KILMACRENNAN CELTIC AND Castlefin Celtic produced a wonderful spectacle of attacking football – sharing eight goals – in the Brian McCormick Sports Premier Division.
Kilmacrennan Celtic 4-4 Castlefin Celtic
An excellent game from start to finish, particularly in the first half which concluded with five goals.
Photo caption: The Kilmacrennan Celtic side who took on Castlefin Celtic this afternoon in the Brian McCormick Sports Premier Division
The first of them from Corey Brogan, whose shot deflected off Noah Mailey and past Jason Hegarty following fine play from Marry Owens down the left on nine minutes.
Kilmacrennan were level on 26 minutes following a penalty by Michael McLaughlin. In a fine move in which McLaughlin played his part beforehand, along with Aidan Sweeney and Mark Friel, Caolan McDaid was brought down by goalkeeper Anthony Sweeney.
Castlefin Celtic, who drew with Kilmacrennan Celtic in the Brian McCormick Sports Premier Division today
However, the reprieve was only a short one – two minutes in fact. PJ Malley had two bites at the cheery. His first two attempted crosses hit Mailey, first of all, and then fell to Brogan, whose shot managed to get past Hegarty, who did get his hands onto it.
But the response from Kilmacrennan was immediate, as, on 33 minutes they made it 2-2 to keep up the helter-skelter native of the opening 45 minutes.
It was a finely created and concluded move, which saw Sweeney tuck home from six yards after a centre from Chris Dillon.
Kilmacreen then went in ahead at half-time 3-2. And that was thanks to McLaughlin, who curled a 40th minute free-kick around the Castlefin wall and into the net.
The crowd were well entitled to draw their breath at the break.
Castlefin opened the second half as the ones most likely. Matthew O’Rourke crashed a shot off the post on the hour mark, but the equaliser was coming.
On 65 minutes, Brogan produced a brilliant finish to make it 3-3 with an angled shot into the far corner after the ball broke his way following a blocked free-kick.
[adrotate group=”53″]Nineteen minutes from time, Castlefin eked ahead with a superb Malley finish from 16 yards out.
McLaughlin, of Kilmacrennan, was denied an equaliser and a hat-trick by a top class save from Sweeney on 79 minutes, when a piledriver was brilliantly tipped over.
Emmet White, two minutes from time, cleared off the Castlefin line from Gary Gorman after some pinball in the area.
[adrotate group=”76″]It looked as though the visitors would survive, only for Dillon to plant home a header from a corner for 4-4 in the last minute. In the end, with both sides having contributed so much, it was perhaps only fair that neither went home empty-handed.
Kilmacrennan Celtic: Jason Hegarty; Kieran McGinley (Jimmy McElwaine 70), Ryan Shields, Paul McBride, Noah Mailey; Michael McLaughlin, Aidan Sweeney, Mark Friel, John Sandilands (Darren McGinley 57); Chris Dillon, Caolan McDaid (Gary Gorman 70).
Castlefin Celtic: Anthony Sweeney; John Doherty, Emmet White, Peter Bryson (Damien McAnaney half-time), PJ McMenamin (Aaron Boyle 65); Corey Brown, Dominic McGlinchey (Stephen Roulstone 65), Ian Ward, Marty Owens; JP Malley, Matthew O’Rourke.
Referee: Mick Lagan
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