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Glenavon fans may have been worried prior to the game that the
absence of the injured Aidan McVeigh and Garth Walsh may have hampered
the goal scoring today but any possible fears were assuaged as Derek Delany
stepped to the fore with an excellent hat trick. He was ably supported
by the rest of the team, with Gerard McMahon and Neil Gawley
outstanding.
Delany opened the scoring in the fourth minute when his bicycle kick
into the ground seemed to totally deceive Pollock in the visitor's goal
as it crept inside his left hand post. McAlinden's towering back post
header doubled the lead from Gawley's 16th minute corner.
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Davy McAlinden celebrates his 16th minute goal |
A lack of communication at the back allowed Beck to nip in and score
three minutes later.
In the 24th minute Delany was perhaps fortunate to escape with a
yellow card when he reacted to a reckless tackle from Dallas. Minutes
later he responded in the right way when he and Murray exchanged passes
and it took a great save from Pollock to keep out his low right foot
shot. Pollock, who had played for Glenavon on loan earlier in the
season, made a brilliant save to keep out Gawley's left foot drive from
just outside the box in the 29th minute.
Gawley settled any nerves in first half injury
time when he smashed the ball past Pollock from a narrow angle after
McMahon had laid the ball off to him inside the box.
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Gerard McMahon had an outstanding game,
despite being closely marked throughout. |
Unlike the previous home game against Carrick, Glenavon's players did
not 'take the foot off the gas' in the second half and Topley's solo effort in the 62nd minute
was only denied by a miraculous clearance by
Calderwood. McAlinden was unlucky not to add to his tally from the resulting corner when his header came back off the post.
Pollock then made an outstanding save to deny Gawley a second goal
following more excellent work by McMahon.
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Johnny Pollock pulls off a brilliant save to deny
Neil Gawley
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Delany did grab his second
minutes later when that man Gawley played him in with a delightful
defence splitting ball and the striker made no mistake one-on-one with
Pollock. He completed his hat trick two minutes from time with another
cool finish into the bottom corner from an assist by McMahon. Delany
turned provider in injury time as he flicked the ball into the run of
80th minute substitute, Tony McShane, and he showed great composure to
place the ball past the exposed keeper.
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Derek Delany bursts onto a through ball |
The win today ensured Glenavon of finishing no worse than second
place and the scoreline boosted the goal difference, should Armagh City
slip up in either of their two remaining matches. Table
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