CONNAUGHT SENIOR LEAGUE PREMIERSHIP
Soccer News 12 March 1997
UNITED MAY NEED A MIRACLE NOW ...
Straide & Foxford slip five points behind
Straide & Foxford United ....... 1 Sligo Rovers ...... 1
Straide & Foxford United have lost ground in the race for their second Connaught Senior League championship title in three years.
A draw at home to Sligo Rovers on Sunday proved a disastrous result with leaders, Mervue United, scoring a 4-0 win over Castlebar Celtic. The sequence of results meant that Straide & Foxford had slipped five points behind Mervue with just four games remaining.
Sligo Rovers took an early lead when Mick Kenny crashed home Tony Fagan's dead-ball delivery.
United came back strongly, and Johnny Jordan had one or two half chances before half-time which were saved by Rovers goalkeeper, David Wynne.
Jordan's persistent paid off eight minutes into the second half when he equalised following good work by Frank Mulvihill, the side's player manager.
Straide & Foxford had amble possession to win the match after that. Michael Costello and Mulvihill both had shots cleared off the line as United became increasingly frustrated at their inability to transform their superiority into telling rewards.
Now United probably need a miracle to get back in contention.
Straide & Foxford: J. Larkin, D. Flannery, P. Neary, J. Kenny, A. Durkin, D. Smyth, M. Costello, F. Mulvihill, M. Neary, J. Jordan, B. Joyce. Res: P. Reid (for Joyce); L. McHale (for Smyth).
Sligo Rovers: D. Wynne, B. Burke, S. Potter, T. Fagan, M. Looney, K. Loughlin, G. O'Sullivan, C. Browne, D. Oates, M. Kenny, G. Hartogen.
Ref: J. O'Brien (Castlebar).
* Star Rating: Tony Fagan. . .still a genius at forty something.
Connaught Telegraph - News & Sport - March 1997
