Seconds smash five past Knock

LURGAN Seconds travelled to Belfast to play Knock 2nds on Saturday.

From the first whistle Lurgan dominated the game with their slick passing and within six minutes Hannah Grieve brought the ball into the circle from an auto pass and made a clean reverse strike into goal, putting Lurgan one up.

An onslaught of strikes on goal from Ellen Mullen, Niki Quinn and Zoe Dennison ensured that Knock’s keeper was kept busy and she was forced to make a remarkable save when Gemma McBride flicked an aerial ball towards her.

Knock were worthy opponents but found it difficult to maintain possession with Vicky Donaldson and Grieve’s relentless tackling. Mullen continued to heap pressure on Knock’s defence and with her shot at goal saved, Grieve was able to monopolise on the clearance and chalk up her second goal of the match. Lurgan went into half time with a 2-0 lead.

The second half saw little rest for Knock. Within two minutes, Quinn had taken a shot at goal which had been saved by the keeper. McBride followed up with another shot, hitting the post and Quinn swooped on the rebound to claim Lurgan’s third goal. Heather Bell’s tireless efforts in midfield were rewarded one minute later when she fed a well timed ball to Quinn who hammered the ball into Knock’s goal for a second time giving Lurgan a 4-0 lead.

Knock remained determined and had several attempts at penetrating Lurgan’s defence resulting in a penalty corner which was expertly cleared by Bell. Lurgan continued to work well together with some evident teamwork from Lyndsey Andrews, Helen Morrison and Dennison. Eileen Mitchell in goals was called upon twice to clear her line and prevent Knock from scoring as they continued to make their own mark on the game.

Tireless work in the midfield from Kim Scott, Linzi Dodds, Jade Marshall and Rose Montgomery saw good possession from Lurgan and after a skirmish in front of the Knock goals, McBride finished the match with a convincing fifth goal for Lurgan.

Lurgan’s 5-0 victory gives them third position in the league with everything to fight for in next week’s anticipated challenging match against Pegasus at home.