Run continues

THE Fourths travelled to Bangor to play on their new artificial surface and came away with a comfortable 3-0 victory.
By The Newsroom
Published 17th Feb 2013, 08:00 BST

The match earlier in the season ended in stalemate and it was a measure of the improvement in the Fourths that they were able to control this game from the outset.

In the early exchanges the new pitch saved Bangor on two occasions when Garvey forwards were clean through only for the ball to get stuck on the sandy covering and allow the chasing defenders to recover.

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Garvey deservedly took the lead midway through the first half when Mark Murray was allowed to run right across the top of the circle by a static Bangor defence before slipping the ball to an unmarked Ross Martin who finished with aplomb with a firm slap into the corner.

Bangor were struggling with the high work rate of the Garvey side and another midfield turnover caught the Bangor team shorthanded at the back.

A quick through ball to the unmarked Glenn Halliday forced their keeper to save and the ball fell kindly for Aaron Martin who quickly despatched it into the roof of the net for a 2-0 advantage. Both Martin brothers have had a knack for scoring this season.

There was no further scoring before the break and Garvey knew they would face a determined push from Bangor when play resumed in the second half.

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Bangor did press much higher up the pitch and threw an extra man into midfield. The Garvey defence was very solid all game and were not giving the Bangor forwards any space in which to manoeuvre.

Bangor then paid the price for pushing so many players forward when Benn Conn forced a turnover just inside his own half. He then skipped neatly around two more Bangor defenders before squaring the ball to Sean Murray just outside the Bangor circle. Murray drew the last man and slid the ball to Ryan Donaldson who calmly finished what was the goal of the day and a 3-0 lead.

The Fourths knew the league points were secure and although there were several more chances to add to their tally, the game ended with no further drama.

This result keeps the Fourths in Second place in Junior 2 and with a few crunch matches to come are still in with a chance of winning the league.