Fours bounce back with big win

GARVEY Fourths entertained local rivals Banbridge Thirds on Saturday and came away with resounding 5-0 win.

Banbridge were under pressure from the delayed start and were finding it difficult to get any meaningful possession due to the hardworking Garvey team.

Garvey scored from their first short corner with a direct strike from Mark Murray for a 1-0 lead after just eight minutes of play.

A few other chances to extend the lead came and went before a quick break down the middle by the excellent Ross Martin gave Sean Murray the chance to rifle a reverse stick effort into the roof of the net.

Only 12 minutes had been played and Banbridge were 2-0 down and reeling but they recovered well and managed to get to the half time interval just the two goals in arrears.

Just after the restart Garvey gave Banbridge a rare sight of goal but once the danger was cleared a quick break up the other end saw a Banbridge player stop the ball on the line with his foot after a goalmouth scramble. Rather than wait for the whistle and the obvious penalty stroke, Bruce Agnew kept his head and poked the ball home for a 3-0 advantage.

The fight had largely gone out of the Banbridge team by this point and they were completely deflated when Patrick Keery converted coolly from mid-circle to make it 4-0 with 20 minutes left to play.

Garvey were still not finished and the goal of the game was scored after a Banbridge turnover deep in the Garvey half.

The ball was quickly switched right and fired long to Ryan Donaldson who advanced toward the circle from the right touchline before crossing hard and flat for a top quality first time finish from Aaron Martin giving the keeper no chance.

Despite numerous chances, Garvey did not add to their score but were very satisfied to gain such a comprehensive victory.

This was an excellent performance by the Fourths and puts them back into second place in the league with three games to go. Thanks go once again to Brendan Kelly for generously umpiring two games during the afternoon.