Match report – 30/04/19 – Sport & Leisure Swifts 0 v Lisburn Distillery 5

Sport and Leisure Swifts 0 v Lisburn Distillery 5

(Premier Intermediate League) – Tuesday 30^th April 2019

Tuesday night’s Premier Intermediate League (PIL) fixture took on a rather meaningless feel as Sport and Leisure had already been relegated following Saturday’s matches but with new Lisburn Distillery manager Stephen Hatfield in attendance the players and fans would have been keen for a strong finish to the season nonetheless. A point would secure 4^th place in the table and equal last season’s league finish.

The Whites interim management team made a few changes to the starting line-up with Josh Doyle, Conor Curran, Stephen Curley and Barry Moore making way for Anthony Byrne, Stuart Moore, Timmy Clarke, Daire Rooney and Joe Reid. Paul Young also captained the side on his 100^th appearance in a Distillery shirt, a nice touch for a player who most fans will agree has been a fine servant for the club these past three seasons.

It wouldn’t have taken you too be late to this game as the first goal arrived after just three minutes when the stand in skipper Young picked up on a poor pass from a Sport and Leisure player and threaded a great pass through to Rooney who rounded Michael Magill in goals and finished off with ease, the former Queens man’s 10^th goal since signing in January.

The Whites were on top for the opening fifteen minutes of the game and had chances to double their lead through Rooney, who fired wide after a great run down the left, and Jonny McCaw, who saw a long range effort saved by Magill.

The Whites had a scare in the 18^th minute when Ciaran McKissock had the ball in the back of the net for the home side after he chipped Jonah Nicholl from the edge of the area but the linesman’s flag had been raised for an offside against the Swifts player. Twelve minute minutes later and Nicholl was called into action and had to save well from another chipped effort from McKissock.

After dominating the opening stages of the game the Whites had begun to let their opponents back into things and a second goal would do them the world of good at this point and indeed they were handed the perfect opportunity to get that all important second goal when Michael O’Hanlon was fouled inside the box by Stephen McAlorum, the Whites winger taking on responsibility himself but Magill saved his spot kick low to his right to mean it was still 1-0 at the break.

Half-time: Sport and Leisure Swifts 0 Lisburn Distillery 1

The second goal did arrive to ease any Distillery nerves five minutes after the break when Young delivered a great corner from the right, which midfielder James Wright finished off with ease from close range.

A few minutes after the second goal went in McCaw tried his luck with an acrobatic effort from inside the six yard box but Magill was equal to it and then just after the hour mark Young must have thought he’d capped his landmark day in the perfect way when he made a great connection with an O’Hanlon cross from the right but his header crashed against the underside of the crossbar before being cleared to safety.

We didn’t have too long to wait for goal number three, and what a goal it was, Lewis Harrison got the ball moving with some intricate passing just inside the Sport and Leisure half and was eventually set free, Harrison played the ball to Rooney to his right who flicked the ball beyond the opposition defence first time for Harrison, who had continued his run, to chip Magill on the volley to cap a superb team goal.

Five minutes later and with just over 20 minutes still to play in the game, three became four, when McCaw got on the end of another nice team move to score his second goal of the season and Rooney made it five when he finished off a Clarke cross to complete his brace.

Young went close to adding his name on the scoresheet twice in the later stages of the game but the goal the captain deserved on his 100^th appearance unfortunately was not meant to be.

The referee brought the game, and the 2018-19 season, to an end and Stephen Hatfield could only have been pleased with what he had saw from his new side. Preparations for season 2019-20 begin now, see you all then.

LDFC Team:  Nicholl, Byrne, Clarke, S. Moore, Reid, Harrison, O’Hanlon, McCaw, Beta, Young (C), Rooney Subs; Saunders, McCullough (for S.Moore), Wright (for Beta), Curley (for O’Hanlon), Harris

Match report by Cameron Moore

David Hunter’s full picture gallery from this game can be found on our Flickr page @ https://flic.kr/s/aHsmcam1hK