Institute remain in relegation peril after Dergview draw

Institute 1

Dergview 1

Institute remain in relegation peril at the foot of the Lough 41 Championship thanks to a late Mikhail Kennedy equaliser at the Brandywell. 

Once again, 'Stute failed to kill off their opponents and paid the price for not doing so, as they failed to build on Shaun Leppard's first half header in a one-sided first period.  

‘Stute needed a fast start to this game and they got just that with the opening goal 12 minutes in. A corner looked to have come to nothing but Cormac Burke found Jack Millar unmarked on the right and the youngster delivered the ball straight back into a packed penalty area, where Shaun Leppard rose unmarked to head powerfully past Patrick McGarvey. It was the defender’s fourth goal in all competitions this season, and sent Dergview into the bottom two.  

It really should have been 2-0 on 26 minutes when Sean McCarron found himself through on goal from Burke’s pass. McGarvey raced off his line to close down the striker, and that may have had an impact as McCarron shot low past the goalkeeper, across goal and just wide of the post. It was a huge moment and a big let-off for Dergview.

It took Dergview 37 minutes to threaten the ‘Stute goal, but a poor finish meant that Dylan Doherty went untested as Jamie Browne’s pass to Stephen Doherty was met with a very poor finish.

The home side ended the first half very strongly and they really should have gone into the break with another goal. Sean McCarron saw his attempted shot charged down, but Millar reacted quickly to the loose ball and fired it across goal where Jamie Dunne tried to turn it in first time while off balance. It wasn’t a clean connection by any means and that allowed McGarvey to get back and scramble the ball off his line.

The half time whistle followed within seconds and Brian Donaghey walked away shaking his head, one again knowing his team should have been out of sight only for poor finishing to let them down.

‘Stute were incredibly fortunate to stay ahead in the opening stages of the second half. Dergview won a free kick just to the left of their penalty area and Browne’s delivery was perfect for Ben Gallagher, but he headed straight at Doherty, who knew very little about the save. The ball was eventually cleared with Dergview protesting vehemently for a penalty, but the real chance belonged to Gallagher who should have scored.

Dergview were dominating the ball without creating anything of note, but it was still a concern for the home side who were clearly playing with some fear, launching the ball forward at every opportunity rather than trying to retain possession.

McCarron, up front on his own, almost gave ‘Stute some much-needed relief with a moment of magic on 66 minutes. The striker took the ball all the way into the penalty area, where, with his back to goal, he somehow tricked his way past two players, but that skill didn’t get the finish it deserved as he shot straight at the goalkeeper.

‘Stute, so defensively poor all season, were never likely to hold on for a clean sheet, and so it proved as they conceded yet another soft goal with just 12 minutes remaining. Gareth Falconer was allowed to cross high towards the back post, and with no ‘Stute player taking control, the ball was allowed to drop for Mikhail Kennedy, who forced home an equaliser which had a significant impact on the league table. The goal meant that ‘Stute dropped back to eleventh place with just two games remaining. 

Teams

INSTITUTE: Dylan Doherty, Rhys McDermott, Dylan King, Shaun Leppard, Ronan McAleer; Shaun Doherty (Oisin Devlin 51’), Alonzo Clarke, Cormac Burke (Andrew Whiteside 76’); Jack Millar, Sean McCarron (Mark Kirk 76’), Jamie Dunne (Jack McFeely 63’).

DERGVIEW: Patrick McGarvey, Dean Corrigan, Garth Falconer, Matthew Buchanan, Blaine Burns, Caolan Maguire-McLaughlin (Oran Brogan 84’); Ben Gallagher (Niall Fielding 80’), Mikhail Kennedy, Jamie Browne, Stephen Doherty (Zachary Gorman 88’), Aidan McCauley.

REFEREE: Mark Dillon