Trim’s late flourish decisive as Duleek are edged out
DULEEK put in up to league leaders Trim Celtic in this allMeath affair at Tully Park on Sunday morning but passed up a 2-1 lead and returned home with nothing to show for their efforts.
First blood went to the hosts when their centre forward headed past Keith Martin from the penalty spot following a well-directed corner kick.
However, Duleek looked dangerous and on two occasions in quick succession Colin Woods put in crosses that were just out of reach of Cormac McGroggan’s head.
Pete Brennan’s charges eventually restored parity in fine style on 35 minutes when their ace marksman Barry Kavanagh lined up a free kick and planted it into the top corner of the net from some 25 yards out.
Duleek’s lead goal wasn’t quite as spectacular but even better in many respects as it involved up to a dozen passes, with Robbie Daly, Gareth Toal, James Guilfoyle, James Burke and Woods all involved initially with a series of one and twotouch inter-changes.
Woods then played the ball up to Kavanagh and his flick-on was latched onto by McGroggan who stepped inside his marker and fired home from 18 yards out.
The visitors weren’t going to settle for a 2-1 lead and they nearly grabbed what would
surely have been a decisive a two-goal cushion when Burke was denied by the Trim keeper at the near post from a corner kick.
However, the league leaders gradually got back on top and they hit the underside of the bar before getting a low cross in which was uncharacteristically fumbled by keeper Martin, giving a Trim player a simple tap-in - 2-2.
Duleek would probably have settled for a point at that stage, but then one of Trim’s subs stepped up to the plate to score the winner.
From a position on the left touchline he beat two players and dribbled into the box before smashing the ball past Martin from 12 yards.