Mervue hit right notes for first win of season
Date Published: 30-Apr-2012
Mervue United finally got their first win of the season – and in the process moved off the foot of the table – with a convincing win over Finn Harps at Fahy’s Field on Friday night.
Alan Murphy started the ball rolling with his first goal for Johnny Glynn’s side on the stroke of half time and Jason Molloy and Barry McEntee added second-half goals to secure a crucial success that was well overdue.
Glynn made three changes from last week’s defeat to league leaders Longford as Marc Ludden, Shane Keogh and Molloy returned to the home team’s starting XI.
In a quite opening 25 minutes, Gary Kelly shot narrowly wide while at the other end, Harps’ Blain Curtis forced a save from Ronan Forde. Murphy should have had the home side in front as he held off defender Ciaran Coll in the box but hit his effort too close to Rory Kelly, who palmed the ball away to safety.
Murphy and Molloy linked up well down the left on 36 minutes with the winger advancing into the box and rather than cross he decided a shot at the near post but Kelly did well again pushing the effort away for a corner kick.
Curtis then had two efforts in as many minutes at the other end as first Forde did well blocking the striker’s shot and he then shot just wide from the edge of the box when left unmarked on 40 minutes.
A move from the training ground provided the opening score a minute before the break. Pat Hoban was fouled just outside the box by Shaun McGowan and Keogh rolled the ball into Murphy’s path in the box and the experienced striker turned quickly before sliding the ball past Kelly and into the corner.
Pat Hoban should have doubled that lead three minutes after the break when he got on the end of an Alex Lee ball into the box but the striker blazed his effort over Kelly’s crossbar. Another great chance was then squandered on 57 minutes when Molloy received a through ball from Ludden and rounded Kelly in the box but couldn’t direct his shot on target, hitting the side netting from a tight angle.
Ronan Forde then kept the home side’s lead intact as he made two excellent saves from Kevin McHugh as first he got down low to save a shot from the Harps striker and then did even better on 63 minutes pushing a close range header away for a corner.
For more, read this week's Connacht Sentinel.