond to that set-back. A hopeful cross to the back post seemed to be going nowhere, only for Ken Turner to rashly lunge in on Jake Reynolds.
Referee Michael Kennedy was given no choice but to point to the spot, from which Nay Watters sent Turner the wrong way to bring the sides level.
Just four minutes later, Glencormac completed the turnaround to take the lead.
Ian Devlin poked the ball through to Simon Doyle down the right side of the box.
Despite Newtown’s pleas for offside, no such decision was given, enabling Doyle to square the ball across for Watters to sweep home for his second of the day.
A minute before the end of the half, Watters notched his hat-trick. A Luke O’Callaghan free led to a goalmouth scramble, from which Watters poked home to make it 3-1.
Whatever the message was at half-time, Newtown put in a spirited second-half performance to drag the deficit back.
On 54 minutes, Glencormac again struggled under a high ball into the box, allowing for Aaron Byrne to head the ball past Eoin English to make it 3-2.
Substitute Mark Delahunty had the chance to reaffirm Glencormac’s two-goal lead, only for his shot from a Cian McGoldrick cross to be tipped onto the post brilliantly by Ken Turner on 77 minutes.
Glencormac were made to rue that missed chance, as Newtown responded by completing the comeback on 82 minutes.
A Rob Greenan shot from range was parried by Ken Turner into the path of Sean Heffernan, who knocked the ball into the back of the net to bring the sides level at 3-3.
Where Glencormac were struggling, they still had Nay Watters to rely on, and it was he who came up with the goods to secure the three points.
Two minutes into injury time at the end of the game Watters strode forward with the ball at his feet before unleashing a powerful drive from the edge of the box.
The ball flashed past Ken Turner to secure the dramatic 4-3 win for the hosts.
GLENCORMAC:
Eoin English; Ian Devlin, Sam O’Callaghan, Martin Shiskovious, Luke O’Callaghan, Ben O’Callaghan, Luke Reynolds, Cian McGoldrick, Nay Watters, Simon Doyle, Ryan Nolan. Subs: Ste Kirwan (for R. Nolan), Mark Delahunty (for C. McGoldrick).
NEWTOWN UNITED:
Ken Turner; Brandon Daly, Sean Odlum, P.J. Dowling, Rob Clarkson, Barry Davis, Sean Heffernan, Rob Greenan, Aaron Byrne, Stephen Dowling, Stuart Synnott.
REFEREE:
Michael Kennedy.
Photos: Andrew Ryan.