Glenavon 0-4 Coleraine

Danske Bank Premiership

Mourneview Park, Friday 30^th August 2019

Match Report by Calum Jones

Glenavon were thumped 4-0 by Coleraine at Mourneview Park on Friday night.

Stephen Lowry scored a minute each side of half-time to give the Bannsiders a 2-0 lead, while former Lurgan Blue Ben Doherty added a third from the penalty spot midway through the second half.

Substitute Nedas Macuilaitis got his name on the scoresheet two minutes from time to complete the rout and condemn Glenavon to their third defeat in five league games so far this season.

The visitors really should have opened the scoring in the third minute. James McLaughlin was presented with a great opportunity following a coming together between Jonny Tuffey and teammate Aaron Harmon, but the Coleraine striker could only roll the ball wide of an open goal.

Six minutes later Glenavon had an excellent chance to grab the game’s first goal. Josh Daniels slipped a ball through for Jack O’Mahony on the right side of the penalty area but the young winger couldn’t keep his right-foot shot down and it went narrowly over Chris Johns’ crossbar.

The Lurgan Blues came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock in the 14^th minute. Sammy Clingan whipped a corner over from the left and Daniels met it with his head at the near post, but the ball was cleared off the line.

Doherty had a decent effort at goal at the other end four minutes later with a left-footed half volley but Tuffey was able to tip it over the bar.

Glenavon had a real let-off on 19 minutes when Josh Carson saw his shot from the edge of the box come back off the post following a Coleraine corner.

James Singleton sent in a wicked cross from the left in the 27^th minute which O’Mahony came very close to getting on the end of.

Rhys Marshall made a brilliant interception on 34 minutes to cut out a McLaughlin cross after the striker had outpaced Doyle on the right, with Parkhill lurking dangerously at the back post.

Two minutes later McLaughlin flashed a shot narrowly wide of Tuffey’s left-hand post, while Doherty fired over the bar on 40 minutes after he’d gone past Marshall.

Coleraine went in front in the final minute of normal time in the first half. Johns sent a big punt upfield and McLaughlin brought the ball under control with his first touch, then played a superb through pass for Lowry to run onto with his second. The midfielder slotted the ball past Tuffey and into the bottom corner to make it 1-0.

Lowry grabbed his and Coleraine’s second goal in the first minute of the second period, and again McLaughlin was the provider. Clingan hit a misplaced pass straight to McLaughlin and he quickly slipped the ball infield for Lowry. The midfielder cleverly cut inside Harmon before firing beyond Tuffey with his left foot from just inside the penalty area.

The warning signs were there in the early period of the second half that it was going to turn into a rout for Coleraine, with Tuffey having to save a McLaughlin shot on 50 minutes and Parkhill cannoning a shot off the post five minutes later.

The inevitable third goal arrived in the 72^nd minute, although for all Coleraine’s dominance it came rather fortuitously, referee Tim Marshall harshly awarding a penalty against Doyle for a foul on Macuilaitis. Doherty took the spot-kick and fired it beyond the dive of Tuffey and inside the right-hand post.

Debutant Macuilaitis rounded off the scoring for the rampant Bannsiders in the 88^th minute, taking advantage of some lackadaisical Glenavon defending to dance his way into the box and fire a low left-foot finish past Tuffey to make it 4-0.

Next weekend Glenavon travel to Scotland to take on Highland Football League side Formartine United in the third round of the Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup on Saturday 7^th September (kick-off 3pm).

Glenavon: 1. Jonny Tuffey (GK) (C), 6. Andrew Doyle, 7. Josh Daniels, 8. Rhys Marshall, 9. Andrew Mitchell, 15. Aaron Harmon, 16. Sammy Clingan, 20. Conor McCloskey, 21. Jack O’Mahony, 27. James Singleton, 28. Robert Garrett

Subs: 4. Caolan Marron (for 15. Aaron Harmon, 61’), 23. Kyle Beggs (for 7. Josh Daniels, 70’), 30. Jordan Jenkins (for 9. Andrew Mitchell, 70’); not used: 3. Paddy Burns, 11. Andrew Hall, 18. James Taylor (GK), 24. Stephen Murray

Goals: None

Yellow Cards: 21. Jack O’Mahony (29’), 4. Caolan Marron (74’), 27. James Singleton (86’)

Coleraine: 1. Chris Johns (GK), 2. Lyndon Kane, 3. Adam Mullan, 4. Aaron Canning, 6. Aaron Jarvis, 7. Ben Doherty, 8. Stephen Lowry, 9. James McLaughlin, 11. Josh Carson, 15. Stephen O’Donnell (C), 16. Ian Parkhill,

Subs: 24. Nedas Macuilaitis (for 9. James McLaughlin, 65’), 17. Jamie Glackin (for 16. Ian Parkhill, 82’), 23. Emmett McGuckin (for 6. Aaron Jarvis, 84’); not used: 5. Steven Douglas, 21. Alex Gawne, 25. Andrew Whiteside, 29. Martin Gallagher

Goals: 8. Stephen Lowry (45’, 46’), 7. Ben Doherty (72’, penalty), 24. Nedas Macuilaitis (88’)

Yellow Cards: None

Referee: Tim Marshall