22.8.16
Sallynoggin Pearse 2 , Spartak 3
Excellent goalkeeping by Greg Byrne, and when he was forced off though injury, Kevin Loftus took over and was coolness itself, although Kevin was much less troubled by direct efforts as the Spartak defence knitted together to restrict opportunities. Greg made quite a few great saves in the opening period as the home side strove to get back in the game after Spartak’s two goal burst in the opening 9 minutes.
Mick Leslie turned in Chris Hogan’s cross before Dave Hacyzynskyj added number two with the help of a slight deflection.
Sallynoggin gradually hauled themselves back into the game and eventually equalised, but were also profligate with their chances.
Mick Young poked in the winner via the post following a corner, and as darkness fell, Spartak manned the pumps to repel an increasingly frustrated home side.
The foundation for the victory lay in the tireless work of Rob Collins and Owen Marron in midfield, while the back four were a solid combination, with brave blocks by Liam Caffrey and Fintan Grace.
Impressive competitive debuts from Liam, Ben, Cian, Rob and Owen.
From Report
Greg Byrne 9 Chris Hogan 7 Cian Stenson 8 Fintan Grace 8 Liam Caffrey 8 Rob Collins 8 Owen Marron 8 Ben Johnson 7 Dave Haczynskyj 8 Darren Ritchie 7 Mick Leslie 8 Mick Young 7 Kevin Loftus 7 Geoff Gamble 7
