SDFC 5, Knockmitten 4
Spartak over 35’s overcame the disappointment of last week to produce a good cup win over Knockmitten.
The omens did not look good however early on when the away side were well on top and deservedly took the lead through the now familiar sight of a ball looping over the head of Jimmy Browne. Spartak gradually came more into the game and Mark Byrne scored the equaliser with an excellent finish in the left corner following a good header on from Shay McCafferty. As the half wore on Knockmitten reasserted their superiority and it required two excellent saves from one-on-one situations from Jimmy Browne to keep Spartak in the game. The away side did however go 2-1 up just before the break with their striker taking advantage of some penalty box pinball to shoot home from close range.
Literally facing an uphill battle in the second half Spartak produced the best performance of the season so far to completely dominate the remainder of the game, apart that is from a bizarre final two minutes. Firstly Ken Byrne equalised having got on the end of a great move involving at least 5 Spartak players. Then Barry Crowe produced the goal of the season so far with a volley to the top right-hand corner from close to the left touchline. Dave Mohan and Greg Callan were dominant in the centre of the defence with Gerry Doran and Tony Kavanagh proving equally adept at defensive and offensive play. Paul Burke, Shay McCafferty and Paul bossed midfield and provided plenty of probing passes for Ken Byrne, Frank McNamee and Rory Campbell to threaten the opposing defense. Further goals from Ken Byrne and Rory Campbell deservedly pushed Spartak into what appeared to be an unassailable lead of 5-2.
With the game reaching its conclusion and the home side both tiring and taking the foot off the pedal, Knockmitten won two corners one after the other and somehow managed to score from both of them to make the score 5-4. Thankfully there was no further drama and the game finished with that score.
A somewhat inconsistent performance over the 90 minutes but a very satisfying cup win and one that certainly showed signs of what the team is capable of when the work rate and competitiveness levels are high.
The spartak panel was Jimmy Browne, Tony Kavanagh, Dave Mohan, Paul Burke, Shay McCafferty, Ken Byrne, Mark Byrne, Rory Campbell, Paul, Frank McNamee, Barry Crowe, Gerry Doran, Leon David, Greg Callan.
