| |
| Killymoon Rangers |
0 |
| Wakehurst |
1 |
|
Sat 19 September 2009, Championship 2
|
| Kick off. 3:00pm |
|
 |
Christina Quinn, 'The Streat Cafe Cookstown' presents Killymoon Rangers Gary Crooks with sponsorship for Saturdays home game with Wakehurst.
|
| Killymoon welcomed Wakehurst to the sunny MUSA on Saturday for a Ladbrokes Championship League 2 tie generously sponsored by Streat Cafe. Killymoon welcomed back Gary Stewart in goals but were missing the impressive Trevor Brownlee and influential midfielder Lee Hunter who was again absent with a broken bone in his hand. |
| The early stages of the game unfortunately set the tone for the whole match as the home struggled to get going in any shape or form. Wakehurst had the first shot of the game on 7 mins but this was well wide causing Stewart no problems. Warren Smith almost connected following a flick by Willie Watson. Wakehurst again tried unsuccessfully from long range and then on 14 mins Gary Crooks was just off-side when well placed to score. |
|
Wakehurst had a good chance to open the scoring on 20 mins but blasted over the bar much to the relief of the Killymoon defence. Neither side looked overly likely to score from that point on in the first half but Wakehurst were the more confident side going into the break whilst the home team continued to struggle with the very basics of the game. Half-time 0-0 |
| Killymoon made two changes at half-time bringing on Adrian Ferson and Patrick McElhatton for Cary Crooks and Willie Watson. Andy Neil was pushed into the middle of the park and Davy McMullan moved up front alongside Warren Smith. The only goal of the game on 48 mins with the Killymoon defence appealing for off-side the Wakehurst player ran through and lobbed the advancing Stewart. A few minutes Wakehurst had a strong penalty claim turned down much to the relief of the home team. The match then got a bit niggly with Wakehurst very committed to gaining their first points of the season and the home players becoming increasingly frustrated with their performance. Three Wakehurst players were cautioned whilst Stevie McElhatton, Conall Kilpatrick and Johnny Young ended up in the official’s notebook. |
| Killymoon were somewhat unlucky not to be granted a penalty of their own on 72 mins following a goalmouth scramble. Cameron Stewart entered the fray on 75 mins with Conall Kilpatrick, the home side’s best player on the day unfortunately having to retire from the game with a knee injury. Killymoon tried to get forward and had a couple of late chances the best of which saw Davy McMullan firing over from 18 yards. Wakehurst were well in control and saw the game out comfortably out for a deserved win. |
| Manager Don Smyth whilst giving credit to Wakehurst, noted that 'everyone associated with this performance was extremely disappointed and indeed embarrassed by the display'. He added, 'I feel sorry for the players because they are better than that but at the end of the day we have to perform to a consistently higher level than today’s showing if we want to stay in this league'. |
| The first team have a break next week with the next game a tough game away to PSNI on Saturday 3 October. |
