Amazing Gracey!
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Carniny Rangers.............................................5 Cumann Sport an Phobail..............................4
This was an amazing cup tie with Carniny racing into a three goal lead before being pegged back with the visitors going 4-3 in front and then a James Gracey header in the dying minutes sent Carniny through into the fifth round of the Junior Shield.
Carniny were strong from the very start and was no surprise when they took the lead after four minutes when Roger Jones broke down the right and sent over a cross which was knocked up into the air and Chris Dowie acrobatically found the net with a scissor kick. On 16 minutes Carniny doubled their lead when a Roger Jones corner kick was half cleared to Alan Cochrane 25 yards out and he drilled the ball into the top corner of the net. It looked all over for the visitors when Carniny made it 3-0 on the half hour mark when a Roger Jones shot was deflected into the path of Chris Dowie who picked his spot from 12 yards out to make it 3-0. Slack defending by Carniny two minutes before half time resulted in the visitors getting a goal back when a Carniny defender put the ball in his own net to make the score 3-1 at half time.
At the start of the second half a good move involving Roger Jones and Chris Dowie set up Frazer Young on the left hand side but his shot came off the post and away to safety. Cumann also hit the post before they pulled another goal make to narrow the margin to just one. This spurred the visitors on who five minutes later snatched an equaliser and then three minutes after that hit Carniny on the break to take a shock 4-3 lead. With seven minutes to go Carniny broke up field and won a corner kick which was swung over by Roger Jones for Ryan Bamber to rise highest and head into the roof of the net and level the tie. Just as the tie looked to be going into extra time Roger Jones who was involved in everything good Carniny did collected the ball in his own half and hit a long diagonal ball into the visitors box where James Gracey arrived to head the ball over the outrushing visiting keeper and clinch a spectacular win for Carniny and keeper alive their dream of Junior Shield and Cup glory.
Meanwhile, FC Penarol crashed out of the Shield beaten 6-3 by Ballynahich Olympic after extra time but the bad news for them was the loss of their influential mid fielder Ryan Orr who unfortunately suffered a broken leg and the match had to be delayed for a long time while waiting for an ambulance.
BSML only other team North End in the Junior Cup apart from Carniny Rangers came up against a very strong Amateur League side St Patricks YM and were beaten 3-0.
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