Sheldon scores four as Eagles soar

"What a start" quipped new manager David Rollo afterwards. "The whole place is buzzing, there is a great atmosphere about the club, and everyone is playing for each other.

No doubt either about the man of the match, Whitehead's Phil Sheldon, who helped himself to four of Eagles' six pack.

Phil set the tone with Whitehead's opened, but back came Rec, with Conor Mahoney touching in a Davy Costello corner.

The visitors then went one better when, in a well worked move, Paul Cushley finished off a Willie Johnston cross.

Back, though, came Whitehead to level the scoring just before the break, with that man Sheldon nodding in a Danny Hastings cross.

It was Eagles' third, however, just after the turnaround that proved a real hammer blow for Crumlin, who insisted the ball had strayed out of play, before Gary Kerby slipped it through for Hastings to cut in and beat keeper Neil Brown.

From there on in, the visitors seemed to lose interest, as Whitehead soon tightened their grip, with Sheldon gleefully completing his hat-trick.

The big striker still wasn't finished, as he soon nabbed his fourth and Eagles fifth, before Hastings produced the final submission, scoring from the spot, after Paul Tumilty had been chopped down inside the box.

The match was kindly sponsored by Kieran Rice Builders, Carrickfergus.

On Saturday, Whitehead entertain Fermanagh side Shelbourne in the Junior Cup.

Whitehead Eagles; McWilliam – K Brock, S Gilmore, M Brock, Quinlan – Hastings, Moran (Kennedy), Adrain (Williams), C Gilmore – Sheldon, G Kerby (Tumilty).