Belfast Telegraph Northern Ireland Football League Championship Two

Lurgan Celtic 1 (Lavery) Moyola Park 0

This game was a battle between the sides placed in first and second place in the Championship Two table prior to this game and Chris Lavery’s goal in the sixth minute was sufficient to put the home side into pole position for the first time this season. Although it was a second defeat in as many weeks for Moyola Park and the first game this season that the club didn’t get onto the score sheet it was a definite improvement on the previous week’s performance and hopefully a stepping stone towards adding to the points tally in the Championship Two league table. Daniel Ryan provided the pass for Lavery who coolly slotted the ball into the Moyola Park net past Marty Rea. The game was a tense affair with a lot of the possession being in midfield. Steven McQuillan was back at the heart of the Moyola Park defence having missed a number of recent games through injury. His presence and Rea’s agility prevented Lurgan Celtic from increasing the lead. At the other end Chris Dowie had a couple of half chances which didn’t pose any real threat to Michael Goff’s goal.

Both sides had scoring opportunities in the second half with John Cochrane heading wide for Lurgan Celtic and Dowie being denied by an excellent save by Goff. Despite the tension of a top of the table clash the game was played in good spirits. Diarmuid Larkin played a key role in midfield for Moyola Park having settled into the side well since making his debut just a few weeks ago. With no game scheduled for Saturday
22nd November next up for Moyola Park will be a visit from Limavady United on Saturday 29th. Earlier this season the clubs locked horns in the semi-final of the North West Senior Cup at Limavady Showgrounds when Darren Walls’ goal sealed a victory for the visitors.

Everyone at Moyola Park AFC congratulates club captain Steven McQuillan who was chosen as the Mid-Ulster Mail/Tyrone Times Sports Personality for the month of October. Although it’s a personal award, Steven said that he was accepting it as a recognition of the team’s achievements.

Moyola Park: Marty Rea, Craig McAllister, Robert Lucas, Steven McQuillan, Sean McCabe, Michael Walsh, Jason Paul (David Paul 75), Eugene Gallagher, Chris Dowie, Diarmuid Larkin, Curtis Hassan (Conor Deane 60). Subs not used: Gareth Stewart, Mark Waddell, Maurice Curtis