Maiden City Academy are unlucky in Dungannon

MAIDEN City Academy Under 12's travelled to the impressive set up at Dunngannon on Saturday in good form having picked up maximum points in their previous four games.

The visitors started the game very brightly, putting the home side on the back foot.

City were on top in the midfield with Sam McDermott and Michael O'Hara coontrolling the game and feeding the wide players and centre forwards with ease. Micheal Brown was again in good form and both strikers Cathan McLaughlin and man of the match Matthew Duffy seemed to have the measure of the Dungannon back four.

Despite City controlling possession and territory they failed to take any of the chances being created. That was until they forced a corner which Jordan Devenney and Brown took short and the overlapping Brown fired in a cross-come-shot which sailed over the keeper's head into the top corner of the net to put City deservedly in the lead.

Even though they constantly put the Dungannon defence under pressure and created some decent chances the score remained the same at half time.

In the second half it was the home side who had more of the ball and it took some good City defending to stop them getting any shots on goal.

City couldn't match the stylish controlled football they played in the first half but did look very dangerous on the break. It was through one break that City doubled their lead. A Duffy through ball sent Josh Donnell clear and from all of 30 yards plus he spotted the goalkeeper stuck to one of his posts before smashing the ball into the opposite corner.

Shortly after Donnell thought he had put City out of sight, he let fly from the edge of the box and somehow the keeper got fingertips to it. Within minutes of that great save Dungannon went up the other end and produced a fine stike of their own to pull a goal back.

With City now under the cosh from a fired up Dunngannon side it took some last ditch defending to hold them out.

And just when City thought the three points were theirs the referee awarded the home side a corner and when it was delivered there were appeals for a push in the back which stopped Jamie McKinney from clearing the ball.

However the foul was not given and the ball broke to a Dungannon player who lifted the ball over Jordan Devenney in the City goal to seal a point with the last kick of the game.

Maiden City Academy U12: Donnell, Green, Higgins, McKinney, Johnston, Devenney, McDermott, O'Hara, Brown, Duffy, C McLaughlin. Subs: O McLaughlin, Gardiner.