Enniskillen Rangers followed up their fine Junior Cup win the week before with a hard fought victory against Magheraveely in difficult conditions in Clones on Saturday.
A goal in each half secured the points for Michael Kerr’s men in a game that never reached any heights with relegation threatened Magheraveely battling hard throughout with manager Richie Farrell a little disappointed his side did not get anything out of the game.
“I thought we controlled the second half but we are not getting the breaks at the moment which seems to be the way of it when you are down at the bottom,” rued Farrell.
He added: “Their first goal the ball bobbled over our defender’s foot and I thought we should have got something out of the game. I thought it was a good performance from our boys. We have all the teams around us to play and it is still very much in our own hands but I suppose the other teams will be saying the same.”
For Michael Kerr, whose team will play either Tullymore Swifts or Lower Shankhill at home in the Junior Cup quarter final, it was all about looking at the positives to come from the game.
“We got the three points, kept a clean sheet, Darrin Simpson got his first goal of the season, I was able to use squad players that have really been working hard in training and Jordan Cadden made his debut,” enthused Kerr.
He revealed further: “We had Willie Burleigh, David Crozier and Joe Doogan on the bench, I thought it was a game where we could change it about a bit and that is how it turned out. It was not a great game but a good result in many ways for us.”
On a bobbly pitch in cold and windy conditions, good football was always going to be at a premium.
Rangers took the lead 10 minutes into the game when Adam Wallace delivered a dangerous ball into the box which bobbled over the foot of Magheraveely defender Johnny O’Malley to waiting Simpson who slotted home from close range. Rangers almost doubled their money when the in-form Mark Cutler turned home a Niall Wallace cross but he was adjudged to be offside.
Magheraveely’s first threat came when Warren Stewart beat two defenders and shot at goal which was saved and he could have squared the ball to unmarked Ashley McFarland.
In the opening period of the second half, Magheraveely took the game to Rangers and although restricted to shots from outside the box, Gregory Johnston, McFarland and Gary Kettyles all tested Jerome Carleton who was up to the task.
The game was delayed for a few minutes for running repairs to the net and when it restarted Magheraveely seemed to lose their momentum and Rangers put the game to bed with an excellent goal.
Adam Wallace broke down the right fired over a superb cross which Paddy Beresford headed home with pace in fine style.
That pretty much knocked the stuffing out of Magheraveely as Rangers took the three points back across the Border.