Mervue B look likely to hit the Christmas break flying high atop the First Division table following a 4-2 dismantling of Corrib Rangers B yesterday morning.
Already a point clear going into the weekend, the result against Rangers, who now drop to third place following Galway Bohs narrow win away to St Bernards, reaffirmed their position and is well justified given their patient and controlled performance at Laurel Park.
Although dominant throughout, it was in the second half where the game really opened up for the visitors.
Rangers’ two goals both came at times when the result was largely out of reach and were purely consolidatory with a Mervue victory already a near-certainty.
The scoreline stood at 1-0 in Mervue’s favour at the break, with most of the action coming in the second term, the side extending its lead to 3-0 by the 26th minute of the half to have Rangers on the ropes.
It was actually the home side that had the first real chance of a relatively even first half, Steve Foy’s shot blocked by Mervue ‘keeper Darren Roche, but bouncing away from him briefly before he was able to fall on it in front of fast-approaching Jason Raffley.
At the opposite end Mark Boyle pushed one over the bar before Willie Carroll chanced his arm with near misses for Rangers over the next few minutes.
The first goal of the game came in the 29th minute when Shane Kelly took a free kick just outside the top right corner of the box and managed to skirt it past Martin McDonagh as he dived low to his left.
There were a couple of other Mervue efforts late in the half, but none that came to fruition, keeping the scoreboard unchanged at the break.
Rangers could well have started the second half on the ultimate high when an equalising opportunity went begging after Noel McDonagh crossed the ball in from the right and Jason Raffley’s header flew high and over the bar.
But Mervue responded to this early assault in the best possible fashion when Eoin O’Boyle scored, Mark Lynch crossing in from the right following a long throw in by Mark Connolly in the 54th minute.
Connolly managed to net one for himself then, collecting Mervue’s third with a long-range effort that took deflections from both McDonagh and the left post before finding its way in.
Rangers then got on the board for the first time with just over 15 minutes remaining, Noel McDonagh claiming the goal before Mervue bounced straight back three minutes later with a goal to Lynch as the visitors cruised into a 4-1 lead.
Rangers went close again with six minutes left when Foy really should have done better with a wide open goal in front of him after a Mervue defender got in the way of Roche attempting to gather a high cross and ended up way out of position.
Foy did eventually claim a goal, albeit consolation alone, when with two minutes left a defensive error left him with just Roche to beat following an easy interception and he dragged the ‘keeper out of position and shot easily around him to round off the scoring.
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Corrib Rangers B: Martin McDonagh, Jamie Sherry, Eoghan Dooley, Cormac Clarke (Dean Walsh, h-t ), Joe Hession, Steve Foy, Noel McDonagh, Kenneth Raffley, Angus Scanlon, Willie Carroll, Jason Raffley.
Mervue United B: Darren Roche, Kevin Reilly, Mark Connolly, Alan Tonney, Colin Tonney, Mark Boyle, Lloyd Concannon (James Connolly, 81 mins ), Garry O’Connor, Mark Lynch (Alan Concar, 77 mins ), Eoin O’Boyle, Shane Kelly (Damien Kenny, 76 mins ).
Referee: Ger Cahill.
