Glenavon FC News

Best wishes to Mark Turkington who goes into hospital for an operation on his troublesome knee tomorrow.

Let’s hope everything works out and Mark is back in action soon.

Seventeen-year old striker Joe Finlay, who has been banging in the goals for the Under 18 team, grabbed a superb 22 minute hat trick on his First team debut after coming on as a sub for the second half in this Mid-Ulster Cup First Round game against Hanover.

With a Glenavon 16-man squad boasting 8 or 9 teenagers it was Eamon Murray who opened the scoring with two first half efforts. Keith Clayton in the Hanover goal seemed to misjudge Murray’s cross-shot from wide on the left wing in the 23rd minute and the ball ended up in the back of his net.

Hanover’s Neil Brown volleyed over from a Dean Bunting flick on in the 26th minute but seconds later Murray made it 2-0 when his low shot from 25 yards hit the bottom left hand corner of Clayton’s net with the keeper at full stretch unable to reach it.

Finlay came on at the start of the second half and 20 minutes later he hit the first of his three goals and it was probably the best of the bunch. Murray played a great diagonal ball out to the right for David Larmour and his cross to the back post was met with a right foot volley back into the opposite corner by the young striker giving Clayton no chance. Fifteen minutes later he added his second when fellow substitute Conor Walsh, playing at centre half, chipped a neat ball over the top which Finlay ran onto and calmly slotted past the Hanover keeper. Buchanan stood up well and blocked the shot when Wayne Brown was adjudged to be on-side in the 83rd minute and got a clear run in on goal.

Finlay then had what looked like a good goal ruled out for offside and missed what was probably the easiest of his chances in the 84th minute when he fired over from close range after Murray’s shot was parried by Clayton. There was no stopping the exciting young striker in the 87th minute though when he finished with his left foot at the culmination of a flowing Glenavon move. Murray fed right back Kris McAdam who crossed to the far post where Larmour headed the ball back into the middle and Finlay smashed the ball in off the underside of the crossbar to complete his hat trick.

The final goal came in the 89th minute as the unfortunate Steven Woods deflected Ryan Blaney’s cross into his own net.

Glenavon:Buchanan, McAdam, Tim McCann (Blaney 73), Magee (C) (Walsh 46), Haughey, Scott, Scates, McDonagh, Larmour, Liggett (Finlay 46), Murray. Subs: Finlay, Tuda Murphy, Walsh, Blaney, Thomas McCann

Hanover:Clayton, Whitten, N Brown (Smyth 75), Woods, McCartney, W Brown, Bunting, Stewart (Caldwell 46), McConnell (C Brown 31), Walker, Harrison. Subs: Caldwell, C Brown, Wilkinson, Irwin, Smyth.

Referee: David Martin

There was no Jackpot winner in tonight’s draw but 10 players did win a ‘Match 3′ prize.

The Jackpot for next week’s draw, to be made on Monday 24th November, will be £1500.

Reserve Team manager Neil Adair reports on a narrow defeat for his side at The Oval last Wednesday night.

“I was delighted with the efforts of the boys, bar the Glens playing their first team, I don’t honestly think they could have fielded a stronger side. Waterworth, Berry, Carson, Simpson, Black, Taylor, Gardiner and Boyce, all players who have seen first team action this year all played but to be fair, the best players on the night were all in Glenavon shirts. We knew facing such a strong side away from home was always going to be a tall order so we had a specific game plan and in fairness to the lads for 99% of the game it worked.

“Mark Haughey and Kris McAdam were immense against Waterworth and Boyce; Haughey in particular gave a performance of real quality defending. Our two young lads in the middle of the park both were superb; Ciaran Doherty and Gareth Scott ran themselves into the floor and showed great maturity in their displays.

“Reserve football is unique in that it’s probably the one level of football were results are very much of secondary importance and this was especially true of this game. Although we were beaten, the quality of our play, our workrate from first to last and the willingness of the lads to take on what we were asking them, well outweighed the defeat.

“Overall both Ryan and I were more than pleased with the lads, the younger players showed up superbly and the experienced boys such as Tim (McCann) and Scatesy are just a pleasure to work with and their attitiudes are a benchmark for everyone in the squad.”

Glenavon Reserves: Buchanan, Tim McCann, Haughey, McAdam, Kirk, Leitch, Scott, Doherty, Scates, Larmour, Murray, Blaney, Curley, Clarke, Finlay, Thomas McCann

Mid-Ulster Youth League

Under 11: Banbridge Juniors 3-2 Glenavon
Under 13: Portadown Youth 1-0 Glenavon
Under 14: Cookstown Youth 0-2 Glenavon
Under 15: Coleraine 5-1 Glenavon
Under 16: Cookstown Youth 3-0 Glenavon

Lisburn Junior Invitational League

Sport & Leisure 1-3 Glenavon U17
Paul Grant, Michael McKee and Mark Forsythe were the goal scorers for Glenavon.

IFA Youth League Section A

Glenavon U18 2-2 Cliftonville Strollers
Glen Clark and Joe Finley grabbed the goals to earn a share of the points in this top of the table clash.