DERGVIEW 0
BALLINAMALLARD UTD 0
Ballinamallard had to settle for a point away to relegation-battling Dergview on Tuesday evening at Darragh Park. The result leaves the Ferney Park outfit sitting ninth in the table and facing a real battle to finish in the top half before the league splits.
A scoreless draw was the outcome of this hard-fought and sometimes hard-to-watch derby fixture with Ballinamallard creating more chances than their opponents but failure to convert left it honours even.
Dergview goalkeeper Shane O’Gara pulled off a couple of outstanding saves to deny the Mallards and his first notable stop came on 27 minutes when reacting brilliantly to keep out a Josh McIlwaine shot after the striker had connected first time with a Callum Moorehead cross from the right.
Tommy Canning’s men had shaded the verdict up to that point but before the interval the hosts created a couple of good opportunities with Padraig Lynch heading a Gareth Harkin cross straight at Ducks ‘keeper Jamie Ray.
Ray was then quickly off his line to beat Gabriel Aduaka to a throughball from Garth Falconer.
Shortly afterwards the hosts should have taken the lead. The Mallards defence were caught out by a long searching ball from Jack Parke which sent Lynch clear but the striker’s looping header bounced off the crossbar and over the top.
Having survived that scare, it was the Ducks who began the second half with a greater sense of purpose and Balinamallard carved out two excellent opportunities before the hour.
Following a quick counter attack, James McGrath released Moorehead on the right but his clipped effort over the advancing O’Gara came back off the crossbar and Darragh Byrne, who was fortunate still to be on the pitch after appearing to kick out at Parke early in the game, volleyed the rebound over a gaping net.
Moments later McIlwaine and McGrath exchanged passes to present Byrne with another clear sight of goal but again O’Gara came to the Derg’s rescue with a flying save.
Thereafter there was a sense of inevitability about the final outcome although Dergview could have snatched victory in the closing stages.
Midfielder Harkin drilled the wrong side of a post after latching on to a flick-on from Lynch.
And in stoppage-time the roles were reversed when Lynch steered a driven low cross from the former Finn Harps player inches wide of Ray’s near post.
TEAMS
Dergview
O’Gara; Parke; Cowan; McDermott; Fielding; Falconer (Duffy 66); Burns; Harkin; McKinley (McLaughlin 80); Aduaka (Gibson 46); Lynch.
Subs not used:Doherty; Diver; Maxwell; McDonagh.
Ballinamallard Utd
Ray; Morris; McCann; Johnston; Arkinson; Harkin (Barker 82); McIlwaine; Armstrong; Byrne (Warrington 72); Moorehead; McGrath.
Subs not used:Groogan; Edgar; Smyton; O’Grady; Corrigan.Set featured image
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