Omagh battle back to earn share of the spoils

Omagh Futsal…….5
World United………5

OMAGH Futsal Club battled back from a two goal deficit twice to earn a share of the spoils with the then table-topping World United on Sunday.

The teams played out a thrilling 5-5 draw at Omagh Leisure Complex where World United, who went into the game joint top of the NI Premiership table, found themselves fortunate to leave with a point.

The visitors led 2-0 and 4-2 before Omagh stormed back thanks to goals from David Fulton, Michael Brown, Benny Tereso, Martin Doherty and a Lloyd Kinloch screamer, to lead 5-4 with just five minutes remaining.

United did manage to snatch a late equaliser, denying Omagh what would have been a deserved win in the end.

“It was a great game,” observed Omagh club chairman, Martin Cassidy. “It was good for the neutral. The result was probably a fair enough result. Either team could have won it, both teams had chances to win it.

“I’d say we were probably the better team but they probably had the better chances.

“At that point [4-2 down] I thought the game was only going one way. But thankfully we brought it back to 4-4 and then we went 5-4 up, taking the lead for the first time in the game with only five minutes left.

“I was kind of hoping they could steal it, but it ended 5-5.”

Although satisfied with the result, rather than delighted by it, Cassidy, who was in sole charge of the team on Sunday as head coach David Alonso was continuing his UEFA B Futsal License studies in Finland, felt his team were much more balanced than in their previous game, a 9-3 reverse to Rosario.

“Thankfully we had a few older heads there, a few more experienced players in because the last two weeks we were down to the bare bones through football and Covid,” he explained.

“But we managed to get a good squad out on Sunday with eight players.

“I liked how we stayed in it. Earlier in the season we had a lot of younger guys who were inexperienced and the team probably wasn’t so balanced. Today [Sunday] we had four younger and four older and I think that helps.

“Against Rosario we were missing a few players who would have helped but if we had a full squad every week then we’d be winning that lead. But we just don’t and we’re doing the best with what we have.”

Omagh are back in action this coming Sunday when they travel to Shankill Leisure Centre to take on Belfast Iberians.
They will then have a break until the end of January when they will play Sparta.