KEADUE ROVERS moved above Lagan Harps in the Temple Domestic Appliances Division 1 standings after inflicting a first League defeat of the season on the Manorcunningham outfit.
Lagan Harps 1 Keadue Rovers 3
Danny Doogan’s men had to come from behind after Mark Hunter fired Lagan ahead on the half-hour.
They did just that. Goals from centre-backs Chris Greene and Hugh Moy swung the pendulum and a fine third, netted by Shaun Burns, sent the Central Park men home with the points.
Keadue arrived at Orchard Park with only reserve team manager Damien Hanlon named on the substitutes’ bench, with the likes of Danny Rodgers, Cory Gallagher, Martin Redmond, Eoin Redmond, Ryan Greene and Packie McGonagle among those absent from the roster.
They made Lagan pay dearly after Keith Hegarty’s team lost their way somewhat following a promising start.
They led when Kevin Kelly’s diagonal ball picked Hunter out and, from the right-hand side of the penalty area, he smashed high into the roof of Ciaran Sharkey’s net.
Keadue had been slow to start, although Adam Neely did warm the hands of Conor Harley, the Lagan ‘keeper, with a low effort after the full-back curled an early free over the top.
Lagan set the tone in the early moments.
Darren Doran was robbed of a chance when Chris Green took the ball off his toe just as he was about to fire goalward from Hunter’s cross.
Sharkey did well to beat away a stinging drive from Glenn Gallagher, while Doran couldn’t connect properly with another centre by Hunter.
Within seven minutes of falling behind, Keadue leveled things up as Greene powered home after Harley parried from Shaun Boyle’s free.
Late in the first half, Kelly went close with a free of his own while Sharkey magnificently saved to deny Hunter a second goal.
19 minutes into the second half, Keadue took the lead as Moy made no mistake, turning home from Neely’s corner.
Aside from goalkeeper Sharkey, Doogan’s team was youthful with 23-year-old Boyle the next oldest.
And there were certainly plenty of encouraging signs from the visitors who, despite a lengthy list of absent names, took sealed a valuable win with just under 20 minutes left.
Referee Martin McAnanney waved play-on when Barry Curran seemed to have been impeded in the box, but the ball broke as far as Burns, whose strike was true and gave Harley little chance of making a save.
It means Keadue are up into second, although Lagan still have a game in hand in a League that sees the top five separated by just five points.
Lagan Harps: Conor Harley; Ronan Gibson, David O’Herlihy, Travis Crawford, Paul Rodgers; Kevin Kelly, Glenn Gallagher, Gerard Hilley (Marty Brogan ’82), Mark Hunter; Darren Doran, Philip Doran (Donnacha Gallagher ’64).
Keadue Rovers: Ciaran Sharkey; Cian Boyle, Chris Greene, Hugh Moy, Adam Neely; Shaun Burns, Jack O’Brien, Barry Curran, Aiden Gillespie; Conor Greene, Shaun Boyle.
Referee: Martin McAnanney.
