ROSE MOUNT COMEBACK TO DELIGHT OF LEE

Mentality of team got them Rover line

LEE CATHCART hailed Rosemount’s never-say-die mentality after their fightback win over Tandragee Rovers in the Intermediate Cup on Saturday.

The Amateur League men found themselves trailing at Madden Road inside the first five minutes to a Jonny Black goal, and initially struggled to get a handle on the game against the Mid Ulster League Intermediate A side.

But the visitors gradually grew in stature, with goals from Ryan Stewart and a double from Scott Shannon, his second dispatched from the penalty spot, sending the Islandview Road outfit through to the fourth round.

“It was a decent match and they came out and scored in the first five minutes,” explained Cathcart (right).

“And probably for the first 10 minutes they were the better team, but after that I felt we deserved to win it over the 90 minutes. I thought we were the better team but they are a good side.”

Back on the league front and Rosemount find themselves in a tightly-bunched pack of four or five teams slugging it out to claim that last promotion berth behind league leaders and champions-elect 18th Newtownabbey.

Just five points separate second-placed Shorts and fifth-placed Bangor Amateurs, with Rosemount a further six points adrift but crucially boasting a clatter of games in hand over all their rivals.

Having lost four times already in 11 league outings, however, more than most of the other contenders for promotion, Rosemount can scarcely afford many more slip-ups.

Installed as manager just last month, Cathcart acknowledges his new team need to embark on a winning run if they are to join the party, and is backing them to do so, even without the services of crocked duo Alan Eccles and Dean Annett who have both been ruled out for the next few months. “It’s going well, the way the fixtures fell we haven’t had too many games. I think that was only my fourth game yesterday but I’m really enjoying it here, they are a good bunch of lads,” said the Rosemount chief.

“I think it’s between ourselves, Shorts and Bryansburn, plus one or two others like Suffolk who are not too far off either. So I think it will come down to the four of us who goes up, everyone still has to play each other so it’s going to be tight.

“We need to go on a run in the league. We have a few players out, two bad injuries to Alan Eccles and Dean Annett. They are big players for us, but we have a big enough squad so we should be able to cope with it.”

Elsewhere in a weather-hit Intermediate Cup, Grove recorded arguably the result of the day when, as manager Ricky Andrews predicted in last week’s Match, they ousted NIFL outfit Portstewart from the competition, winning 2-1 at Greencastle.

Crumlin Star could also lay claim to that accolade after they routed reigning Steel Cup champions Newington 3-0, while Crumlin United progressed at the expense of Brantwood with goals from

Iain Brownlees and Mark

Lyons, as did East Belfast in their all-premier Division showdown with

Shankill United.