Spartak 5 Queen’s Park 3
Spartak trailed in this match 2-3 with just 20 minutes left, but a trademark late surge produced three goals and a good win which leaves Spartak outside the top two only on goal difference.
The baby blues had a tonic start to the game when Glen Burke blocked a clearance and Graham McEnroe’s shot squirmed through the keeper’s legs only to stall on the line. Stuart Love was on hand to force home with just 40 seconds on the clock.
The lead did not last long and in the third minute the visitors scored from an unmarked header from a corner.
Spartak responded with Kevin O’Toole winning a lot of the ball and when a good move started by Kevin was carried on by Ger Byrne and McEnroe, Burke shot over.
A disastrous back pass attempt by Rob Mahon let his man in to give Queens the lead.
Burke was finding it difficult to get crosses and corners delivered with sufficient pace but from one corner Fintan Grace headed just over and at the other end the same player made a timely clearance to prevent trouble. Dave Browne’s free was headed back across goal by McEnroe and Rob Mahon squared the ball from beyond the back post, but the vistors scrambled clear. Mahon’s shot from distance was tipped away by the keeper.
Spartak began the second half in excellent fashion when Ger Byrne sent Glen Burke on a coruscating run and Glen supplied a killer delivery to set up Rob Mahon, on a strong supporting run, to sweep home for the equaliser and his first goal of the season.
Spartak’s defence continued to have shaky moments and Dave Browne had to make a great saving tackle to avert danger. Peter O’Toole came for a ball and missed and Browne cleared again.
Efforts by Ger Byrne, Graham McEnroe and James Finn were all just off target but then a long ball was poorly defended and the visitors scored again on 68 minutes.2-3.
At this point top scorer Graham Breen, recovering from injury, was inroduced along with Martin Costello and the fresh legs gave Spartak renewed impetus. Burke and Byrne combined to put Breen through for the equaliser. On 76 minutes a Burke free was headed down by Costello and McEnroe applied the finishing touch, and with 10 minutes left Love and Breen combined for Byrne to convert the cross. 5-3 and the game was effectively over.
A squad hit by absentees through injury showed resilience, patience and some fine football in the second half to reclaim a game that could have slipped away.
Form Report
Peter O’Toole 6 Fintan Grace 6 Rob Mahon 6 Dave Browne 6 James Finn 6 Kevin O’Toole 7 Graham McEnroe 8 Glen Burke 7 Ger Byrne 7 Shane McInerney 6 Stuart Love 6
Subs Graham Breen 7 Martin Costello 7 Dave O’Kelly 6
