McComb's Intermediate Cup, Round 1
Crumlin Star 3 - Colin Valley 1
Valley Park
CRUMLIN Star took the win today against Colin Valley in the first round of the Intermediate Cup with a solid 3-1 victory against the West Belfast side on their home turf in Poleglass.
The North Belfast outfit comfortably scored their third goal early on in the second half, but the performance of both sides slowed down after this.
Star were the stronger half in the first round, playing brilliant football, but Colin Valley also played well too, and despite the downpour of drizzle, the first half was a joy to watch.
The first goal was scored by Star’s Kevin Lynch ten minutes in, with a brilliant bit of play, seeing Lynch outsmart and outgun Valley’s defence to get the goal.
There were more chances taken by the North Belfast outfit, with a good chance by Stephen Smyth a minute before Kevin Lynch’s goal, and another six minutes after the goal by Smyth again, but both his chances were saved by Colin Valley ‘keeper Gerard Duff.
Colin Valley’s Martin Young picked up a yellow card 14 minutes in for a bad tackle, but apart from this, it was a clean game overall.
At 23 minutes Star took another great shot at goal, a good header coming from Stephen Smyth, but this was again deflected by ‘keeper Gerard Duff.
When the game was 27 minutes in Colin Valley scored the equaliser with a brilliant bit of play. A free kick from Michael McClory set the ball up nicely for a brilliant header from Ryan Burns, who sank the ball into the back of the net.
Star missed out on a brilliant chance to get a penalty 35 minutes in, due again to brilliant goalkeeping from Valley’s Gerard Duff. Barry McKervey’s penalty was saved, only to rebound and Conor McLaughlin tried twice to sink it into the net, but was deflected by Gerard Duff before the final chance went wide.
Eager to make up for their missed chance, Star went on the offensive, and it paid off when 40 minutes in Stephen Smyth finally got his goal, putting the score up to 2-1.
Just before the first half ended the Poleglass squad tried to even things, with a great shot from Ryan Hall, but it went wide of the right hand side of the net by inches in what would have made a great goal had it been a few more inches in.
By the start of the second half, the rain had died off, and at 50 minutes Star got their third and final goal of the match, scored by James Doyle to put them up to 3-1.
Colin Valley made a substitution at 53 minutes with Patrick Gibson coming on for Sean Wilson. At 67 minutes Star made a substitution with Finnbarr Brennan coming on for goalscorer Stephen Smyth.
There was a substitution each at 76 minutes with Keelan Hagans coming on for goalscorer Kevin Lynch, and Che Curran replaced Martin Young for Colin Valley.
Star made a go at goal in the final ten minutes, when Finnbarr Brennan took a shot on target, but there wasn’t enough power behind the ball to follow it through and it was saved by Gerard Duff.
Colin Valley made a last minute substitution with Charlie Walsh coming off for Ryan Walker in the final minute, but it didn’t make a difference as there was little extra time going about, and the game ended shortly afterwards with Crumlin Star 3, Colin Valley 1.
CRUMLIN STAR: C McNeill, B O’Neill, A McNeill, N Hawkins, M Lyons, S McBurney, C McLaughlin, S Smyth (goal 40 mins), K Lynch (goal 10 mins), J Doyle (goal 50 mins), B McKervey
SUBS: F Brennan for S Smyth (67 mins), K Hagans for K Lynch (76 mins)
COLIN VALLEY: G Duff, S Wilson, M Shortt, C Bell, R Burns (goal 27 mins), M Shannon, C Walsh, M Young, M McClory, R Hall
SUBS: C Curran for S Wilson (53 mins), C Curran for M Young (76 mins), R Walker for C Walsh (90 mins)
REFEREE: K Halliday
