Relegation-threatened Derg men defeat leaders again

Loughgall 0
Dergview 1

FOR the second time this season Dergview have beaten league leaders and favourites to gain promotion to the Danske Bank Premiership, Loughgall.

A first half goal by Ben Gallagher proved enough to secure a ninth league win of the season for the relegation-threatened north Tyrone outfit.

Perhaps more important is the fact that this victory takes the Darragh Park outfit up to ninth in the table. With Knockbreda and Newington not in action and Institute losing to Warrenpoint Town the bottom of the table is looking a whole lot healthier for the Derg men.

Saturday’s win takes Tommy Canning’s team onto 33 points, nine clear of basement boys ‘Breda having played two games more and three better off than Newington, who do have a game in hand.

Stute have also played a game less than Dergview but the Derry side now trail their north west rivals by two points.

The Castlederg side are far from out of the woods yet, however, having taken seven points from their last three games they have put themselves in a decent position to beat the dreaded drop.

Canning admitted that Saturday’s win was a massive result as his team battles for survival.

“Of course this result brings a certain amount of relief but I’m not surprised either, given that we have a half decent record against Loughgall over the last couple of seasons,” said the Strabane man.

“Games between the teams are usually tight affairs, so I knew we had an opportunity. But it’s a massive result considering they are the main contenders to gain promotion to the Premiership.

“Our performance was much improved on recent games and I think that was down to attitude and application to the game.

“Individually we called out a few players today, questioned their application and asked were they giving enough.

Those questions were also asked of the players collectively and to be fair to them they responded and left everything on the pitch today.

“They were immense right throughout the team and they played with a huge hunger and fire in their belly; it was a proper performance in terms of the basics of the game. We also showed moments of quality on a difficult pitch.”

In the first half Dergview matched the table-toppers stride for stride and early doors Gallagher skipped to the left byline to cross for Mikhail Kennedy who couldn’t force the ball home from inside the six yard box.

The hosts responded and could have taken the lead themselves but Derg stopper Patrick McGarvey produced a brilliant save to keep out an Aaron Duke header before Ben Murdock steered his follow-up attempt onto a post.

Moments later the visitors seized the initative. Mattie Buchanan, who was back to his brilliant best, played the ball into skipper Blaine Burns, who, in turn, released Gallagher with a searching diagonal pass and the striker ran through to fire past Berraat Turker.

That goal arrived two minutes before the interval and needless to say Dean Smith’s table-toppers upped the ante on the resumption of the season half.

Dergview had to dig deep, but, having survived a rigorous examination of their defensive credentials, the visitors slowly but surely gained a foothold again.

Jamie Browne and Kennedy both threatened and on another occasion Gallagher chipped the ball over Turker but a back-tracking defender hooked his attewpt off the line.

Late on Loughgall threw the kitchen sink at the Derg men but McGarvey tipped over a thunderous free kick by Mark Patton before Benje Magee somehow poked wide fromn just four yards out.