Liatroim humble champions Bryansford 18/10/2003
Down Division One - 10/10/2003
Bryansford 3-9 Liatroim 3-10
Taken from Mourne Observer website - www.mourneobserver.com
Liatroim team and mentors left their dressing-room early to form a guard of honour
for the newly crowned champions of Down. This gesture of respect before the start
of this game was appreciated by all at Bryansford, but it was a different story
on the pitch as Liatroim capitalised on every mistake the 'Ford lads made to bring
the Champions back down to earth.
However, it was Bryansford who played
the better football but three errors in defence gave away three soft goals and
two rash passes along the half forward line were returned as points for a Liatroim
side which looked the hungrier.
Another glaring failure from Bryansford's
perspective was the lack of commitment to take responsibility to shoot. Scoring
chances presented themselves on several occasions, especially in the second half,
but the ball was passed on and eventually lost.
On the other hand, Liatroim
were prepared to have a go from anywhere around or inside the 45, and it paid
dividends with Collie McCrickard and Liam Doyle taking some superb scores.
Bryansford dominated the first 10 minutes and Liatroim goalkeeper Jerome McCrickard
did well to block Colm Kearney's pile-driver after only 20 seconds. The ball was
cleared up field and Patrick Pearse McCartan opened for his team.
The
dust had hardly settled however before the 'Ford knocked over four in a row from
Kearney, Chris Brannigan, Shane King and Stephen McKibben.
A stoppage
in play due to a suspected broken nose for full back Andrew Kane saw Bryansford
lose momentum. No sooner had Kane departed than Aidan Brown tapped to an empty
net when 'keeper Peter Travers misjudged a clearance and Aidan O'Prey tapped the
ball down to the unmarked corner forward. Liatroim had their tails up but sound
defence limited them to a Doyle point from distance. Two goals by Conor Gribben,
separated by an O'Prey point, seemed to put Bryansford back on track. Both goals
came from frees on the right, with Gribben rising highest to fist home.
A further free from Chris Brannigan and the 'Ford support felt the game was won
as their side pressed the Liatroim defence.
Three minutes before half
time Doyle pointed a free, then another calamity struck. A long ball down the
left wing was expertly gathered by Jonathan Cunningham, but his hand pass to Jim
Magorrian fall straight to Liatroim's Declan Burns who raced clear before firing
low past Travers. This goal was quickly followed by the equalising score from
McCartan, leaving the score at 2-5 apiece going into the interval. Fifty seconds
into the second half and Liatroim were first to change the scoreboard with a point
from O'Prey. Hoping to build on this slender lead, McCrickard played a quick sideline
ball in search of Brown.
However, in stepped Magorrian who found King
whose punt eventually fell for Gerard McCrickard to fire a daisy cutter to the
'keeper's right. By the 37th minute Bryansford looked comfortable on the ball
and once again they appeared to be in control. Three blunders later and they went
from a two point lead to a three point deficit.
Brannigan held his head
in his hands as a poor handpass to Brian Burns was intercepted by McCartan who
fired over. From the kickout, Travers only found McCrickard who gave the ball
to Doyle to point. On the third occasion Travers got the kickout right but Cunningham
hand passed straight to Doyle who drew both Magorrian and Travers leaving O'Prey
unmarked at the far post. A handpass across the square and the net was wide open
for O'Prey's tap in.
For 12 minutes the teams cancelled each other out
before Kearney and McCrickard exchanged scores. With nine minutes remaining McCrickard
took a superb point from 50 metres to set the 'Ford alight. Two points in a minute
from Kearney was the response and although Brannigan converted another free, the
chances squandered by Bryansford were frustrating, as the final whistle sounded
on a subdued Bryansford following.
Bryansford: P Travers, J Magorrian,
J Cunningham, A Kane, G Morgan, A Shields, G Toner, C King, B Burns, C Brannigan,
S King, G McCrickard, C Kearney, S McKibben, C Gribben.
Subs: D Neeson for
A Kane.
Liatroim: J McCrickard, J Brown, P Middleton, D Rice, D Morgan,
E Middleton, C Brown, C McCrickard, T Armstrong, PP McCartan, L Doyle, JP Owen,
A Brown, A O'Prey, D Burns.
Subs: A Rice for D Rice, D O'Higgins for JP Owens.
