Distillery swept aside as Glenavon take win

The hosts ran out 4-1 winners and, in truth, it could have been more – that said, if Distillery had taken at least one of their second half chances this could have been a totally different game.

“It’s been the story of our season continued when we missed a one-on-one with the goalkeeper and 30 seconds later the ball is in the back of our net. I’ve told the players that in our position you have to take those chances,” said Whites boss Tim McCann.

“We pulled a great goal back, and then Liggett had a great chance in the 18 yard box which he put over the top. We can’t afford to miss those opportunities.

“We’re asking players for consistency – last week against Linfield they gave everything they had, today I thought we looked too relaxed. Glenavon had two crosses in the first half and scored two goals.”

Distillery’s chances were hampered when Dom Melly was sent off for a hard tackle on former Whites player Andy Kilmartin. “From where I was stood it looked like the two boys led with their feet but the referee said it was a lunge, which made his mind up,” said McCann of the sending off.

“Make no mistakes about it – we are in a dogfight. We’ve just got to pick ourselves up now.

“Donegal Celtic were beat as well so there is a two-point gap there and we need to start to pick up points now.”

Distillery could have taken a fifth minute lead, Gary Liggett playing Jordan Hughes through on goal and forcing a one-handed save from Andy Coleman with Kris Lindsay clearing the ball away.

But Glenavon raced up the pitch and player/boss Gary Hamilton opened the scoring just sixty seconds later, volleying a Guy Bates cross.

Jordan Forsythe was at full stretch to try and connect with an Andy Hall cross on 15 minutes but just missed out and Ryan McCann swung in a free kick from 20 yards out which Coleman turned around for a corner at the near post.

Andy McGrory doubled the scores on 27 minutes, turning in a ball into the box from Niall Henderson.

After David McCullough’s powerful drive pulled a goal back for the Whites just before half-time a nervy start to the second period was in store.

Even the Melly sending off for a two-footed lunge on Kilmartin failed to liven the match up as the tempo died down – along with Distillery’s prospects of getting something from the game.

Substitute Andrew Mitchell scored with his second touch of the game from a Kyle Neill corner, and he added a second two minutes into stoppage time with a well-taken left footed finish.

“It was fairly comfortable in the end, I think 4-1 was a fair reflection on the game,” said Glenavon First Team Coach Nigel Law.

“Distillery started well with a system we knew would be hard to play against so we just had to be patient. We spoke before the game and said that even if we had to wait and score late goals our conditioning was superior so we had confidence in ourselves to get the job done.”

GLENAVON: Coleman, McCallion, Neill, Haughey, Lindsay, Kilmartin, Martyn, McGrory, Hamilton, Bates, Henderson. Subs: Doherty (Martyn 46), Hagan (Hamilton 88), Turkington, Mitchell (Bates 85), Greenaway.

GOALS: Hamilton 6, McGrory 27; Mitchell 86, 90+2

BOOKINGS: Henderson 76

LISBURN DISTILLERY: Windrum, Smyth, McCullough, McCann, Liggett, Hall, Melly, Ferguson, Hughes, Forsythe, McVeigh. Subs: Brennan, Simpson, Halliday (Hughes 72), Koypt (Forsythe 72), Beggs.

BOOKINGS: Smyth 53, McVeigh 83

SENT OFF: Melly 68

GOALS: McCullough 43

REFEREE: Raymond Crangle.