BIRTHDAY BOY BARRY PUTS THE ICING ON THE CAKE – UNDERS HAVE DIVISION RUNNING SCARED!!
AFL OVER 35’S DIVISION 2
Carndonagh 2 – 4 Liberties FC
DDSL UNDER 17 MAJOR DIVISION 3
Knocklyon 3 – 16 Marrowbone Lane Celtic (Sixteen!!)
It was another stunning performance from the Under 17’s this weekend! Fresh from putting ten past Palmerston last week the lads went even better this week putting 16 past hapless Knocklyon!
Although it was a game they would have been expected to win the lads sure took the 3 points in style and they really have sent a powerful message to the rest of the league in recent weeks. One that will make every side fearful of coming up against our lads. Once again it was the Carney and Hannon show as they tore the Kknocklyon defence to shreds….Jordan notching 6 and Adam scoring 5. But they will know that they are nothing without their teammates and every single player out there today deserves huge credit for this performance.
If the same attitude and performance remains until the end of the season the lads have a real chance of lifting a trophy come the end of the season!
The Over’s also have silverware on their mind and although their chances are slim (as in small, not Boylan) they certainly are making a late push for it! Although they have 3 wins on the trot before today, this may have been the most impressive victory of the lot having had to come from 2 goals down against a Carndonagh side that hammered the lads 4-1 last time out.
The conditions were difficult, particularly in the first half with strong winds in Carndonaghs favour and with quarter of an hour gone Libbos were 2-0 down! With gaffer Peter O’Neill unable to be there it fell to Liam Scott to choose the first 11 and he went with a strong side in a fluid 4-5-1 formation with Dave Shanahan finding great form playing just off Mick Healy who has emerged as a real handful up front in recent weeks. Both were involved in getting the Libbos back in the game.
First on the half hour another delicious Keith Meehan delivery found Shanno who headed back across for Kieran O’Brien to finish and reduce the deficit to 2-1! While there were other chances to level, particularly from Keith Meehans left foot it was more important not to concede again….and the Libbos bar rattled on more than one occasion as Carndonagh pushed for more. Thankfully luck was on our side and the lads got in 2-1 down.
After a few adjustments at half time and a strong start to the 2nd half it seemed a matter of time before the Libbos would score again….and they did! When Shanno’s cross found the head of Paul Whitefield, so threatening every time the ball comes into he box, it looked like a certain equaliser…but no….back off the bar though Mick Healy was quickest to react and nod the ball home for 2-2….there was no looking back now….with 15 minutes to go it was 3….an outrageous piece of control from Mick Healy who crossed and Shanno got the goal his performance deserved at the back post! 3-2!
Before Carndonagh had chance to react it was 4-2 and game over when birthday boy Barry O’Leary controlled another Mick Healy cross before finishing well with his left foot! The ideal birthday present!!
There was still time for more drama though, a super penalty save by keeper Martin Comerford, not for the first time this season, after George Ray was very harshly penalised for a touch of the strikers jersey….
But it did not matter and the Libbos sit outright in 2nd place this evening, as high as they have been all season! Well done lads and just like the Under 17’s you’re doing the club and area proud!!