Late penalty save denies Mallards

Editorial Department • Published 11 Mar 2010 09:45 0 Comments

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Cathal Beacom, who missed a late penalty, mis-times his tackle during the 0-0 draw with Loughgall.

Ballinamallard United 0; Loughgall 0;

Ballinamallard United produced a good performance on Saturday as they shared the points with title chasing Loughgall at Ferney Park.

And Whitey Anderson's side could have snatched all three points at the finish when they were awarded a penalty three minutes from time after Seamus Quigley was taken down in the box. However, Cathal Beacom saw his spot kick saved by Loughgall goalkeeper Robinson with the sides having to settle for a point apiece.

"In fairness Loughgall probably shaded the first half and maybe they felt they should have been ahead at the break. Both teams then made it an open game in the second half and in the end it could have went either way. They hit the post and we missed a penalty but in the end we were delighted with the point. It was a very good performance and the commitment and team spirit was there and the players deserve tremendous credit," said Mallards boss Whitey Anderson.

This was the Mallards first home game in nearly three months, and their first ever in the Championship at Ferney Park, due to a series of postponements, away fixtures and the weather and they were looking to complete the double over Loughgall having already beaten them 4-1 earlier in the campaign.

It was the away side though who started the brighter and they had the better of the chances in the first half.

With 18 minutes played Mallards goalkeeper Paddy Morrison was called into action for the first time in the game when he rushed across goal to gather a header from the Loughgall centre back.

The closest Ballinamallard came to making the breakthrough in the first half was when Andy Crawford got on the end of a Mark Stafford free kick with a diving header while Loughgall should have taken the lead when a ball into the box was met by a header but it went over the bar as the Mallards survived.

The home side felt that they were denied a good chance when Crawford was harshly flagged for offside when through on goal but at the break the game remained goalless.

The second half was a lot more open with both sides willing to push forward in search of an opening. Morrison made a string of excellent saves to keep Loughgall at bay while Crawford threatened at times at the other end.

A strong run by Richard Flaherty between two defenders resulted in him being cynically pulled down on the edge of the box with Beacom's free hitting the wall while Crawford was put through by Davy Kee only to slip at the the crucial moment.

The visitors had a good shout for a penalty when the ball appeared to strike Stafford on the arm but the referee turned it down while Crawford's drive at goal was denied by a last ditch block.

With five minutes left to play Loughgall broke up field where they had a three on two situation but despite the final shot beating Morrison it came back off the inside of the post before being scrambled away by the home defence.

And there was still more drama to follow. Quigley was upended in the box in the 87th minute but Beacom was unable to convert from the spot as the game finished in a draw.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 11 Mar 10

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