Old guard help South 2s to win over Banbridge

South Antrim 2s travelled to Banbridge’s Havelock Park to take on their 4s and came away with a smashing 7-2 victory.

That helped them climb to seventh spot in Junior Two, going above close rivals Lisnagarvey 4s.

With a number of unavailabilites, South chose to call on some of their more experienced members for the game. William Redpath Snr joined his son on the pitch and linked up with Jonny Taylor at centre-back.

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South spent the first part of the game trying to get used to these changes and their play was somewhat disjointed in the opening quarter.

They did take the lead, however, when Wilson capitalised on a short corner switch to win a penalty flick, which was ably dispatched by Hutchinson, who has been regularly among the goals for the team in the second half of the season.

Banbridge did draw level with a smart finish shortly after but South soon regained their composure and the lead with a Paddy Cochrane drag-flick that flew past the Banbridge goalkeeper.

South went further ahead when Willie Redpath Jnr crossed for Wilson at the back post, where he had the simple task of finishing into the net from close range. However, not to be outdone, Banbridge scored a good goal of their own from a short corner before Paddy Cochrane scored the goal of the game, beating four players to score from close range. That brought a frantic first half to a close with the Lisburn side two goals to the good at 4-2.

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South started the second half at a blistering pace with Beattie and Jamie Cochrane dominating the midfield area.

Hutchinson gave the away side a three-goal lead when he confidently rounded the home goalkeeper to score into the empty net, putting South firmly in control again. Mark Conn then won a penalty flick, which was converted by Wilson for his second goal of the game. Keen to play his own part, Willie Redpath (Snr) converted what is quickly becoming a trademark South Antrim 2s short corner.

South followed up this flurry of goals with more chances in the closing period but couldn’t add to their lead.

South entertain the same opposition on Saturday at Friends’ School. Another win should be enough to guarantee their safety in Junior Two for another season..

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