*Photograph: Joe Buckley.
BRIDGE United recovered from their Clare Cup semi-final exit over the weekend to cruise to victory over Lifford in the CDSL Maloney Hardware Premier Division.
Bridge Utd 4
Lifford FC 0
Venue: Shannon Rd, Sixmilebridge
With an extra game to play, Bridge Utd can go level with league leaders Avenue Utd at the top of the table, they kept their chances of success alive with victory on Tuesday evening.
Lifford’s time in the top flight is at real risk of coming to an end following yet another defeat. They sat back and gave Bridge plenty of space in the opening stages which the home side duly exploited, hitting the post in the first minute.
Brian Monaghan was excellent for Bridge, defending and driving the ball up the field. Midfielder Scott Kirkland funnelled the ball into the box repeatedly with clever passes as the clock ticked on.
It wasn’t long before Mark Culbert’s side were rewarded for their dominance and what a goal it was on six minutes. Witness Odirile made the best of a fumbled corner defence and finished into the net with an excellent overhead kick, sparking cheers from the home crowd.
Aidan Moloney was slick from midfield, providing great through balls for the forward line. Lifford could only watch as Ger Myles bundled the ball into their net after another mangled corner at the half hour mark. Moloney missed a sitter in the forty-fourth minute however after an excellent team move.
Lifford defended well for the rest of the first forty-five minutes but lacked any threat going forward. Emmanuel Obadeyi looked certain to score from close range one-on-one but goalkeeper John Mulready got a hand to it, one of only two saves he had to make in the entire match.
When play resumed the home side switched their tactics and prioritised the delivery of long balls from defence into the final third. This half was scrappier as both sides struggled to get a foothold in the game.
Three successive corners for Bridge at the third quarter stage yielded no return while Lifford keeper Aidan Jordan kept his side in it through great saves against successive long range efforts.
Again Lifford could make no inroads up front as the home side put the game to bed in the last ten minutes. Substitute Dominic Griffin was in the right place for a ball rebounding off the post and volleyed the ball into the back of the net in the eighty-third minute. The ball fell to Gerard Myles in the box a minute later and the striker got his second of the evening with an easy finish.
Bridge Utd: John Mulready, Luc Fitzpatrick, Brian Monaghan, Liam Buckley, Lee Mulready, Scott Kirkland, Aidan Moloney, Mikey Guerin, Ger Myles, Witness Odirile, Jack O’Halloran.
Subs: Filip Mostowy for Moloney (62), Dominic Griffin for Guerin (71), Eric Carr for Odirile (80), Brian Corry for O’Halloran (80).
Lifford: Aiden Jordan, Eoghan Fox, Toluwalase Ifebajo, Ethan Cronin, Chiby Okoye, Fiachra Roche, Emmanuel Obadeyi, Lucas Silva, Samuel Obadeyi, Cian Guilfoyle, Joseph Chukwuemeka.
Subs: Eoin Walsh for Ifebajo (HT), Jorge Becker for Roche (HT), David Keenan for S Obadeyi (HT), John Forson for Chukwuemeka (61), Eoin Monaghan for Guilfoyle (81)
Referee: Mark Rellis
