Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty

The Brod Trill Premier Division is almost at the halfway stage, and it looks like it is going to present a real test for the four potential challengers who are separated by just four points.

Last weekend’s meeting of Colga and Salthill Devon saw the top two share the spoils and this allowed Mervue United and Maree-Oranmore to close the gap with wins; while in contrast Renmore, Athenry and Corrib Celtic all have work to do in order to get away from the lower regions of the table.

Colga FC 1 

Salthill Devon 1

Even good teams find it difficult to keep clean sheets and Salthill Devon have kept just two so far this season. For a long time in Clarinbridge on Friday evening, it looked like they might hold out for their third and in the process propel themselves back to the top of the Premier Division table.

However, they were to come up just short as a well-worked Colga equaliser on 90 minutes was to ensure parity and a merited share of the spoils as the two sides two sides produced a cracking well-contested encounter, despite the miserable weather conditions.

Playing with the advantage of the elements in the opening half, Salthill Devon had the better of the exchanges as Marc Ludden and Shane O’Rourke helped them maintain their momentum in the middle of the park, but they just did not get the opportunities in the final third that their dominance might suggest.

This was mainly due to the defensive vigilance of Colga’s Eddie Silke, Nathan Ward, and Jackson De Silva, who kept Cole Connolly and Colin Kelly under a tight rein.

Kelly did test Santiago Castella with an early pot-shot, before he directed a free-kick from outside the box into the defensive wall; while Mikey Fox was also thwarted by the goalkeeper when he sprung across his goal to deflect away a stinging shot.

Devon finally made the breakthrough on 30 minutes when Kelly found an inch of space on the edge of the box as he drilled a low effort beyond the reach of Castella. Chances were much more limited at the other end, but Tom Daly was denied by the advancing Arek Mamala on one occasion; while Calum Browne twice sent efforts across the face of goal and wide. A few set-piece deliveries presented opportunities, but the Devon defence reigned supreme.

Colga made their intentions clear from the off on the resumption, as Neil Greaney, Ben Lalor, and Mikey Donoghue got them off on the front foot and matters really stayed in a similar vein for the majority of the half.

Devon too presented a strong defensive unit as Paul Scally and Calym Crowe attempted to seal the middle and in the process they limited the home output. A Neil Greaney shot had Mamala at full-stretch to keep an effort out, before Ward got his head to a Greaney corner on 80 minutes, but his effort struck the crossbar.

All the pressure was coming from the home side: Corcoran had an effort blocked in a crowded box, before a ball over the top saw Browne lob the advancing Mamala, but his effort came off a post, with the rebound not finished to the net either.

They finally got their reward in the 90th minute, and it had a Brazilian flavour to it: Guilherme De Souza played a one-two with Jackson De Silva out on the touchline before cutting through on goal at an angle, and he slipped a low effort beyond the advancing Mamala to tie up matters at 1-1.

The home side who continued to push for a winner in additional time, but in the end it was a fitting finale as two good sides went head-to-head in wet conditions and a draw was a fair reflection of proceedings.

Colga: Castella, Silke, J De Silva, Ward, Corcoran, Donoghue, Greaney, Lalor (De Paula 61),  Browne, Lopes (De Souza 69), Daly.

Salthill Devon: Mamala, Baranyai (inj, Collins 16), Idemudia, Scally, Coyne, Ludden, O’Rourke (Molloy 64mins), Murphy (Halloran 75), Connolly, Kelly, Fox (Diala 70).

Referee: John O’Connor.

Pictured: West United’s Alan Ryan goes on the attack as Sean Curran of Cois Fharraige gives chase in the Division One clash between the sides at South park last weekend. Photo: Joe O’Shaughnessy.