Glenavon FC News

Glenavon Manager Marty Quinn with the Mid-Ulster Cup following the Final at Mourneview Park. Photo by Presseye.com.

MUC Final – Marty’s View (Audio)

Trevor Molloy opened the scoring in the 13th minute when Stuart King broke a tackle just outside the Loughgall box and slipped a pass through to Molloy near the penalty spot. Molloy steadied himself and slid a right foot shot under Robinson for his 18th goal of the season.

Glenavon's Trevor Molloy, left, celebrates with Tony Grant after scoring the opening goal. Photo by Presseye.com

Ten minutes later Aaron Baker’s corner fell to Daragh Peden beyond the far post and it was Andy Plummer who was quickest to react, rushing out to block the Loughgall defender’s shot. Plummer then got a finger-tip to Marty Lavery’s shot from wide on the left. From the corner Plummer saved Adair’s header with Tony Grant heading away from under the bar with Aiden McVeigh’s follow up shot being blocked.

The Villagers equalised four minutes into the second half when Peden stooped to head in at the far post after King had inadvertently flicked on Moffett’s corner at the front post.

Loughgall's Darragh Peden celebrates after scoring to make it 1-1. hoto by Presseye.com.

Niall Currie’s side went ahead just two minutes later when Moffett’s cross from the left was flicked on by Adair and former Glenavon striker Aiden McVeigh smashed a shot in off the bottom of the bar.

Loughgall's Aiden McVeigh, centre, celebrates with Brian Adair, left, and Marty Lavery after scoring to put Loughgall 2-1 up. Photo by Presseye.com.

Andrew Plummer pulled off a stunning save to deny Ryan Evans when he raced out and flung himself in front of the substitute’s shot.

Eamon Murray scored a sublime equaliser in the 68th minute when he controlled a ball 25 yards out and turned onto his right before striking a low shot from the edge of the area in off Robinson’s right hand post.

Glenavon's Eamon Murray, right, celebrates with Brendan Shannon after scoring to make it 2-2. Photo by Presseye.com.

Two minutes later Molloy was only inches wide when he fired a left foot shot from the 18 yard line but it took another great save by Plummer, diving full length to turn Adair’s low drive from 12 yards around  the post in the 73rd minute.

If  Murray’s goal was sublime the goal that put Glenavon back in front was pure class and it also proved to be the winner. Adrian Harper dispossessed Neil Alderdice in the Glenavon half and played a ball into Molloy’s feet. He turned his marker, as he had done on many occasions on the night in a well-deserved ‘Man of the Match’ performance, and took a couple of strides forward before unleashing a shot from all of 30 yards that had Robinson rooted to the spot as the ball hit the back of his net.

Photo by Presseye.com

Molloy’s 19th goal of the season proved to be the winner as Mark Courtney eventually blew the final whistle after six minutes of stoppage time due to an injury near the end to Loughgall’s goal keeper Marc Robinson.

Glenavon players celebrate following their win over Loughgall in the Mid Ulster Cup Final at Mourneview Park. Photo by Presseye.com.

Goals:

1-0 Molloy 13
1-1 Peden 49
1-2 McVeigh 51
2-2 Murray 68
3-2 Molloy 78

Teams

Glenavon: Plummer, Magee, Murray, Walsh (Harper 66), Grant, Molloy, King (Costello 72), Carvill (Davey 81), Haughey, Hamill, Shannon. Subs not used: Dickson, Liggett.

Loughgall: Robinson, Waddell, Pentland, Alderdice, Peden, Herron (Hawthorne 46), Lavery (Evans 58), Adair, McVeigh, McDowell (Moffett 35), Baker. Subs not used: Harrison.

Referee: Mark Courtney (Dungannon)

Tomorrow (Thursday) the Final of the Mid-Ulster Cup between Glenavon and Loughgall will be played to a finish at Mourneview Park.

This will be only the second occasion on which the two teams have met in the Final, the previous Final in April 2005 ending in a 1-0 victory to Glenavon. Since then Loughgall have made the Final twice more, beating Banbridge Town 2-0 in 2008 and losing 2-1 to Dungannon Swifts in last year’s decider.

On the way to this year’s Final Loughgall saw off Rathfriland Rangers 12-0, Banbridge Town 6-0 in the Quarter Final thanks to a double hat-trick from former Glenavon striker Aiden McVeigh, and a 2-1 victory over Annagh United in the Semi-final.

Glenavon also scored twelve in the first round, overcoming Seapatrick 12-1 with hat-tricks from Conor Walsh and James Costello before earning a Semi-final place with a 6-0 win over Lurgan Celtic, Gary Liggett with a hat-trick in that game and the big striker also grabbed the only goal of the game as Glenavon defeated Dungannon Swifts 1-0 at Stangmore Park.

Glenavon will be without Willo McDonagh and Ryan Harpur who are both suspended having reached 10 cautions.

The game kicks off at 7:30 pm.

The Mid-Ulster Cup Final between Glenavon and Loughgall, which had been postponed due to fixture congestion, will now be played on Thursday 29th April at Mourneview Park. Kick-off time 7:30pm.

Admission: £8 and £5 ( as directed by the by Mid Ulster FA). Colours to be agreed.

Glenavon will play Loughgall in the Final of the Mid-Ulster Cup. A date has yet to be agreed for the Final which was to have taken place on Thursday 8th April but Loughgall have  a heavy programme of League fixtures to fulfil around this date.

It is understood that the two Clubs have agreed to toss for the choice of venue, subject to agreement of the Mid-Ulster FA.

Gary Liggett left it late to send Glenavon into their first cup final since 2005.

Gary Liggett scored the winner deep into added time. Photo by Alan Weir.

Glenavon looked good value for their 1-0 victory at Stangmore Park as Marty Quinn used the Mid Ulster Cup to mix experience with youth once again.

In total Quinn made five changes from the line up that lost to the Swifts on Saturday in the Carling Premiership fixture. Out went King, Carvill, Liggett, Hamill and Johnston; in were Ryan Harpur, who was back from suspension, Willo McDonagh and Shea Campbell while Brendan Shannon and Joe Finlay were handed their first starts. Ryan Murphy, who impressed on Saturday, was named on the bench alongside Reserve team boss Gerard McMahon.

It was a similar story for the Swifts who named 15 year old goalkeeper Conor Brennan, who gave an admirable performance throughout the match, in the same side as a much older Darren Murphy.

Shea Campbell holds off a challenge. Photo by Alan Weir.

Brennan was first called into action on 13 minutes to save Harpur’s looping header and then Campbell, playing wide on the right of midfield, had an effort but failed to break the deadlock.

The Swifts never really tested Andrew Plummer in the first half and when Jimmy Callagher was put through on goal he should have done better when he sliced his shot into the keeper’s arms.

On 24 minutes Harpur’s free kick went high and wide of the Swifts goal while McDonagh’s low drive from the right hand side of the box was straight at Brennan.

James Costello is challenged by Swifts defender Adam McMinn. Photo by Alan Weir.

James Costello missed a glorious chance to make it 1-0 on 32 minutes. Campbell dispossessed Ferghal McAliskey and set the striker through with only the keeper to beat, however Costello fluffed his lines.

Two minutes from the break Trevor Molloy did well to burst through the Swifts defence and his powerful shot was unfortunate not to beat the goalkeeper. Dungannon’s best chance of the half came a minute later when McAliskey shot from 25 yards out and could only watch as it went narrowly over the crossbar.

It took 15 second half minutes for the first chance of the period to come; Finlay winning the ball back after almost losing possession and then squeezing through the defence to shoot at Brennan from 14 yards.

Finlay was unlucky not to stretch far enough to reach two crosses which would have only have needed the slenderest of touches to break the deadlock, first Molloy put substitute Gary Liggett through to pull an effort across goal with Finlay waiting at the back post. He was there again for Molloy’s ball from the left a minute later; the pass eventually finding Campbell only for the former Swifts striker to blast high and wide.

Molloy supplied Finlay with another cross on 75 minutes, this time the diminutive striker rising highest to head at goal but Brennan was able to pluck it out of the air on his goal-line. By this stage Finlay had moved out to the right with Campbell taking his place up front.

The Swifts missed a great chance to go ahead two minutes later when Liam Murphy turned a low ball into the path of Plummer and then Molloy hit the side netting with a free kick from the edge of the box after Harpur had been hauled down.

Trevor Molloy bursts through. Photo by Alan Weir.

The honour of ‘miss of the game’, however, will have to go to Shea Campbell for an extraordinary attempt on goal on 83 minutes. Molloy burst through the middle of the Swifts backline and with only the goalkeeper to beat he pulled the ball to his right where Campbell was waiting. With the chance on a plate for him he somehow managed to blast his shot wide.

Despite what had been a polished performance by the Glenavon side, in particular with the youngsters giving a good account of themselves once again, the amount of chances that had gone begging would have given the few Glenavon fans who travelled up reason to believe that this wasn’t to be their night.

But in the third minute of added on time Finlay moved the ball from defence into midfield, lifted the ball over the top of the Swifts defence to Liggett who closed in on goal and with a neat finish sent Glenavon through to the final.

Gary Liggett receives the congratulations of his team-mates after scoring the winning goal. Photo by Alan Weir.

Glenavon now await the result from Wednesday night’s semi final between Loughgall and Annagh United to find out who they will play in the final.

DUNGANNON SWIFTS: Brennan, Hamilton, Ferguson, McMinn, McAliskey, Arkinson, Callagher, L. Murphy, Stretton, D. Murphy, Forker. Subs used: Noble (Stretton 59), McElroy (Arkinson), McCammon (D Murphy 72).

GLENAVON: Plummer, Shannon, Gracey, Magee, Haughey, Campbell, McDonagh, Harpur, Costello, Finlay, Molloy. Subs: Turkington (Gracey 46), Liggett (Costello 65), Carvill, McMahon, R. Murphy (McDonagh 52).

REFEREE: Mark Courtney (Dungannon).