NAFL Division 1B
Barn United 0-1 Aquinas
GIVEN the heavy rain around Haslett Park, Carrickfergus, the teams had to wait for a pitch inspection to confirm that this fixture was on.
Although it looked likely that this would be a day for mistakes, the conditions and the playing surface did not hamper what was a quality football match.
The teams were deadlocked for most of the game with both squandering chances to seize the lead. When the decisive goal did come it was a hammer blow to the home side who for much of the second half looked the more threatening.
Mark McCourt was once again the Aquinas player to save the day with only minutes left on the clock. His goal and his team’s gritty performance away to Barn comes on the back of an impressive win against St Luke’s and a hard-won draw at Bangor Amateurs. The goals and the results have recently come just at the right time for the South Belfast side.
Both sides had early chances on Saturday. Jack McCrea in the Aquinas goal was forced to save twice in the first few minutes at his near post.
Tayler Thompson made a great run across the visitors’ backline and his well-struck effort was saved by McCrea. He had a second bite at it but skied it over the crossbar.
Throughout the game, McCrea was calm, confident and commanding in his area. He was called upon again 10 minutes into the game when Andrew Waide’s well-struck free-kick tested him.
Mark McCourt wins it for Aquinas away to Barn United
Minutes later it was the Barn goalkeeper Conor Brown who was under pressure. Another well-taken set-piece from the right almost found Garret Cullen who had charged into space at the back post when any contact at all with the ball would have given Aquinas the lead.
In the first half, Cullen was immense. He won every ball in the middle including ones he had no right to get to.
With Ryan Jenkins pulling the strings in the midfield alongside Cullen, Dan McDonald was able to play a much more attacking role in this game. His runs and hold-up play throughout the game always looked likely to produce a goal.
Both teams made mistakes in the first half which allowed the other to put pressure on when they won possession in the middle of the park. The battle between Brian McQuillan and Jenkins was hotly contested with both giving an excellent account of themselves as the game flowed end to end.
For a period around the 25-minute mark, Barn enjoyed a spell when they were on top. They forced consecutive corners that were well dealt with by the Aquinas defence. However, the second corner was only cleared into the path of Matthew Bingham and the referee was not happy with a Kev Keenan's tackle on Barn’s captain. He seemed to fairly win the ball 10 yards outside the Aquinas box, but the official disagreed.
This presented Waide another shooting opportunity right in the middle of the visitors’ goal at an attractive distance for a shot. He didn’t disappoint the crowd but neither did McCrea who made the wonderful strike which was destined for the top right corner. Right up to the half-time whistle it was Aquinas who dominated.
Most of the threat came from the movement and strength of the two wing-backs.
Brown makes a great save fro Dan McDonald in the first half
Dermot McInerney and Garret Quinn were both threatening and supportive in their play. They were the start of most attacks, but they were also willing runners beyond the home side's defence. McInerny’s hard work put pressure on United in the later stages of the half and with 32 minutes played Aquinas should have scored.
McDonald was slipped in one on one but Brown was quick off his line as the Aquinas player opted to chip the goalkeeper, but Brown made a great save
Garret Quinn then took on Ciaran McCormick on the left flank and glided by him before doing the same to centre back Dylan Hanley. His ball across the goalmouth was brought down by McInerney at the back post but he shot straight at the goalkeeper.
With only minutes left to the interval the home team almost took the lead against the run of play. Again, it was the excellent distribution from Waide that opened Aquinas and Caolan Lynch was left with no option but to hook the ball high and wide over his own bar as Lee Lowry and Thompson both attacked the ball.
Both sides had clear chances to take the lead but at half-time the deadlock remained unbroken.
In the second half, Barn went on the offensive with both McCormick and Waide in the United defence showed a willingness to push up the pitch to join in the attack.
The work rate of Jack Spencer in midfield gave Barn a real boost in the half. Increasingly he was finding space and time on the ball and with Waide and McCormick running into space he had options to bring the game to the visitors.
Aquinas responded and another two chances were squandered as McInerney made another run through the defence and forced Brown to make a great save. From the resulting corner, Cullen rose higher than anyone to meet the ball and his downward header was just about pushed off the line.
Barn replied immediately as Lowrey delivered a fantastic ball across the six-yard box that Thompson could not get his foot on.
The home side were looking the more likely to score and when McCrea watched another super delivery from Waide fly across the six-yard box, he must have been relieved no one got the vital touch.
Gaetano Scozzari takes on Conor Brown in the Barn box
With nothing sticking up front for the visitors, John McCormick, the Aquinas manager, was forced to make changes.
Mark McCourt replaced Kev Keenan and the visitors adjusted their formation in order to shut down the right wing and to put pressure on the home side's defence.
The results were not immediate as Thompson almost scored at the Aquinas near post from the restart. However, that was the last chance the home side would have in the game.
McInerney, the Botanic Inns man-of-the-match once again asserted himself on the right, gliding past players on the 68th minute he opened the Barn defence to play a great ball into McDonald who was again denied a goal Brown.
Aquinas opted to go three up top and replaced Quinn with Gaetano Scozzari. His impact was immediate as in the 72nd minute he held onto the ball excellently under pressure, taking it and the defenders away from the box before rolling into the space behind for Wilson to run onto. Wilson struck the ball early and it went narrowly wide to the relief of Brown.
When the goal did come it had a crushing impact on the home team.
Mark McCourt’s back post diving header was the perfect conclusion to a passage of play that left the hosts dazed. It was fast one-touch football involving several Aquinas players, concluding with McDonald and Dermo moving the ball quickly between them to get up the right-wing before cutting in towards goal. McDonald looked up and saw Wilson’s run from the left side of the area and whipped the ball across the box first time.
Wilson headed the ball into McCourt’s run and the experienced striker pounced on it. There was no comeback from that perfectly timed and executed blow.
The visitors replaced the excellent McDonald with James Mellon in midfield. The former youth team player was a settling and threatening addition in his cameo role. Nothing went past him in the middle as the visitors kept any threat of a last-gasp comeback comfortably away from their area.
Garret Quinn flying down the wing for Aquinas
Wilson and Mellon linked up well just before the final whistle but Wilson was denied his goal when the referee blew for offside.
Saturday’s result was a big win for Aquinas. Winning away to a well organised and dangerous Barn side was not easy.
On the back of the victory against St Luke’s earlier in the week and the two draws at Bangor and Dunmurry manager, John McCormick will reflect on what has been a successful few weeks against difficult opposition.
There will though be a sense of deja vu about the squad as they have dominated most sides early on but haven’t taken their chances to score.
On the other hand, the team has shown great character and determination to grind out results. An away clash with Rosemount, the league leaders, this Saturday will provide the most difficult test for the South Belfast team.The timing of this game and its result may have a big impact on the final make up of this league.
