Match Report v Moyola Park (a) – 2/3/24

Lisburn Distillery v Moyola Park (Playr-Fit Teamwear Premier Intermediate League) – Saturday 2nd March 2024

After three away games in a row Lisburn Distillery returned to New Grosvenor on Saturday with Moyola Park the visitors.

On this occasion not only were league points at stake but the sides were competing in the seasonal 1880 Friendship Cup, which was introduced two years ago to mark both clubs 140th anniversary as founding members of the Irish Football Association. The Whites were yet to win the trophy outright as the first year the two sides shared the trophy after a goalless draw at Ballyskeagh and last season Moyola clinched the points and the trophy with a 1-0 win at The Coleraine Showgrounds.

Barry Johnston made two changes to the side that lost 2-0 against Warrenpoint the previous week; Dean Lewis and Curtis Woods made way for Fra Brennan and Johnny Newell.

The home side had a positive start to the game and had the first effort on goal of note in the fourth minute when Jack Berry cut infield from the left, but Andrew Findlay managed to divert his low show around the post for a corner, which was cleared.

Six minutes later Findlay was called to action again but this time he managed to get both hands to a Ryan McNickle effort but the Whites number nine would come out on top a minute later when he beat the offside trap to get onto a ball over the top and kept a cool head to shoot across Findlay and find the bottom corner on the far side of the goal to open the scoring.

Distillery did not take their foot off the gas and continued to remain in control of the game, two minutes after opening the scoring McNickle went in search of his second with a lobbed effort from about 20 yards after spotting Findlay off his line but this time the striker could not get the required height and the Moyola stopper managed to gather the ball.

With 22 minutes on the clock Joe Tully was involved as he did well to hold up a throw in from the left but his shot on the turn was blocked by a Moyola defender, as was Berry’s follow up.

Berry went in search of a goal of his own on the half hour mark when he was released down the left with another ball over the top and got around the backtracking opposition defender, but his shot was blocked by Findlay and in any case the offside flag had eventually been raised against the on loan Cliftonville player after a long delay.

Berry was involved again three minutes later when he played a great through ball that released McNickle but before he could trouble the Moyola goal, he was bundled over by a defender, but the Distillery appeals for a penalty were waved away and the referee awarded a corner. The frustration over the penalty decision would soon disappear though as Moyola could not fully clear Gerard Storey’s cross and Tully sent a first-time effort towards goal as the ball came down out of the air, making its way through the sea of legs to nestle once again in the back of the net.

There was still time for goal number three to be added a few minutes before the break when Berry, just as he had in the opening minutes of the game, cut infield from the left but this time Findlay could do nothing about his shot, which put Distillery into a comfortable three goal lead at the halfway stage.

Half Time: Lisburn Distillery 3-0 Moyola Park

Perhaps not surprisingly Kenny Shiels rung the changes at the break with a triple substitution before the game restarted and within the first ten minutes of the second half Findlay made way and was replaced in goals by Reece Oliver.

Whether it was these changes, the half time team talk, the Whites potentially taking their foot off the gas or a combination of all three, Moyola started the second half looking the better side and had a good chance to reduce the deficit in the 54th minute when a pass found captain, Aaron Harris, in space out on the left but with only Ethan Carry to beat he sent his effort well wide of the goal.

As it happens the visitors would pull a goal back three minutes later when the Distillery defence failed to cut out a cross from the right and Adam Gray was on hand to score at the back post.

Having witnessed a few comebacks in our favour this season the Distillery faithful were perhaps now fearful that we could be on the wrong end of one now, but they needn’t have worried as the three-goal cushion was restored just past the hour mark. McNickle found himself bearing down on goal from the left-hand channel and attempted to pass to the, on this occasion, more central Berry but the ball was blocked by the foot of a defender but fell kindly into the path of the opening goalscorer who this time lashed the ball home for his second of the game.

Four soon became five as with just over 20 minutes left on the clock Brennan was on hand to convert from a corner when Oliver spilled the ball, the defenders second goal for the Whites since making the move across Lisburn from Ballymacash in the January transfer window.

With the game now effectively over as a contest the rest of it was uneventful with Johnston introducing a number of substitutes for the home side with perhaps half an eye on upcoming fixtures.

In the end the 2023/2024 1880 Friendship Cup came to New Grosvenor before the game with Moyola but will remain here until at least next season when the sides do battle at Mill Meadow. They will meet once more this season though, that was to be this week but with Moyola’s temporary home, The Coleraine Showgrounds, now unavailable it will now be the last game of the season on Saturday 30th April and next up for Johnston’s men is a trip to Fortwilliam Park to face Tobermore United.

Full Time: Lisburn Distillery 5-1 Moyola Park

Lisburn Distillery; Carry, Grattan, Geddis, Angus, Brennan, Lynch, Berry, Newell, McNickle, Storey, Tully.

Lisburn Distillery substitutions; McConnellogue, Lewis (for Lynch, 64 mins), Lundy, Devenny (for McNickle, 76 mins), Woods (for Grattan, 64 mins), Whiteway (for Angus, 76 mins), McVarnock (for Storey, 81 mins).

Photo Gallery HERE