|
Glenavon reached the final of the Rushmere Shopping Mid Ulster Cup
with a 4-2 extra-time victory over Armagh City at Holm Park on
Wednesday. Glenavon took an early lead when Walsh smashed home the
rebound after City keeper Ryan McConville could only parry a stinging
drive from Derek Delaney. The young keeper made a string of saves to
deny Glenavon as the visitors dominated possession in the first half.
Events took a different turn in first half stoppage time when Andy
McDonald failed to hold Michael Crowe's right wing corner and the
referee adjudged that the ball had crossed the line. The Glenavon
players were convinced that it hadn't and in the midst of the
protests the Glenavon keeper foolishly pushed Mr Shanks and was rightly
red-carded. Johnny Montgomery donned the keeper's jersey for the
remainder of the match.
There were no further goals in the second half of normal time but
Davy McAlinden missed a great chance to clinch it in stoppage time when
he missed a back post header from Walsh's deep free kick. The big centre
half did score with a back post header in the second minute of extra
time when he dived to direct substitute Johnny Topley's free kick into
the net.
Topley also provided the assist two minutes later when his pass
released Walsh and his pace took him on a brilliant run down the right
and into the box where he beat a last-ditch tackle and rounded the
keeper to score into the empty net to give Glenavon a 3-1 lead.
|
 |
Garth
Walsh put in a Man-of-the-Match performance and scored a
brilliant hat trick to help take Glenavon through to the final
against either Loughgall or Newry City. |
The hosts rarely tested Glenavon's makeshift keeper and he generally
coped with most until stoppage time at the end of the first period of extra
time when he was out jumped by Armagh's towering centre half, Alan
Murphy, who nodded in at the back post from O'Neill's deep cross.
City piled on the pressure but Glenavon were dangerous on the break
as the hosts pushed forward. In the final minute City lost possession
from their own throw as McKnight nipped in to dispossess the defender
and slip the ball to Walsh. He beat the offside trap and sealed a
Man-of-the-Match winning performance when he completed his hat-trick
with another cool finish past the stranded keeper.
|
