Walsh and Stute pay the penalty again

The midfielder was in the thick of things throughout Institute’s 1-1 draw with Crusaders, this afternoon.

He fired home from the spot in the first half, unfortunately he headed home into his own net to level things, before in stoppage time blasting over the bar his second penalty in the game.

Paul Kee made four changes to his side which lost at the Oval with skipper Paddy McLaughlin returning from injury along with Stephen Curry and Walsh; Dean Curry also came into starting line-up, but it was Stephen O’Donnell who produced a man of the match display.

Institute went in front on 20 minutes from the penalty spot when Walsh side footed home from 12 yards after referee Mervyn Smyth awarded the spot-kick after Colin Coates had fouled Declan McKeever inside the box.

The woodwork came to the Waterside men’s rescue on 36 minutes when Billy Joe Burns’ free-kick, which had goalkeeper Marty Gallagher scrambling, hit the crossbar.

Gallagher was called in action right at the start of the second half when Paul Heatley’s close range shot was kept out by the Stute net-minder.

Diarmud O’Carroll and Heatley both had chances right at the start of the second half but a combination of good goalkeeping by Gallagher and poor finishing kept the home side in front.

Unfortunately for Stute, the visitors did level things on 57 minutes in fortunate circumstances when Walsh headed into his own net, after Craig McClean’s in-swinging right wing free-kick caused problems in the home side’s six yard box.

In stoppage time Timmy Adamson had a super chance to score when he got in behind Dean Curry, but his tame left footed strike was easily saved by Gallagher.

Then with the last kick of the game Walsh should have won the points for Stute, but his penalty from 12 yards flew well over Sean O’Neill’s crossbar, after Burns had initially handled Paul McVeigh’s close range strike on the line.

Institute: Gallagher, Young, McLaughlin, O’Donnell, D Curry; S Curry, Walsh, Crown, McKeever; Hume (O’Flynn 76), McVeigh.

Crusaders: O’Neill, Burns, Magowan, Coates, McClean; Heatley, Clarke, Adamson, Whyte (Snoddy 73); O’Carroll (Hanley 62), Owens.

Referee: Mervyn Smyth (Dundonald).