Match report – Limavady United 3 Lisburn Distillery 1 – McComb’s Travel Intermediate Cup (Quarter-final) – 12th March 2022
Lisburn Distillery’s Intermediate Cup run came to a very disappointing end at Rathmore Road on Saturday.
The game was scoreless at the break, but unfortunately the visitors gifted all three second-half goals to the opposition. A late consolation goal reduced the margin but the score-line didn’t reflect the relative evenness of the sides.
Michael O’Hanlon returned for the Whites after suspension but Mikey Withers, Ryan Jackson and Scott Brannigan were out following last week’s injuries. Up-front, Brendan Bennett was out cup-tied with Neil Dillon back in defence after injury and there was a first start for Jonathan Edge who replaced Jonathan Angus at right-back.
Three minutes in Joe Reid was on hand to head away Alex Pomeroy’s dangerous cross for a corner but the Whites responded in the seventh minute when Christian Irvine was almost on the end of Timmy Clarke’s cross. Aaron Harris then sent a superb ball out wide left to O’Hanlon but his lob from distance went over the cross-bar.
Clarke then broke into the box and laid the ball back to O’Hanlon but credit to United defender Jack Mullan who made a fantastic block. Another corner flashed across the home goal before Limavady went on the counter-attack down the left but Ryan Doherty’s shot was easily gathered by Jonah Nicholl. Limavady’s best chance of the half came on 33 minutes, a dinked cross to the back post and any one of three players should at least have had the ball on target but it went out for a bye-ball.
The Whites’ best chance came three minutes later; Jordan Lucas turned outside and inside three defenders and fired wide of the outcoming Connor Brown but having beat the keeper the ball ran wide of the far post.
At that stage it was a very open game, evenly balanced and a few players with yellow cards that were wholly avoidable.
Limavady made the breakthrough two minutes in; Josh Tenant should have been closed down quickly but had time to drive a low shot from 20 yards out under Nicholl and into the bottom corner.
On 56 minutes O’Hanlon had an effort on goal but it was a comfortable catch for Brown. Apart from another couple of avoidable yellow cards it was stalemate until the 70th minute when Doherty fired another low drive toward goal and unfortunately this too went straight under Nicholl. The grimace on the keeper’s face said it all – two mistakes out of character for the very reliable custodian.
At that stage the Whites offered little threat going forward and Tennant was just off target with a lob over the bar. To add more misery on a forgettable day, the visitors lost possession wide right and Dean Brown kept his cool to race forward and finish well past Nicholl.
With ten minutes to go it was all over but credit to young Matthew Verner making his debut as a substitute. On 89 minutes he went forward past three Limavady defenders into the box, a deflection saw the ball fall nicely for him in front of goal but the challenge from a defender saw him upended. O’Hanlon stepped up to take the kick and whilst Brown got a glove on it the ball zipped into the bottom corner.
Limavady United – C.Brown, McLaughlin, Carlin, T.Boorman, Mullan, D.Brown (M.Brown 87), Gy. McFadden, Tennant, R.Boorman, Doherty (Divine 76), Pomeroy (Wan 80). Unused subs – Wells, Gh.McFadden.
Lisburn Distillery – Nicholl, Edge (Grattan 76), Clarke (Verner 80), Irvine, Reid, Dillon, O’Hanlon, Harris, Sullivan, McAuley, Lucas. Unused subs – Pollock, Lundy, Haveron.
Referee – Michael McKenna
Match report © David Hunter
