Coleraine snatch second spot
Thursday, 11 September 2008
Newry City....................................0
Coleraine.......................................3
Coleraine brushed off the weekend defeat to Crusaders and moved up to second place in the JJB Premiership thanks to an emphatic win away to Newry City.
The Bannsiders produced a superb second half performance, with youngster Stephen Dooley right in the thick of things, scoring one goal and laying on two more for Darren Cassidy and Richard Gibson.
But the Bannsiders had 'Keeper Davey O'Hare to thank for keeping the scores level in the first half when he denied Newry Skipper Richard Clarke from close range. Clarke played a one-two with Kevin Keegan and found himself free down the right hand side of the penalty area, but could not find a way past the ever reliable O'Hare, who saved smartly with his legs.
Coleraine rallied and could have taken the lead twice in the space of a minute when Richard Gibson was denied not once, but twice. First he saw a goalbound effort wonderfully cleared off the line by Ross Black, after some sterling work from Stephen Carson down the left wing. Then from the resulting Corner Gibson appeared to have given the visitors the lead, but the referee signalled for handball just as his header hit the back of the net.
Two goals in two second have minutes proved to be the difference in the match. Darren Cassidy netted the first on 52 minutes after Stephen Dooley had pulled the ball back from the right wing. Cassidy was given too much time by the home defence, as he was allowed to take a touch and pick his spot in the bottom left hand corner.
Two minutes later Coleraine extended their lead through a Richard Gibson penalty which had been awarded for Ross Black's challenge on Dooley. Gibson sent Murphy the wrong way from the spot, and it was as good as game over.
Sixteen-year-old Dooley crashed in number three in the 68th minute with a cracking finish just inside the box after Newry failed to clear their lines.
Newry City: Murphy, King, Black , Ferguson, E. Friars, Clarke, Garrett, Collins, Morgan, S. Friars, Keegan. Subs: Prigent, Curran, Moran, Feeney, Anderson.
Coleraine: O'Hare, Crossan, Hunter, McVey, McLaughlin, Cassidy (Harkin 81), McCallion, Carson, Neill, Gibson (Tolan 57), Dooley (Lamont 86). Subs not used: McCart, Hutchinson.
Referee: Colin Burns (Newtonabbey)
