Disputed winner secures points for Farm

Orchard Farm 5 Lisnarick 4

A DISPUTED injury time winner earned Orchard Farm victory in a nine-goal thriller, denying Lisnarick their first league point of the season.

The scores were locked at 4-4 deep into injury time when Lisnarick keeper Thomas Mcmulkin appeared to deflect Ruairi Mcguiness’ shot out for a corner, but the referee ruled the ball had gone inside the post and awarded the winning goal to Orchard Farm.

Lisnarick Manager Niall Amos admitted the last gasp goal was a cruel end to the game for his players.

“Both teams were vulnerable at times, but a point each would probably have been fair,” he reflected.

“It was a costly mistake for us, because it was a game we had to get something out of. We really needed three points, and now we are starting to get cut adrift, but when it’s going against you, it’s going against you.

“I have never seen anything like it. The boys were heartbroken in the changing room afterwards, but that’s football.”

Orchard Farm parted company with Manager Raymond Clarke last month, and returning boss Stewart Armstrong acknowledged that there was little to choose between the teams.

“Overall, I thought it was a pretty even affair, but it was very harsh on Lisnarick at the end,” he said.

“I thought a draw was a fair result, but if we had won it 4-3 they couldn’t have any complaints either.

“We had a really strong bench on Saturday and I think that made a big difference to us. It sets us up nicely for the free hit against Irvinestown this weekend, and the plan is to push up that table as high as we can.”

Lisnarick were looking for their first point of the season in their eighth match, and they started brightly.

They had a penalty claim turned down just two minutes into the game in an entertaining opening, but fell behind after 12 minutes when the ball fell to Orchard Farm’s Niall Cosgrove inside the penalty area and he lashed it past Mcmulkin.

The visitors were level after five minutes, however, when Niall Gormley burst down the wing and delivered a cross that Benny Mccaffrey headed past Tony Glenn in the Farm goal.

The match continued to swing from one end to the other, and Quigley netted a penalty after 26 minutes to put the home team ahead for the second time, before Simon Douglas extended their lead when he dispatched a Niall Bradley pass.

Lisnarick did not let the setback affect them however and they pulled a goal back before half time through Gormley, and Mccaffrey levelled the game five minutes into the second period when he combined with Gormley once again.

Scott Armstrong restored Orchard Farm’s lead with a goal from the edge of the penalty area after 70 minutes, but once again Lisnarick bounced back.

After hitting the post twice, they snatched another equaliser when Niall Maguire fired in after the goalkeeper had spilled a free kick.

The home team claimed the goal scorer was offside, and although their appeals were waved away, they still took all three points after the controversial winner from Ruairi Mcguinness was allowed to stand four minutes into added time.

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I thought a draw was a fair result, but if we had won it 4-3 they couldn’t have any complaints either