Victory and defeat for Park 'A'
Kanturk's Timmy Murphy gets a touch on the ball closly watched by Newmarket's Trevor Murphy and Seanie O'Connor during the local derby in Gurteenard on Sunday morning. Credit: PICTURE: BILLY MERNAGH
Thursday September 02 2010
Park Utd A 3 Blackstone Rovers 0: HAVING reached the final of this competition last year, and having already won their first game in the group stage, Park knew that a win here wold set them up nicely for a quarter-final spot. Ger O'Neill, who was instrumental at midfield, got Park's opener on 25 minutes and soon after a greta cross by Gary Lynch found the head of Eamonn O'Sullivan but, sonehow, from only six yards, he glanced his heder over the bar.
He did, however, make amends 10 minutes later when he lathced onto a through ball and made no mistake to give Park a 2-0 cushion.
The second half was more even and on two occasions the visitors were guilty of squandering clear-cut chances. And they were punished with 25 minutes gone when O'Neill was instrumental again in setting up Darren Lynch for Park's third.
Park Utd A 2 Leeside A 3
AT Brigown on Saturday evening Park played Leeside in their second last game of the Linnane Cup group stage and came off second best to much stiffer opposition.
After a tense opening a dogged Park took the led on 20 minutes when their majority possession paid off and a sweeping move forward saw Darren Lynch apply the finish.
Then came a period when Park were poised to finish off the opposition but, fatally, didn't. A Park corner on 25 minutes saw Ger O'Neill's header float inches over and Eamonn O'Sullivan saw a similar effort also go a-begging minutes later.
Next came the most controversial incident of the game. Park keeper launched a massive kick-out downfield that beat the Leeside backline, forcing their keeper to come and collect. However, the bouncing ball slipped through his fingers, and appeared to all of Mitchelstown to travel over the line by at least two feet. However,, the keeper turned and scooped the ball into his arms in the blink of an eye. And to Park's horror the referee waved play on.
However, worse was to follow for Park. Almost inevitably, Leeside equalised before the break and the secodn half was only minute old when they went ahead when an exquisite chip beat Ian Fitzgibbon.
From here Park fought back and ten minutes when later Shane Piggott was fouled down the right hand side Eamon O'Sullivan whipped in the free for Darren Lynch to apply the finish.
Park now pushed on for the win but came undone with just five minutes to go when their offside trap failed on the double and the Leeside strike-force were there in numbers to finish to the net.
However, despite the loss one more win will still guarantee qualification from the group. Park now play Castleview in a crunch game this Saturday.
