Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SEVENTH HEAVEN
Stute win seals Europa for Glens
GLENTORAN nailed down seventh spot and a Europa League play-off place by grinding out a win against Institute at The Oval yesterday.
On a wet and windy afternoon, the home side got to grips with their task early on as Institute struggled to string two passes together on the slippery surface.
In the 13th minute Nathan Kerr’s cross found the unmarked Robbie McDaid but Glentoran’s player of the season nodded the ball wide from 10 yards out.
Midway through the half an attack that was a curious blend of slick passing from the Glens and slapdash defending from the visitors ended up with Darren Murray curling the ball high and wide from the edge of the box.
The Glens were turning the screw and two minutes later Kerr was unlucky when his crisp drive from 25 yards out thudded against Martin Gallagher’s right-hand post and out to safety.
John Herron was the game’s standout performer and the Glentoran midfielder looked certain to score before the break when Institute failed to clear a corner but his shot from the edge of the box was blocked.
On the resumption, Caoimhin Bonner deflected Murray’s close-range drive out for a corner as the home side’s muscular approach continued to hold sway.
In the 68th minute Stute finally managed to get the home side backpedalling. Jake Morrow’s pass released Gareth Brown down the left, and while Gavin Peers got across to block the shot, the ball looped up and only just cleared the crossbar.
Six minutes later the deadlock was broken. Curtis Allen was brought down in the box by Ryan Morrow and Murray’s side-footed penalty beat the despairing dive of Gallagher.
As there was only one goal in it, Stute had the hope of salvaging something.
But that hope was extinguished in the 90 th minute. Chris Gallagher curled in a teasing corner from the left and Glens skipper Marcus Kane timed his leap to perfection, nodding the ball home to wrap up a deserved victory.