LETTERKENNY ROVERS’ NEW signing Brian McVeigh rescued a point against Swilly Rovers in the Ulster Senior League at Swilly Park this afternoon.
Swilly Rovers 4 – 4 Letterkenny Rovers
Going into this game both sides found themselves competing at other ends of the spectrum with Letterkenny very much in the hunt for the league while Swilly are scrapping around the bottom of the table this season.
The game began at a slow pace with neither side creating much in the first 10 minutes. With 15 minutes gone it was a familiar face to Letterkenny Rovers who opened the scoring for Swilly (pictured above).
The former Letterkenny Rovers underage player, Kennedy Baoche, flicked the ball around his marker and rifled his shot across the keeper into the far corner of the Letterkenny goal.
Swilly’s lead was short lived, Steve Okakpo-Emeka raced through on the Swilly goal but his shot was saved by the onrushing goalkeeper Gareth Wade, as Okakpo-Emeka continued his run to the referee, Marty McGarrigle, adjudged Wade had taken Okakpo-Emeka down and gave Letterkenny a penalty.
Darren McElwaine stepped up to convert the penalty past Jordan McBride in the Swilly goal in the 24th minute.
Letterkenny made use of their numerical advantage and put the Swilly defence under sustained pressure and went 2-1 up in the 32nd minute through McElwaine again. The first half ended with Letterkenny very much on the front foot but with a young Swilly side continuing to frustrate them.
The second half began at the same ferocious pace as the first had ended.
Letterkenny (pictured above) took a 3-1 lead a minute into the second half as Kevin McGrath broke down the left and was found by a diagonal ball from Tommy Bonnar, McGrath controlled well and slotted the ball past McBride in the Swilly goal from a narrow angle.
With Swilly down to 10 men and Letterkenny with a two-goal lead the game looked to be well in control but Swilly were given a break when the home side got a goal back from a corner as Swilly centre back Damien Friel rise highest and scored with a bullet header in the 51st minute.
The game was incredibly competitive from start to finish and McGarrrigle had a job on his hands to control the game in the 58th minute a sliding tackle by Swilly’s Ryan McDaid on Letterkenny’s Kevin McGrath was adjudged to be a foul.
In the scuffle that ensued after the challenge Marty McGarrigle adjudged McGrath had lashed out at Ryan McDaid after his challenge and gave him a straight red card.
Even with both sides now down to 10 men Letterkenny continued to be the dominant team and continued to create but fail to take advantage of their chances. In the 80th minute Swilly countered down the left hand side through Marty McDaid who was fouled as he broke into the Letterkenny box and was awarded a penalty.
Letterkenny’s Tommy Bonner was dismissed after the awarding of the penalty for dissent. Dan O’Donnell stepped up and converted the spot kick for Swilly making it 4-3 to the home side.
For the remaining 10 minutes of the game Letterkenny pushed for an equaliser and in the 91st minute they got it, a ball played in from the left hand side the and Brian McVeigh converted from close range at the back post to open his account for his new club.
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