Woodview push leaders to the limit
THIS match hung in the balance until seconds before the final whistle when Jack Long scored the leaders’ second goal to clinch the points at Bellew Park.
Woodview had really put it up to Bellurgan, belying their position at the lower end of the Under-12 Premier table as they pressed strongly for an equaliser in the second half when the leaders - after taking the lead - certainly didn’t have it all their own way with the strong breeze favouring them.
Bellurgan took the lead mid way through the opening period when Ruari Traynor squeezed his shot inside the post from close range after they had come near to scoring on a number of occasions.
Woodview through mainly Malik Oseme had posed danger in the early stages, but the leaders made two clear-cut openings that the menacing Sean O’Hare was unable to convert before they went ahead.
In the first instance he pushed Josh Condon’s cross wide of an open goal at the far post, and
then off balance shot wide when through on his own to the left of the Woodview goal.
O’Hare continued to trouble the Woodview defence breaking free on the right to send in a cross which was just too high for Long to head in front of a gaping goal in the early minutes of the second-half.
Milo Veala then prevented Reyland Heywood from tying up the score when the latter pounced as goalkeeper Dan Ferguson hesitated to deal with a bouncing ball close to his goal. Veala cleared off the line.
A great surging run through the middle by the impressive Keane McArdle drew a free-kick for Woodview that Diarmuid O’Rourke curled just over the crossbar. The same player won a corner kick which resulted in an acrobatic overhead kick by Dylan Ward that went narrowly over the crossbar.
The underdogs made a number of other openings before the threat posed by O’Hare should have resulted in Long wrapping up the points. His touch in front of goal was too heavy and the ball ran into the goalkeeper’s hands.
Woodview had one final chance which O’Rourke headed over the crossbar form a free-kick before a long ball put their defence in a tangle, causing goalkeeper McBennett to advance off his line and was involved in a collision which resulted in the ball running between his legs.
Caolan Murphy tapped it over the line with a teammate, if needed, also on hand to apply the decisive blow.
WOODVIEW: James McBennett, Gerard Cunningham, Gavin O’Rourke, Keane McArdle, Conall Rogers, Reyland Heywood, Alex Meehan, Dylan Ward, Malik Oseme, Diarmuid O’Rourke, Fergus Toal, Anthony Urbanski.
BELLURGAN: Dan Ferguson, Sean Holland, Andrew McArdle, Michael O’Shaughnessy, Dualta O’Neill, Emmet Duffy, Sean O’Hare, Jack Long, Caolan Murphy, Josh Condon, Milo Veala, Ruari Traynor, Cian McKenna.