Newry City 0-1 Glenavon
Dankse Bank Premiership Matchday 33
Newry Showgrounds, Saturday March 23rd 2019
Match Report by Philip Hawthorne
Photos by Maynard Collins
Andrew Mitchell’s 100th career league goal, coming in the 78th minute in Saturday evening’s game against Newry City, proved enough for Glenavon to take all three points as they made it three wins on the trot ahead of the post-split fixtures.
With Glenavon the dominant side for most of the game, Mitchell had earlier gone close when he forced Andy Coleman to tip his cross-shot over the bar. The former Glenavon stopper had also denied Conor McCloskey when he was through one-on-one and Andy Hall had earlier seen a shot flash narrowly wide.
Photo: Maynard Collins
Eoin Wearen thought he had opened the scoring when his diving header from Mitchell’s free kick hit the back of the net in the 37th minute but the Assistant’s flag denied him his first goal since joining Glenavon in January.
The hosts lifted their game at the start of the second half and Tiarnan Rushe headed just over from Declan Carville’s cross. Stephen Teggart then had a shooting chance but his effort was dragged wide of the target.
Photo: Maynard Collins
Glenavon’s dominance finally told with 12 minutes remaining when Josh Daniels headed on Jonny Tuffey’s free kick into the path of Stephen Murray. His inch-perfect cross left Mitchell with a simple header beyond the reach of Coleman.
Photo: Maynard Collins
It still took a vital stoppage time save by Tuffey to deny Carville when he was played through one-on-one by a perfectly weighted pass from Stephen Hughes.
The Irish League takes a break next Saturday as it’s Irish Cup semi-finals day, with the Warrenpoint-Ballinamallard game taking place at Mourneview Park.
Glenavon is next in action on Tuesday April 2nd in the Mid-Ulster Cup Final at Mourneview Park against Warrenpoint Town (ko 7:45pm) before the post-split league action commences with a home game against Crusaders on Saturday April 6th.
Newry City: Coleman, Mooney, King, Boyle, McCann, Carville, McCabe, S. Hughes, M. Hughes, Rushe, Teggart subs Maguire (not used), Noonan (replaced McCann 54), Walker (replaced King 75), Pender (not used), Pablo Cavalcante (replaced Rushe 70), Healy (not used)
Cautions: None
Goals: None
Glenavon: Tuffey, Daniels, Marshall, Mitchell, Hall, Harmon, McCloskey, Singleton, Garrett, Wearen, Sharkey subs Norton (replaced Singleton 32), Murray (replaced McCloskey 55), Jenkins (not used), Stewart (not used), Jameson (not used), Bassett (not used), Hamilton (not used)
Cautions: Sharkey (45+3), Garrett (90+1)
Goals: Mitchell 78
Referee: Evan Boyce
