Road Trip

Institute 1 Newry City 1
McKeever - Havern

Newry made the long trip north to Drumahoe and secured a point from a game where they will doubtless feel that they should have taken all three. Newry suffered a blow before kick off when midfield dynamo Darren Freeman was ruled out of the game, having failed to recover from the injury sustained against Dollingstown.

Newry took the game to the hosts from the outset and spurned a number of chances to gain an early lead. A slick passing move created a chance for Darragh Hanaphy that was well saved, before Stephen Hughes saw his effort deflected wide by a defender. Newry finally found the target on 21 minutes when Don Tierney released Marty Havern with a fine through ball and the Newry man lobbed keeper Gallagher to put the visitors into the lead. 

Newry would have expected a response from the home side and, on 24 minutes, Paddy McLaughlin headed wide from a corner. Within a minute, however, the sides were level. McKeever advanced from midfield and his long range shot found it's way into the back of the net, despite Gareth Buchanan's best efforts to keep it out. McKeever tried his luck again a few minutes later, but saw his effort deflected wide by a Newry defender.

Newry replied with a Stephen Hughes shot that he dragged just wide, before Hanaphy's pull back to Havern in front of goal was blocked as Newry pushed to regain the lead.

The second half began with Newry desperately close to a second goal. On 48 minutes, good Newry pressure saw the ball land at the feet of Mark Hughes, inside the box, but his shot was cleared off the line when he seemed to have found the breakthrough. Newry enjoyed a good spell of pressure around the hour mark and both David Masterson and Stephen Hughes were denied by Gallagher. McKeever responded for Institute with a shot over the bar, but as the game progressed the chances began to dry up and a draw increasingly looked like the most likely outcome.

Newry: Buchanan, King, Donegan, Copeland, Devlin, M Hughes (McCabe), Tierney, Masterson (Grant), Havern, S Hughes, Hanaphy. Subs not used: Hutchinson, Curran.
Newrycityfc.com Man of the Match: Paul Donegan