Westport remain on course

Westport remain on course

Westport United 3
B O’Connor 25, D Hoban 76, J Lawless 86
Manulla 2
E Vahey 66, D Tonra 70

Neill O’Neill
The Sports Park

IF Westport United manage to wrestle the Super League crown from the grasp of Castlebar Celtic they will look back on this match as one of the key moments in the campaign.
After dominating the first half they went in at the break with a slender 1-0 lead through Brendan O’Connor but then found themselves trailing midway through the second half after Eoghan Vahey and Declan Tonra turned the game on its head with two goals for Manulla.
Westport refused to concede defeat however and Dave Hoban and Joe Lawless scored a goal each for the home side in the last fifteen minutes to complete a memorable come back in what many will have felt was United’s most spirited performance so far this season.
Manulla had the first chance of the game in just the first minute when Eoghan Vahey rose unchallenged to meet Johnny Griffin’s corner. His header went over the bar and was the visitor’s only real chance in the first half.
Westport’s first opportunity then came after fifteen minutes when Dave Hoban broke free of his man and collected a through ball by Johnny O’Brien. With just the ‘keeper to beat the striker somehow blasted the ball over the bar.
Manulla goalkeeper James Jennings was extremely busy in the first half making saves from Colm Keane, Joe Lawless, Johnny O’Brien and Brendan O’Connor. The Westport player manager could probably have had a hat-trick by the time he opened the scoring on 25 minutes when he scuffed the ball past Jennings after Colm Keane had dropped a free-kick into the heart of the six-yard-box which deceived the Manulla defence.
As the first half wore on the Westport attack were camped out in the Manulla area and Jennings was required to be at his best to deny Dessie O’Malley and Brendan O’Connor, the latter save being an excellent last grasp goal-line clearance.
Manulla were a different proposition in the second half. Whereas in the first Westport were passing the ball around for fun and dominating proceedings they were being closed down by a much more energetic looking side and forced off the ball in the second.
Westport were required to defend a lot more and on 66 minutes they were finally broken down when, in a similar fashion to the goal they had scored, a free into their area dropped short of the advancing goalkeeper Mozmir Klocka to Eoghan Vahey, who slotted the ball to the back of the net.
Still reeling from this Westport found themselves losing just four minutes later when a Jennings goalkick was flicked on by Vahey into the path of Declan Tonra on the right side of the Westport area.
With Peter Burke racing after him and Klocka racing towards the ball it was Tonra who won the race and lifted it over the ‘keeper. He might not have seen the ball nestling in the corner as he collided with the goalkeeper but the cheers from the Manulla bench would have alerted him to the fact that he had put his team in front.
Shaken, but not beaten, Westport went on the counter attack and within six minutes were level again when Dave Hoban made amends for his earlier miss. Johnny O’Brien played a simple ball into him on the edge of the area and presumably frustrated by being closed down so quickly he turned and instinctively hammered the ball which slipped past Jennings and into the bottom corner.
Manulla seemed slightly shell shocked by this and the game became unnecessarily heated but it was Westport who kept their minds on the prize and Hoban could have won it with a glancing header on 80 minutes, but saw his effort sail wide.
Their pressure finally paid off four minutes from time when Klocka’s long kick out found Johnny O’Brien who played it to Brendan O’Connor deep in the Manulla box. He passed out to the left where Colm Keane sent in a high ball which Manulla easily headed out from their goal line. The ball fell to Joe Lawless lurking on the semi-circle 18 yards out and he thumped it on the half volley with the outside of his right boot and watched as it swept past everyone and into the corner of the net to wrap up three valuable points and a memorable comeback for Westport.

Westport United
M Klocka, C Navin, A O’Malley, P Burke, D Horkan, J Lawless, J O’Brien, B O’Connor, C Keane, D Hoban, D O’Malley. Subs used: B Fahy for Hoban.
Manulla
J Jennings, G Durkan, S Fadden, T Walsh, N Costello, C McDonnell, R Clarke, E Vahey, C Jennings, J Griffin, A Canavan. Subs used: D Campbell for McDonnell; D Tonra for A Canavan; J Mulrennan for G Durkan.

Referee: J Cawley (Ballina).