Revenge and crucial win for the Seconds

A TOP of the table clash produced a satisfying revenge for Lurgan over bitter rivals Jordonstown Elks.

Lurgan Seconds came away with a vital three points and also gained revenge for Elks putting them out of the McConnell Shield on penalties before Christmas.

This was never going to be a pleasant affair as there is a bitter history between the two sides. But Lurgan made a perfect start as the Elks goalkeeper was forced to pull off a diving save from the first Lurgan foray.

The subsequent hit out was picked up and the home team earned a short corner within two minutes. The ball was injected by Captain, Niki Quinn; sister Emma stopped and switched it to her strong side; with split seconds to spare she unleashed a lethal strike that sent the ball careening into the left corner of the net.

For the next 68 minutes the tension never eased. Elks ventured into the Lurgan half and smashed the ball at the Lurgan circle where the receiver would be pressurised or the pass picked up.

Lurgan’s marking had to be perfect and they had to be prepared to neutralize and also be aggressive and inventive in the attack line. Lurgan met their opponents with strength and passion.

In contrast Lurgan utilised their hard working midfield and constructed a fast passing attack that the visitors found hard to contain.

Lurgan were in the ascendancy but couldn’t convert their chances. Elks had their chances too but Lurgan stood four square and fought tooth and nail to keep out the shots.

It was end to end stuff and several easy conversions went a begging for Lurgan. Nickie Thompson scrambled one off the line and Naomi Costley was cool in between the posts. As he clock ticked down every smash to the Lurgan circle became crucial.

A certain naivety was displayed as Lurgan tried to score rather than run down the clock but they held out for the win.

The three points are of course crucial and mean the race to win Junior 1 is still on.

This weekend Lurgan Ladies Seconds are at The Dub, Belfast for another stern test against Pegasus Seconds.