Kirk Cup disaster for Garvey as they throw away lead in final minute

Lisnagarvey 2

(after extra time)

Lisnagarvey missed the chance to face Banbridge in the Boxing Day Kirk Cup final when they were beaten by Cookstown at Shaws Bridge on Sunday.

The score-line was 3 goals to 2 but that did not tell the tale of the afternoon which finished up a disaster for Garvey.

Leading by 2 goals to 1 with just over a minute left on the clock, Cookstown managed an equaliser and in two minutes of the silver goal extra time had clinched the game.

Garvey had most of the possession in the early stages but could raise the intensity of play which they had reached the previous day against Corinthians.

However, they did force their opening penalty corner in the 6th minute but without Timmy Cockram, their routine was not as potent and Ian Hughes saved comfortably from James Lorimer.

Cookstown replied with a corner of their own in the 10th minute but stand-in keeper James Milliken saved well while a minute later, Garvey’s second set piece was saved at point blank range by Hughes from Andy Forrest.

A second penalty corner for Cookstown was again brilliantly blocked by Milliken in the 23rd minute but the young keeper had no chance when after a good save, Ryan Miller found the net with the Garvey cover seemingly absent.

Garvey responded quickly with two more set pieces but after some panic in the Cookstown goalmouth the ball was cleared and it took another couple of corners and a series of raids before Garvey deservedly equalised in the 33rd minute.

The goal came from the right with Matthew Nelson popping up to see the ball over the line to leave the game well balanced at 1-1 at the half time interval.

The second half began strongly for Garvey and with just four minutes gone Daniel Nelson blasted the ball past Hughes with a rocket of a reverse stick shot from 10 metres.

The goal seemed to give Garvey more confidence and they controlled the next 15 minutes of the game but could not find the ‘killer punch’.

Johnny Quigley, Andy Williamson and James Dowling came close to scoring but Cookstown rode out the storm to force a penalty corner in the 59th minute but again Milliken brought off a fine diving save.

The last few minutes of normal time saw Garvey trying to hold on to their slender lead but with 90 seconds left, Cookstown found the equaliser with a cross from the right being converted by Mills at the left hand post.

Worse was to come as two minutes later, after the start of the silver goal extra time, they burst down the right and the cross was struck past Milliken by Greg Allen to leave Garvey totally deflated hardly believing their change of fortune in such a short space of time having been in control of the game for long periods.

Having missed out on the Boxing Day final, Garvey must turn to their Premier League against Newry at Comber Road on Saturday.

The match is at 2.45 p.m.and they must use it as a stepping stone to their crucial I.H.L. clash with Banbridge on the 29th at Havelock Park.