FEBRUARY 2007
24th February: BLUES LEAD TWICE BUT STILL LOSE
Limavady United 3-2 Glenavon
Despite being depleted by injuries, flu and suspensions, Glenavon led twice in
this match but couldn't hold on to take even a point home to Lurgan.
Glenavon took the lead with a 17th minute Stephen Magennis penalty after Gerard
McMahon was hacked down by left back Neil Harkin. Unfortunately the Glenavon
skipper sustained a dead leg when he was felled and was forced off soon
afterwards. His replacement David Ward forced a decent save from Michael Doherty
but the home side enjoyed the bulk of the possession and it was no surprise when
Ryan McCreadie pulled them level two minutes before the interval with a back
post volley from Mullen's' cross.
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| Gavin McDonnell scores Glenavon's
second goal. |
Early in the second half Glenavon went ahead again when Gavin McDonnell scored
with a back header from Neal Gawley's long throw, a tactic that had caused the
hosts problems even before the second goal.
The hosts equalised with a second goal from McCreadie in the 64th minute as he
ran onto the ball as it dropped just inside the area from a cross from the right
and smashed it past Rice. Ten minutes later saw the Roe-siders take the lead for
the first time when Philip Lowry finished a quick break that resulted from a mis-directed
kick out by Rice.
"I can't quibble with the result but I thought it was very
poor fare from both sides for the 90 minutes. There wasn't a whole lot of
football - the pitch dictated what way the game was going to go. It was farcical
at times but they shaded it on chances but it's a very disappointing result to
come up here, take the lead twice then throw it away. The players put a lot into
it on both sides but it just wasn't Premier League football.
"We had to change things with the players who were missing:
Wallace and Hunter were a big loss to us but Conor (McAnallen) and young Michael
(McKerr) came in and did very very well. They worked hard but there's no
substitute for experience at the end of the day.
"I felt the conditions would play a big part and we asked
things of the players today, basically be safe not sorry at the back but at
times we maybe overplayed a wee bit where they were more direct than us and
dealt with the conditions better than we did.
"We can all sit back and blame the pitch for this, that and
the other but fans come up and spend money and they want to see a bit of
football but today they saw two teams struggling to put on a show."
APPEAL DENIED
Glenavon's appeal against the red card handed out to striker David Bracken by
referee Keith Halliday in last Saturday's game against Donegal Celtic has been
denied.
The appeal was based on the fact that the referee informed Bracken before
dismissing him from the pitch that he was being sent off for raising his hands
during the goal mouth melee, an allegation which is strenuously denied by the
player. This information was confirmed by one of the assistant referees in
conversation with a Glenavon official in the board room after the match. As a
result Glenavon felt that a clear case of mistaken identity had occurred in
terms of whose hands had in fact been raised.
It has now transpired that the referee, in his report to the IFA, states that
he dismissed Bracken for kicking the DC goal keeper in the head. If this
information had been made available to Glenavon it would clearly have resulted
in a different approach to the appeal procedure.
It was clear at the time of the incident that the treatment received by the
DC keeper was in fact for a shoulder injury, not a head injury. This must call
into question the referee's interpretation of the incident as it clearly does
not conform to the facts of the matter.
BRACKEN GETS REPUBLIC U21 CALL-UP
Republic of Ireland Under 21 Manager Don Givens has drafted Glenavon
striker David Bracken into his squad for the Madeira Trophy at the end of
February. The Republic team won the quadrangular tournament last year.
The young Dubliner will join the Republic squad after Saturday's game, returning
to Ireland the following Saturday which is a free day for Glenavon following the
team's Irish Cup exit.
Glenavon Manager Colin Malone was delighted for the young striker "It's a great
honour for David to get another call-up to the Republic squad and the experience
he will gain will stand him in good stead in the rest of Glenavon's Premier
League campaign."
PLAYER OF THE MONTH (JANUARY)
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| Adrian Harper
receives his Player of the Month award for January from
sponsor Allen Gamble of Allen Gamble Windows |
17th February: HEART-STOPPING!
Glenavon 3-3 Donegal Celtic
Glenavon battled back from a 0-3 half-time deficit to earn what, in the end, was
a well deserved draw. It took a storming second half to recover from an abject
first half performance which saw the home side gift three goals to the Suffolk
Road side.
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| Who'd be a football manager? |
After the match Paul Rice held his hand up for all three goals. He had been
struggling to deal with a series of Gerard McCabe free kicks right from the start
and inside the first minute he misjudged one that almost curled in at the far
post. It was from an almost carbon-copy delivery that DC opened the
scoring, left back Mal Harbinson driving a shot into the net after Rice had
flapped at McCabe's free from the right wing.
Paul McVeigh smashed a shot off the post on 22 minutes and within sixty seconds
he somehow missed McDonald's header back across the goal from Harbinson's deep
cross. In the 35th minute Rice again made a poor attempt at punching another
McCabe free kick but this time Conor Walsh got a block on Armstrong's shot to
divert it for a corner. The relief was short-lived however as Rice came for the
corner and missed it with the ball going in off the unfortunate Ian Wallace.
Rice did well to deny John Bellew in the 39th minute after the striker burst
through the offside line and minutes later Brown saved a low shot from Gawley as
he ran onto Harper's lay-off, in what was a rare Glenavon attempt in the first
half.
On the stroke of half time hesitant defending by Marty Hunter allowed Bellew to
get onto a ball down the right wing and once again Rice will be disappointed
that Bellew's shot from a tight angle beat him at his near post.
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| David Hawthorne flicks the ball on
for Stephen Magennis (R), who scored Glenavon's late equaliser. |
The second half was a total transformation with Glenavon completely dominating
the game. Once the home side pulled a goal back in the 57th minute with skipper
Gerard McMahon nodding past Brown as Bracken flicked on Hunter's free kick, the
visitors looked rattled. Inside two minutes the pressure was really on as Gavin
McDonnell headed powerfully past Brown from Paul Walsh's corner kick.
With the visitor's now clearly on the rack it looked like Neal Gawley would
score the equaliser in the 66th minute as Bracken's clever back-heel on the edge
of the box put him clear. He tried to lift the ball over Brown but the DC keeper
got a hand to it and, as he tried to get a hold of the ball Bracken tried to get
his boot to it. DC's Paul Bradley then appeared to manhandle Bracken into the
back of the net and one or two other DC players joined in. After consulting with
his assistant John McDowell the referee, Keith Halliday, yellow-carded Bradley
but amazingly sent off both Bracken and Sean Armstrong.
The dismissals seemed to disrupt the momentum that Glenavon had built up since
the start of the second half and it took ten minutes before another good chance
was created. This time it fell to McMahon as Hawthorne flicked on a cross but
the Glenavon skipper blasted over from 12 yards.
Three minutes from time Gawley sent over a perfect low cross but Stephen
Magennis could not deliver the slight touch that was all it would have taken to
score. McDonnell almost doubled his tally with a header that crashed off the
under side of the bar but in the second minute of the four additional minutes,
Magennis made up for his earlier miss when he side footed home from 6 yards
after the DC defence failed to deal with Paul Walsh's dangerous corner.
"I felt so hurt by the performance in the first half. I didn't think we could
have played as badly as that but, credit to DC, they squeezed us and forced us
into errors. The manner of the goals was unbelievable. Obviously all three were
probably down to Paul Rice. That undermined the team's confidence and you have a
job on your hands to get their heads up and get out there for the second half.
Everyone got an awful slating coming down there at half time. I told them 'If
that's bad it'll be even worse come quarter to five if we don't lift it.'
"We tried just to be positive and squeeze them a wee bit more and stand up to
the physical challenges and I thought we did that. We got a wee foothold with a
goal back and then we got the second one and when Bracken had played Gawley in I
thought it was a tap in, just pass it into the back of the net and we go on to
win.
"It's still a disappointing result as far as we are concerned. We did target
this as three points and we needed them just as much as they needed them but in
the circumstances after the first half I suppose we were relieved to get
something out of it. We finished it positively but there's nobody happy with our
first half performance.
"As for the sending off, Davy Bracken's not that sort of player - he hasn't made
a foul all day. He's not sure himself what he was sent off for. I thought Davy
followed the ball in and then he got bundled over. He didn't react, kept his
hands down throughout but he's ended up sent off!"
When asked after the match who was sent off for what, referee Keith Halliday
said "I can't tell you until the reports go in. They have to go to the IFA
first. I can't let the press know before the IFA. That's the rule. There was a
collision with the goal keeper and the melee that followed it. It wouldn't be
fair for me to comment before it reached the IFA."
10th FEBRUARY:
 IRISH CUP 6th ROUND
Lisburn Distillery 4-1 Glenavon
The score line really doesn't reflect a true picture of this game
with Glenavon playing some excellent football throughout the match
but poor finishing once again came back to haunt the men in blue.
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| Barry Meehan's goal got Glenavon
back in the match at 1-1 |
Glenavon started brightly with Barry Meehan shot forcing Matthews
into action but the hosts began to take control and Kilmartin's
quick free kick in the 11th minute gave Waterworth the chance to
fire in a low cross that Armour slid over the line from close
range.
The Whites continued to exert pressure on the visitor's goal
without forcing Rice into much meaningful action but the tide
turned back to Glenavon in the 30th minute when Neal Gawley raced
onto a ball over the top of the defence and squared a low cross
that Alderdice should have cut out. Somehow he allowed it to reach
Meehan who slotted it home from six yards.
The goal gave Glenavon an obvious lift and Malone's men went on to
dominate the rest of the half. Ross Black was denied by a last
ditch tackle by Muir as he played a one-two with McMahon on the
edge of the area and two minutes before the break Thompson cleared
Gawley's narrow angle shot off the line. In first half stoppage
time McMahon played in Bracken and his low cross was put out for a
corner as Meehan tired to get a toe to it at the back post. From
the corner Harper curled a shot from the corner of the area that
was headed off the line.
Glenavon started the second half as they had finished the first,
on top and putting the hosts under continuous pressure. Bracken
showed good strength and won an early corner that Matthews
attempted to punch but the ball fell to Hawthorne, his shot
dipping just over the bar. Black ran onto the ball in the White's
box as it broke from a tackle on Barry Meehan as Glenavon put
together a flowing move with the superb Gerard McMahon pulling the
strings in the centre midfield. Unfortunately the young full back
failed to hit the target, as he dragged his shot across the goal.
In the 66th minute Gawley had a great chance to take the lead when
he broke a tackle by Thompson and Harper played the young winger
in with a ball down the inside right channel. Gawley stepped past
the ineffectual challenge of Alderdice and lifted a shot over the
advancing keeper only to see the ball crash back off the bar and
away to safety.
Kilmartin was booked for a trip on Hawthorne as he carried the
ball through the middle and from McMahon's floated free kick the
ball broke to Meehan. His shot was blocked and the rebound fell to
Hawthorne who drove a low shot through the crowded box which
Matthews did well to hold on his goal line with Gawley ready to
pounce on any error.
Against the run of play Distillery regained the lead with a superb
dipping shot from the edge of the area by Andy Waterworth after
the ball broke kindly to him from a blocked shot. Inside two
minutes the lead was doubled as substitute Marty Verner finally
put the ball into the net following a series of blocks and saves
by McDonnell and Rice after Aaron Johnston ran onto a through ball
and squared it for the former Glenavon striker. Verner seemed to
take too long and McDonnell got in a block but the ball again
broke to a player in white but the shot was blocked on the ground
by McDonnell. Verner seized on the rebound but his shot was
blocked on the line by Black before Verner eventually found a way
past the desperate defensive efforts. He won't have endeared
himself to his former supporters with his inflammatory
celebrations, however.
Barry Meehan had a good chance to make it 3-2 in the 82nd minute
when Bracken's clever back heel gave him a shooting opportunity
inside the box but he blasted his effort wide. Rice made a
brilliant point blank save from Johnson in the 86th minute but
from the resulting corner McLaughlin lifted the ball over the
unfortunate Glenavon keeper to put an undeserved deserved gloss on
the final result.
3rd February: BRACKEN'S LATE LATE SHOW
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| David Bracken heads goal-wards from
Adrian Harper's corner |
It took an injury time equaliser by David Bracken to earn a fully-deserved
point for Glenavon after they dominated the game but once again wasted numerous
scoring opportunities. Ironically it was on-loan winger Andy Uprichard who gave
the home side the lead in the 67th minute. It was a rare attack with Rice not
having a save to make before the ball broke kindly in the box for the young
winger to smash it past the Glenavon keeper who got a hand to it but was unable
to keep it out.
Bracken had the majority of the chances for Glenavon but Marty Hunter hit the
post twice in quick succession in the 20th minute when his back post header from
Harper's corner came back off the post before rebounding off him onto the post
again and out for a goal kick. Earlier Bracken had put a near post header just
over the bar on 13 minutes as he showed good movement to get away from his
marker and flick Adrian Harper's corner just over.
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| David Ward shrugs off the challenge
of left back Bryan Pentland |
Bracken's best chance, before his goal, came in the 56th minute when a superb
pass from debutant David Ward put him clear but he hesitated and this allowed
Bryan Pentland just enough time to get in a goal-saving tackle. Ward himself had
gone close with a fine turn and shot in the 49th minute with the ball flashing
just wide of the post and it looked like he had scored with a superb shot into
the top corner in the 88th minute until Robinson pulled off a save-of-the-season
contender to tip the ball over the bar.
In the final minute Bracken put a back post header a foot wide from Ward's
cross but he earned his side a point and denied Loughgall a first league win of
the season when he smashed the ball home from six yards after Gerard McMahon,
who had come off the bench in the second half, did superbly to hook the ball
back into the danger area.
"We dominated from start to
finish; the only shots they had on goal were Andy Uprichard's and the one they
scored from. It looked as if it was going to be another one of those days when
we made plenty of chances but taken none of them. We're probably relieved even
to get a point but it would have been a shame because Gavin McDonnell would have
come off having lost a game in which he was absolutely outstanding.
"From start to finish we were the better side in every area
and its disappointing that we've dropped two points but it could have been all
three. Finishing let us down again but this week they persevered while last week
when we conceded the goal and maybe threw the towel in a wee bit. Today we kept
going right to the end; we didn't give up, we didn't quit and kept pushing and
trying right to the end and I think the fans appreciated that.
"It's disappointing that we've dropped some points but at the
minute we're finding great difficulty in finding the back of the net. No matter
what we do or how we change things, it's just not clicking for us but I'd back
them that we will start scoring goals, and hopefully sooner rather than later."
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