Match Report v PSNI (a) 16/3/24
PSNI v Lisburn Distillery (Playr-Fit Teamwear Premier Intermediate League) – Saturday 16th March 2023
Lisburn Distillery had a short trip to The Dub on Saturday to face bottom of the league PSNI, hoping to bounce back from the previous weeks 1-0 defeat against Tobermore.
There were two changes to the side with Breandan O’Neill and Gerard Storey being replaced by Robert Geddis and Justin Grattan.
Distillery had early opportunities to open the scoring but Joe Tully could not find the target and Ryan McNickle’s header from a Josh Lynch cross was straight at Ryan Dalzell.
There was a nervy moment for the Whites in the 16th minute when a corner bounced awkwardly inside the box and started heading goalwards but a defender was on hand to clear the danger.
Dean Lewis and Aaron Cochrane were next to try their luck on goal for their respective sides from range but Lewis’ effort was held by Dalzell and Cochrane’s was well off target, the PSNI captain did have another opportunity to shoot from inside the box after 25 minutes but this time the way to goal was blocked by Johnny Angus.
On the half hour mark, Distillery looked almost certain to go behind when the home side countered after an attack broke down but with only Ethan Carry to beat Henry Capper took a heavy touch while trying to round the Whites goalkeeper and this allowed Carry to claim the ball and snuff out the danger.
The Whites thought their moment to take the lead had come in the 37th minute when Geddis sent a great ball into the box towards Johnny Newell but the midfielder was unable to control the ball and Dalzell saved Tully’s follow up.
It looked like it was going to be all square at the break but the home side took the lead in first half injury time when they were awarded a free kick in a promising area. Cochrane’s effort was pushed away by Carry low to his left but the captain was powerless to stop Capper from putting PSNI ahead on the rebound.
Half Time: PSNI 1-0 Lisburn Distillery
The second half had a slow start to it but there was an opportunity for Distillery to threaten the home sides goal ten minutes after the restart. A deep cross found half time substitute O’Neill at the back post and he sent it back into the middle but McNickle and Newell were unable to get anything on the ball and the danger was eventually cleared.
O’Neill was involved again just past the hour mark when he got his shot from outside the box on target but once again, Dalzell was not overly troubled.
Things then quietened down for a period of time and both sides made changes to their teams but unfortunately for Barry Johnston’s side the next noteworthy action was Capper doubling the home sides lead when he took advantage after the Distillery defence were slow to react when Carry parried away a long range strike.
Lynch did have one effort on the PSNI goal to try and find a way back into the game but Dalzell held his effort from range and six minutes from time an abysmal day for the Whites was capped when substitute Alexandre Silva Machado scored from the edge of the box after an Angus pass to Curtis Woods fell short.
This result sees Johnston’s side slip to 10th, five points off the top half but with games in hand against some of the teams above them. It is back to New Grosvenor on Saturday to face Dollingstown where a win would go a long way towards reducing the gap between the two sides and pushing the Whites back towards the right end of the table.
Full Time: PSNI 3-0 Lisburn Distillery
Lisburn Distillery; Carry, Lewis, Geddis, Angus, Brennan, Lynch, Berry, Newell, McNickle, Grattan, Tully
Lisburn Distillery substitutions; McConnellogue, O’Neill (for Tully, 46 mins), Sharkey, Devenny (for Geddis, 75 mins), Woods (for Lewis, 65 mins), Whiteway, Lund
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