(FM'09) A Trip Down 'The Bann', The Return To Ulster - A Chance To Rewrite History, Part V

[neilhoskins77]

Friday 30th September 2016
We will entertain Glenavon at The Showgrounds tomorrow afternoon, our first game of October will see us immediately go into a two week break after it. We're the bookmakers favourites against the side who sit one point and two places below us going into the month of October. They have won just once in the Premier Division this season, a home win over Dundela over a month ago now. They have seen more success in the All-Ireland Cup which has also produced a more recent home win over Glentoran. The squad depth at their club has taken a huge hit over the summer, a dozen leaving and only three coming in as reinforcements. I'm hoping we can add to their problems before heading into this short break.

We have lost a little depth ourselves though on the eve of the game. 21 year old Scottish defensive midfielder John Robertson played for the Reserves team in their win over Ballymena United tonight and in an accidental collision has suffered a broken pelvis that will rule him out of up to six months, which would mean him being sidelined for all but the tail end of this campaign. It's a blow for a player who played twenty five times for us in the First Division in a season and a half since I arrived at the club.

Saturday 1st October

Northern Irish Premier Division
The Showgrounds, Coleraine
Coleraine v Glenavon
Attendance :- 450. Weather :- Dry, 20c.

This will be the clubs 21st meeting with Glenavon since this save began, but the first in almost three years. I go with the same starting lineup that earned a point in Dungannon last time out, but there are changes amongst the substitutes. Ryan Young and Stuart Shaw both make their returns to the matchday squad from injury, replacing Declan O'Hara and Gerry Nixon.

It would be a disastrous start for us as our visitors opened the scoring inside five minutes with their first attack of the game. Following a short throw in on their right Shaun Hutchison released overlapping full back Kieran Duffie into acres of space, and his cross to the far post cut out everyone in the box with the exception of the arriving Ryan McIlmoyle who applied the finish. He would quickly almost add a second moments later when he was found unmarked from a set piece in the same spot but this time sent his header high and wide. Pat McIlroy would do the same at the other end when his link up play with Frank Nouble produced our first half chance, but we were being very careless with our possession of the football today. McIlroy would waste a better chance as the half hour mark approached, getting in front of his marker to get his head to a beautiful Dean Britton cross but he couldn't keep his header down. Ten minutes before the break a former player of mine, Jordan Baker, sent Joe Finlay into space and he beat Liam McLeary at his near post, but he hadn't beaten the offside trap and that one was chalked off to our relief.

A poor first half then, and that would produce the hair dryer treatment at the break as I told the players that I expected a far better performance in the second half. They took that advice and went on the attack, Stuart Murray's header from a corner just glanced a little too much and missing the target before a dipping shot from Nouble didn't quite dip enough. When Nouble got the ball again in the 51st minute, he would lay it off this time to Gavin Whelan who sent in a through pass down the side of McIlroy that gave him the jump on his marker, and he made no mistake this time as he guided the ball beyond Tuda Murphy's dive and into the far corner to level the game up. Now we would see if either side had it about them to go on and win the game, Chris Ramsey's attempt with a 25 yard drive shortly before he was substituted producing a superb tip over from McLeary. At the other end some nice passing got us upfield quickly, but Ryan Nelthorpe's attempt at heroics were sadly lacking in direction. A triple change brought on fresh legs with Ryan Young, Chris Johnston and Stuart Shaw all coming on. It was Shaw's first appearance since his injury against Wrexham in late July, and he made an immediate impact. With ten minutes to play the Scot picked up the ball played square by McIlroy, held off Duffie and then curled his shot from the edge of the box out of Murphy's reach and into the top corner! Now we just had to hold on for ten minutes. We would manage only three minutes though, McIlmoyle with a cross from deep on the left and substitute Michael Hall was at the far post to volley home an equaliser and earn Glenavon a share of the spoils.

Coleraine (0) 2 - Pat McIlroy (51), Stuart Shaw (80)
Glenavon (1) 2 - Ryan McIlmoyle (5), Michael Hall (83)
Liam McLeary; Tony Jones, Andy Dickinson, Stuart Murray (Ryan Young 77), Stewart Devine; Craig Dobson (Chris Johnston 77), Ryan Nelthorpe, Gavin Whelan, Dean Britton (Stuart Shaw 77); Frank Nouble, Pat McIlroy.
Unused Substitutes :- Michael Haswell, Alan Dallas.
Bookings :- None
Possession :- 47% - 53%. Man of the Match :- Ryan McIlmoyle (Glenavon).

My frustration at us dropping two points there was tempered with the knowledge that we deserved nothing based on our first half performance, so I guess that makes it a point earned as much as it is two left behind. But with other clubs around us picking up wins we are now pushed down into eighth spot, just a wins worth of points ahead of the Playoff spot, though the same distance away from second place. Plenty of football to be played yet of course, but we don't want to find ourselves having to dig our way out of the group at the bottom end of the table.

The Board remain satisfied with how things are going at the club. Unbelievably the one negative factor they have picked out is our 1-0 defeat against the all conquering Linfield side, a club who spend more on a couple of players wages than we do on our whole squad. We lose almost another £28,000 in September, and the clubs debt is now £450,000. Maybe they should be more worried about that than losing to a club with an estimated value almost ten times ours.

Sunday 2nd October
Two of our players are called up for International Duty for next weeks games. Ryan Young is once again called up by The Gambia to play for their Senior side as they make the trip to Addis Ababa to conclude their FIFA World Cup African Zone Second Qualifying Round Group One campaign against Ethiopia. They are still hoping to qualify for the next stage as one of the best Runner-Up nations. Left winger Dean Britton has one cap for Wales at Under-21 level to date. He will be hoping to add to that number as the 20 year old is called up for their double header of Friendlies, which will be played firstly in Gøta against the Faroe Islands, followed by a trip to play Israel in Herzliya.

Thursday 6th October
Northern Ireland Under-21's have waited until lunchtime today to name their Squad for next weeks Friendly game against their counterparts from Malta in Lisburn. The call up for Pat McIlroy is not unexpected, the striker is a regular at that level and has eleven caps to his name for the oldest age group level for Ulster. However the call up of Chris Johnston is a surprise. Previously capped at Under-19 level, he was a regular for us in the last two seasons in the First Division, but the arrival of Craig Dobson has saw him make only one substitute appearance so far this season in competitive games. A quick look at the Squad suggests that he is the beneficiary of a weak area for the team managed by Steve Beaglehole.

Friday 7th October
Dean Britton comes off the bench for Wales Under-21's tonight in Gøta to earn his second cap at this level against the Faroe Islands. He came on an hour into the game that Wales won with a goal four minutes into injury time thanks to another substitute, Jim Wilson of Swansea City.

Michael McCartney has returned to training today after missing several weeks with a thigh injury. 

Saturday 8th October
Ryan Young has made his sixth Senior International Appearance today for The Gambia as they win 2-1 against Ethiopia in Addis Ababa. The nineteen year old centre back played the entire game as Switzerland based striker Ibou found the net twice to earn the West African nation the win and a place in the next phase of Qualifying for the FIFA World Cup as one of the best Runner's-Up. They are placed in Group Four of that last phase, where five group winners will advance to represent Africa in the Finals. It will be a mighty task for The Gambia, as they are drawn with South Africa once again, as well as Guinea and Morocco. They have already overachieved by making the Third Round, a feat that more established nations such as Egypt and Zambia have failed to manage this time around.

Tuesday 11th October
Chris Johnston played sixty one minutes this evening on his debut at this age group level as Northern Ireland Under-21's were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Malta in Lisburn. There was also some game time for Pat McIlroy as he came off the bench in the 73rd minute to earn his 12th cap with this age group, but he was unable to find a way to break the deadlock.

Thursday 13th October
21 year old defensive midfielder Dean Jones is back in training today. A new arrival at the club this season, former Charlton Athletic youngster Jones has made two appearances from the bench in competitive games so far this season after being a regular starter for Lurgan Celtic over the last two seasons in the Premier Division.

Friday 14th October
After a two week break we are back in action tomorrow afternoon with a home fixture against Institute. The Drumahoe based side have been a regular fixture in the Premier Division in recent years, now participating in the top tier for the fifth consecutive season. We go into the game as favourites, and a place lower than we were in as Glentoran win 3-0 away to Dundela tonight to kick off this round of the Premier Division.

Saturday 15th October

Northern Irish Premier Division
The Showgrounds, Coleraine
Coleraine v Institute
Attendance :- 526. Weather :- Dry, 7c.

Pat McIlroy plays the 50th League game of his young career this afternoon. Ryan Young returns to the starting lineup in the only change to the eleven, replacing Stuart Murray who is amongst the substitutes. That bench shows one further change, with Lee Ward brought back into the matchday squad following his own return from injury at the expense of Alan Dallas. Our best attendance of the season so far is present at The Showgrounds for this one today.

Craig Dobson curled a shot wide of the target from a free kick on the edge of the box as we attempted to make a fast start. Instead we would fall behind, Jack Smith and Jake Woodward doing the work to earn space and play Sam Winnall into the left channel, and his low cross to was turned in by Sam Kearns in the 12th minute. Institute would then do what teams in Ulster often do after taking the lead, they would sit right back. Pat McIlroy sent a shot just over the bar right after the goal, and then the Under-21 International striker received the ball on the corner of the box and played in Frank Nouble who would find the far bottom corner of the net, his celebration cut short by the offside flag unfortunately. McIlroy sent an effort just past the top corner of the goal frame and Nouble forced Martin Weir into a point blank save as we continued to push for an equaliser. Dean Britton's effort to lob Weir when he wandered off his goal line was audacious given it was from the touchline on the halfway line. Better to stick to what we know, and Stewart Devine's 37th minute corner was glanced home off the near post by Andy Dickinson to level things up. Five minutes later and we had turned the game on it's head, Dobson found Nouble on the edge of the box and he played a reverse ball into McIlroy who stayed onside and lifted his shot over the onrushing Weir to put us ahead!

That first half may not have started too brightly, but we certainly turned it around, and now Institute had to get back into the game against a side that were less keen to sit back. Devine sent a free kick just off target as we actually pushed to increase our advantage, Nouble just failing to get on the end of a Tony Jones cross and McIlroy putting too much on his finish as the hour mark approached. But Institute were making their way back into the game, Jones made a mistake that gave possession to Ryan Charles, but Liam McLeary bailed out his full back with a good stop to keep us in front. Charles would have another go from further out that would fail to work McLeary as I replaced a limping Dobson with Chris Johnston. Our guests were throwing players forward, and I made late changes to put more players at the back end, and while Institute continued to knock at the door, they were unable to find a way through.

Coleraine (2) 2 - Andy Dickinson (37), Pat McIlroy (42)
Institute (1) 1 - Sam Kearns (12)
Liam McLeary; Tony Jones, Andy Dickinson, Ryan Young, Stewart Devine; Craig Dobson (Chris Johnston 78), Ryan Nelthorpe, Gavin Whelan, Dean Britton (Lee Ward 90+1); Frank Nouble (Stuart Murray 90+1), Pat McIlroy.
Unused Substitutes :- Michael Haswell, Stuart Shaw
Bookings :- None
Possession :- 52% - 48%. Man of the Match :- Andy Dickinson (Coleraine).

Andy Dickinson nets his fifth goal for the club since arriving at The Showgrounds almost two years ago, while Pat McIlroy scored for the fifth time this season as we return to winning ways and climb right back up to third spot in the Premier Division. While it is our first win in four, it does also leave us unbeaten in three, showing us as difficult to beat on our return to the top tier of Ulster football. We have three games left in October, all away from home, and two of them in the League before we come up against Institute once again, this time in Cup football.