Glenavon 1-0 Carrick Rangers

Danske Bank Premiership

Mourneview Park, Tuesday 10th December 2019

Match Report by Calum Jones

 

Glenavon earned a much-needed win against Carrick Rangers on Tuesday night as Daniel Larmour scored the only goal of the game against his former club on the half-hour mark.

However, the result of the match quickly paled into insignificance as news broke shortly after the final whistle of the untimely death of Carrick player Jerry Thompson.

Glenavon started the game well, with James Singleton rising to meet a Paddy Burns corner in the third minute, but the midfielder’s header drifted harmlessly wide of the target.

Two minutes later Josh Daniels lobbed a ball up to the far post and Kyle Beggs nodded it back across goal. For a moment it looked as if Stephen Murray was going to have a simple tap-in, but the striker couldn’t get on the end of it.

Lloyd Anderson was presented with a good shooting opportunity on 10 minutes, but he could only shoot straight at Tuffey when he really should have done better and Glenavon managed to clear.

In the 15th minute Stewart Nixon chipped a cross to the back post and picked out Guillaume Keke. The striker’s acrobatic overhead kick didn’t go too far over the bar.

Keke had a much better chance to score eight minutes later when a neat one-two with Lee Chapman sent him through on goal, but his low shot went narrowly wide of Tuffey’s left-hand post.

Larmour scored the game’s only goal in the 30th minute. Sammy Clingan curled a corner in from the left. When goalkeeper Aaron Hogg failed to catch the ball and his defenders failed to clear it, eventually it fell to Larmour and the former Carrick defender slotted in with his left foot to break the deadlock.

Tuffey produced an exceptional save to deny Keke from point-blank range on 34 minutes, but the linesman’s flag was raised anyway, so the effort wouldn’t have counted.

Caolan Marron made a poor error to gift the ball to Keke in the penultimate minute of the first half, but the young central defender did will to recover and deny the forward a chance to shoot.

There was less action in the second half, although Clingan did go close with a low shot from a free-kick that went narrowly wide of the left post on 65 minutes, while Murray saw one shot saved by Hogg, then the follow-up blocked by James Ferrin 10 minutes later.

The away side put Glenavon under pressure in the closing minutes of the game, with substitute Josh McGreevy hitting a well-struck shot from the edge of the box on 80 minutes which Tuffey had to tip over the crossbar.

The visitors’ best opportunity for an equaliser fell to McGreevy when he was picked out with a low cross from the right from fellow substitute Michael Smith. McGreevy blasted a shot at goal from close to the penalty spot, but Tuffey made a fine save to ensure that Glenavon collected all three points.

However, any joy which the Lurgan Blues felt at earning a much-needed win soon faded away when the awful news of Jerry Thompson’s passing reached Mourneview Park. Carrick were due to travel to Solitude this weekend to take on Cliftonville, but that fixture has been postponed as a mark of respect to Jerry.

Meanwhile, Glenavon travel to the Brandywell to play Institute on Saturday (14th December), with a 3pm kick-off.

 

Glenavon: 1. Jonny Tuffey (GK) (C), 2. Daniel Larmour, 3. Paddy Burns, 4. Caolan Marron, 7. Josh Daniels, 8. Rhys Marshall, 15. Aaron Harmon, 16. Sammy Clingan, 23. Kyle Beggs, 24. Stephen Murray, 27. James Singleton

Subs: 20. Conor McCloskey (for 23. Kyle Beggs, 79’), 11. Andy Hall (for 15. Aaron Harmon, 79’), 30. Jordan Jenkins (for 24. Stephen Murray, 88’); not used: 13. Oisin Barr, 25. Ross Hunter, 28. Robert Garrett, 80. Gary Hamilton

Goals: 2. Daniel Larmour (30’)

Yellow Cards: None

 

Carrick Rangers: 18. Aaron Hogg (GK), 3. Reece Neale, 4. Mark Surgenor (C), 5. Christopher Rodgers, 7. Lee Chapman, 10. Daniel Kelly, 11. Stewart Nixon, 15. James Ferrin, 24. Guillaume Keke, 27. Liam Hassin, 42. Lloyd Anderson

Subs: 16. Michael Smith (for 42. Lloyd Anderson, 69’), 29. Josh McGreevy (for 24. Guillaume Keke, 72’), 20. Kyle Cherry (for 11. Stewart Nixon, 80’); not used: 1. Liam McAuley (GK), 2. Mark Carson, 6. Caolan Loughran, 14. Daniel Magill

Goals: None

Yellow Cards: 4. Mark Surgenor (12’), 3. Reece Neale (17’), 15. James Ferrin (63’)

 

Referee: Tony Clarke