Spartak 5 Dunboyne 1
A scintillating opening half hour sealed the win for Spartak.
Spartak started very brightly and a couple of early moves broke down as Graham McEnroe struggled to find his touch while Graham Breen and Steve Grier went close with headers.
On 10 minutes a Grier throw was touched on by Breen and Neil McGowan, fresh form his stag party, dived to head in.
On 13 minutes a flowing move threatened to go astray until Gintaras Cibirka, with a flamboyant flick, put Breen in to score.
Spartak owned the ball at this stage and the passing was crisp and neat with Dunboyne unable to get out of their half. Cibirka, back to something approaching form as he nurses a groin injury, was in irrespressible form on the right and Breen was a rumbustious presence up top. McGowan and Flanagan passed smoothly and both full backs, Burke and Mahon, joined the attack regularly. Stuart Love was a driving force in recovering possession and with good covering work. Kenny and Grier formed a formidable barrier at the back. Graham McEnroe improved as the game wore on.
Grier’s throws were causing havoc in the vistors defence with the hapless keeper unable to deal with the delivery and goals from Breen and Flanagan on 32 and 34 minutes added to the total.
Spartak then became somewhat complacent and relied on a saving tackle from Burke before the visitors struck the bar and then scored from a free following hesitancy from Rob Mahon and sloppy play from Grier.
The second half began at a good tempo and the tireless Stuart Love won the ball and passed to Breen who put McEnroe in to score from a narrow angle.
Breen missed a glorious opportunity to complete his hat trick when he turned McEnroe’s cross back into the path of the keeper from close range.
A fine flick by Mc Enroe was finished well by McGowan but the ref mysteriously disallowed the goal.
Cibirka, Breen and Flanagan departed the scene nursing a myriad of injuries and with Tom Kowal having an undistinguished spell as substitute striker, Spartak’s moves lost their fluency, clearly impacted by the loss of key personnel.
Dunboyne’s best chance arrived when Grace did not attack the ball; luckily Peter O’Toole, competent throughout, was able to save comfortably.
Spartak might have added the total but Stuart Love and Rob Mahon’s final efforts were weak, and Graham McEnroe shot wide when through. Spartak finished with ten men as Burke succumbed to cramp.
A fine opening half hour clinched this win.
Form Report
Peter O’Toole 7 Glen Burke 7 Rob Mahon 7 Steve Grier 8 Alex Kenny 7 Tom Flanagan 7 Neil McGowan 7 Gintaras Cibirka 8 Graham McEnroe 7 Graham Breen 8 Stuart Love 8.
Subs Kevin O’Toole 6 Fintan Grace 5 Tom Kowal 4 Will O’Connell Dan O’Connell
April 12th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
succumbed: to yield to disease, wounds, old age, etc.; die
bit of life left in me yet 🙂