F&W Division Two
Magheraveely…3
Orchard Farm…0
Magheraveely eventually broke down a stubborn Orchard Farm side at the Peace Link in Clones on Saturday to maintain their promotion and Division Two title ambitions.
Three second-half goals did the trick with substitute Cormac Boyle making a telling difference after the break to leave Magheraveely two points off the top.
They have two games in hand, however, and this sixth win in a row in all competitions has Lewis Bennett’s men relishing the challenges ahead.
They face a testing trip to Enniskillen Town in the Mulhern Cup quarter-final next before refocusing on the league run-in.
“It was a comfortable win in the end and it could have been five or six really in the second half,” said Bennett.
“But the first half was a bit of a wake up call for us. It was probably about the worst half of football I have watched in maybe 10 years, it was that bad.
“But Cormac (Boyle) added real quality when he came on and we had tired them out and eventually broke them down.”
After a very uneventful first half, the deadlock was broken 10 minutes after the interval. Ryan Smith played a clever ball into the box into the path of Dean Carroll and he pulled the trigger first time to beat Michael McGrath in the Orchard Farm goal.
Just like the buses, after the long wait, two arrived in no time. A Joe Williamson ball was floated into the back post and Ben Smith rose highest to nod the ball back towards the far post where Adam Dudgeon raced in to convert from close range.
The third goal was a thing of beauty, from a Magheraveely perspective at least.
The ball was worked out all the way from goalkeeper Connor Smith up to Eddie Wilson on the right wing.
They quickly shifted possession towards the area where Carroll laid it off to Boyle and he produced a superb finish with his left foot into the far corner first time to leave Farm ‘keeper McGrath with no chance.
McGrath was called into action repeatedly before the end as Magheraveely cruised to the end of the game but he stood strong to leave the margin at just three.
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