TWO penalty saves in yesterday’s Danske Bank MacRory Cup double-header in MUSA contributed significantly to two shock results that has thrown Group C wide open with one round of fixtures to go.
All four teams in the group now sit on one victory apiece, after St Patrick’s, Armagh scored a deserved six-point victory over their Maghera namesakes and St Mary’s CBGS, Belfast survived a nail-biter in injury time to beat St Michael’s, Enniskillen.
The latter game could well have ended with a Houdini act from St Michael’s after they were awarded a penalty in the 63rd minute with a two-point gap between the sides.
Gerard Smyth, however, stood up to the test and saved Lorcan McStravick’s weak spot-kick. The ball was quickly transferred up the field for defender John McCaffrey to fire to the net and seal a surprise victory.
The tenacity of the St Mary’s defence and, in general, their economy of effort throughout the pitch helped them keep Enniskillen chasing the game.
McCaffrey was one of the
success stories in that defence alongside Niall Ward and Matthew Mallon and the back unit can take some of the credit for forcing Enniskillen to shoot nine wides in the opening half.
Indeed, St Mary’s looked good value for their 0-7 to 0-1 lead heading towards the break with three frees from CJ McKenna. But a goal from Colm McNally closed the gap to just three points at the turnover.
Although Dominic McEnhill scored on the re-start for St Mary’s, Enniskillen hit five points in-a-row between the 40th and 46th minutes to move a point ahead.
St Mary’s responded with a goal from Darren Grego, and the teams were tied at 1-10 each after 58 minutes. Paddy Doyle and CJ McKenna, however, edged the Belfast side ahead before the drama in added time.
In the other game between Maghera and Armagh, Callum Duffin’s save from Lorcan McWilliams’ penalty early in the second half was probably crucial to the overall result.
Of course, Armagh’s good opening half also contributed in no small way with Eoin Toal’s goal in the 15th minute helping them to an interval lead of 1-6 to 0-3.
Toal and Seamus Muldoon contributed two points each to that first half total, but the team as a whole gelled well and closed out Maghera’s danger men.
Had McWilliams found the net from the penalty spot on the re-start, Maghera would have had the foothold in the game that they badly needed and perhaps reeled Armagh in.
Duffin, however, got down well to avert the danger and, in an entertaining second half, the sides matched each other in general play and also on the scoreboard with Muldoon finding the range on three more occasions for Armagh.
Higgins and Larry Kielt also contributed well up front as Maghera’s wayward shooting of the opening 30 minutes improved – but not enough to take the points.
