Premier Division Result - CARNDONAGH FC 1 - 1 QPS Scorer : Daniel Mclaughlin Carn played out a dull and uninspiring 1 all draw with QPS this afternoon at St. Patricks Park which has sadly ended their fantastic 15 game winning streak and given their title rivals a shot in the arm. But when the dust settles on this disappointing result, and even more disappointing performance for Carn, the players have to realise that they still sit in pole position at the top of the table and 2 wins from their final 2 league games will seal the title no matter what happens elsewhere. This game was lost for Carn in the first half and they failed to make the fast start they had planned from previous games. The Carn play was lacking tempo and quality all over the field which made it very frustrating to watch for the sizeable crowd. Despite nowhere near reaching the standard required, Carn should still have went into the half time interval 4 nil up. A good cross from Christy Winkers after 5 minutes fell to Cathal Kinnego around the penalty spot area but his left foot shot was blocked by a defender. A Winkers free kick from 25 yards was well struck but went narrowly over shortly afterwards and the signs were looking good for Carn. The next time Winkers stepped up to hit a free kick it looked as if he had given Carn the lead and his low effort somehow drilled off the inside of the post and jumped clear to safety. Then a Houghton clearance sent Winkers clean through and his first time volley went a foot over the bar. A Daniel Dick corner after 30 minutes flew straight into the net to give the home side the lead they barely deserved. But unfortunately, it failed to spark any real passion or purpose into the Carn play. Carn needed a second goal and Cathal Kinnego will be disappointed that he didnt make a better connection with his left foot with the goal at his mercy shortly before HT. QPS were giving Carn a good game without creating any real opportunities. Gerard McEleney and Gerard Kinnego were doing what they have been doing so well all season - keeping the opponents at bay. The interval came with the score 1 nil. Life was made more difficult for Carn in the second half as the wind got up and they were playing into a very stiff breeze which made playing decent football almost impossible. Carns play did not improve and QPS were looking like a side that could nick an equaliser. It was turning into another nervy afternoon for Carn and was a another slog. Uncharacteristic mistakes were being made as we failed to get the ball under control and play the channels which had served us so well all season. Paddy McGuinness replaced Daniel Dick after 65 minutes on the left wing. At this stage Carn were being pegged back as the wind played havoc. QPS dealt the home side a bitter blow when a cross from the left fell to Oisin McCool whose mishit shot hit off the unfortunate Gerard McEleney and over the head of Seamus Houghton. Now the pressure was on. Carn eventually woke up and started to play. Declan McGonagle and Garvan McGrenra came on for Ronan Newman and Cathal Kinnego respectively. A McGonagle cross was well parried by the keeper. A low cross from McGuinness was flicked on by Brendan Devlin but the keeper saved. Winkers blazed an effort over the bar but still no goal. Cathal OKane tried some charging runs from midfield but was crowded out by the hardworking QPS players. At the back, Sam Todd was impressive and dealt well with a number of dangerous balls. It looked as if one team was going to get a winner but who. Close to the end, Dean Barron broke through one on one with Houghton, but the big keeper once again pulled off a fine save to keep Carn level. Ryan Kelly bombed forward from right back trying to make things happen but it just wasnt to be Carns day. They paid the price for what was quite simply a poor performance. It is definitely a week for reflection for the players. They know they can and must do better. 15 wins and 1 draw from their last 16 matches is title winning form but they have to step up to the plate on Easter Sunday when Aileach come to town. All season we have made life difficult for ourselves and today we have done it again. We need one last big push and its time to get back to the training pitch and focus again on what we have to do make things right. Lets forget about today and look ahead.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Apr 2014 16:49:39 +0000
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