Glenavon won for the third game in a row, and
kept a third consecutive clean sheet, with a 4-0 home victory over
bottom club Ballinamallard today. With the pressure on in the League
race, Garth Walsh gave the Blues the ideal start when he poked the ball
over the line after only 20 seconds. Paul McKnight had played the ball
out to the right and McVeigh had got a slight flick on to Gawley's cross
to allow Walsh to side foot the ball between keeper and back post.
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Garth Walsh and Aiden McVeigh celebrate
Walsh's opening goal |
Paul Smyth fired wildly over for the Mallards in the 9th minute after
a deep cross had found him unmarked at the back post. At the other end
within a minute McAlinden rose to head a corner but he put it straight
at the young keeper.
Aiden McVeigh doubled the lead in
the 21st minute. He ducked under a ball into the box and it rebounded
back to him off the centre half and he swivelled and fired a low shot
across the keeper into the bottom corner.
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Aiden McVeigh holds off his man |
Ten minutes before the interval McCleery showed good skill to lift
the ball over the Glenavon defence and McDonald had to make a good save
to deny him, with McAlinden clearing Smyth's follow up off the line. Two
minutes later McVeigh was unlucky not to double his tally after McKnight
won the ball just outside the box and poked it through to him. He turned
and curled the ball round the defender and only inches wide of the post.
In first half stoppage time the Mallard's young keeper almost pushed
Clifford's cross into his own net, with the ball crashing off the bar
and dropping onto the goal line before he could gather it.
Early in the second half Gawley cut in from the wing and fired in a
shot from 25 yards that Snow held well. McGuigan wasted a good chance
minutes later when a diagonal ball found him unmarked and it was only
McDonald's narrowing the angle that forced him to poke the ball wide
with only the Glenavon keeper to beat.
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Kieran O'Connor hurdles a challenge in
midfield |
In the 58th minute McVeigh used his strength to beat the defender to
McAlinden's long ball and he was unfortunate when his looping shot
crashed off the bar with the keeper well beaten. Reid then burst into
the box but his shot was well held by Snow and O'Connor should have done
better from 18 yards when Walsh set him up with a ball rolled across the
'D' but the attacking midfielder fired his shot straight at the keeper.
It was O'Connor's perseverance though that paid off in the 72nd minute
when he controlled a bouncing ball inside the area and was about to
shoot when he was brought down by Carroll. Walsh stepped up and drove
the spot kick high into the roof of the net.
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Garth Walsh's 72nd minute penalty hits the
roof of the net to make the score 3-0.
Photo by Wayne Hanna |
McVeigh got a well deserved second when he finished with a low strike
into the bottom corner after McShane's through ball into the box was back heeled
by Walsh to set the striker up about 12 yards out.
To the Mallard's credit they kept plugging away and were almost
rewarded seven minutes from time when substitute Sheridan fired across
goal just narrowly wide of the far post after good work by the visitors'
most impressive player, boss's son Mark McConkey. In stoppage time
McDonald ensured that third successive clean sheet when he made a great
stop low to his left to deny Sheridan from close range.
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