Seven goal thriller

Lurgan Town U13 4

AFTER a very impressive pre season in which they scored over 30 goals in just six matches, Dromore started the Mid Ulster Youth League in disappointing fashion with a defeat to near neighbours Lurgan Town.

Lurgan started the match with far more energy and determination than the locals and it took a Louis Simpson goalline clearance to prevent the Lurgan lads from taking the lead inside the first five minutes.

It was no surprise therefore when Lurgan did open the scoring a few minutes later – a long ball forward bouncing over the heads of a static Dromore defence for the chasing Lurgan forward to place a neat shot over the keepers head and into the back of the net.

Somewhat against the run of play, Dromore then grabbed an equaliser on 15 minutes - the Lurgan keeper failing to hold a Matthew Clements cross and Daris Benallal bundling the ball into the net.

Lurgan however deservedly retook the lead five minutes later when slack marking allowed their player to run through unchallenged and slot past the home keeper.

The game then appeared to be over as a contest when the referee adjudged that a Lurgan player had been pulled back in the penalty area and awarded a penalty which was duly dispatched.

Dromore started the second half in much the same manner as the first and it was therefore no surprise when Lurgan further extended their lead 10 minutes into the second half.

Lurgan continued to dominate the game until, with only 15 minutes left, Dromore suddenly sparked into life. They forced a number of corners and having placed one of these corners into the Lurgan penalty area, the ball eventually found its way back to Scott Thompson.

He fired the ball back across the goal line where it was turned into his own net by an unlucky Lurgan defender.

This goal seemed to galvanise the home team and with less than five minutes to go Ben McConnell, whose heroic second half performance undoubtedly prevented Lurgan from scoring even more, fired a shot at the Lurgan keeper which he failed to hold. Jack Fullerton was quickest to react and put the ball over the line to reduce the deficit to only one.

Team: Jamie Hanna, Ben McConnell, Jordan Brush, Louis Simpson, Simon Percy, Jack Canning, Daris Bennallal, Matthew Bickerstaff, Jake Davison, Matthew Clements, Scott Thompson, Jack Fullerton.