New Santos v AFC Craigavon Res.
Manager Ronan Doherty opted to rotate his squad for this cup tie and handed competitive debuts to David Harigan and Paul Barr at RM and RB respectively, with David Dougan coming back into the side in CM. Meanwhile, in direct contrast to this rotation, JP Byrne was in the Santos goal making his 300th competitive start. Congratulations JP, you're officially not a striker!
It was a very hot day and this was reflected in a sluggish start to the game. The first 15 minutes were probably best summed up by a Craigavon goal kick which was taken short and never actually made it out of the 18 yard box. The referee failed to spot the infringement though. Eventually Santos began to get a hold of the midfield and dominate play. Simon Magee's pace and touch was proving effective against the Craigavon defence and when combined with Martin Magee's attacking instincts from midfield and Douglas' strength in the air and hold up play, chances began to come for Santos.
The breakthrough came when Simon Magee was released down the left flank and played a great ball across the face of the Craigavon goal. David Harrigan was on hand to finish from close range for a goal on his first start. The goal seemed to rouse Craigavon and they put some pressure on the Santos defence with a string of set pieces. Santos coped well with the aerial threat though and went 2 up when a Martin Magee free kick found Richard Scullion unmarked in the Craigavon box. Amid Craigavon calls for offside, the Centre Back had time to control and he finished emphatically on the half volley.
Half Time New Santos 2 - 0 AFC Craigavon Res.
The second half started much the same as the first, and took a while to get going. Craigavon made the second half breakthrough through Doaly Wells to bring the scores back to 2 - 1. Santos spurned a glorious chance when Dougan fired wide from 7 yards out, but soon restored their 2 goal cushion with a well executed break. In a 3 on 2 situation, Martin Magee unselfishly squared the ball to Douglas who showed quick feet in the box only to be brought down for a penalty, which Martin Magee cooly slotted home. Having had 2 previous penalty appeals turned down, the Santos players were somewhat relieved by the referee's decision to finally award one. Douglas was subsequently replaced, the challenge aggravating an ankle injury he had picked up earlier in the game.
Dougan put Santos 4 - 1 up with around 20 minutes to go, beating his man before scoring from a similar positon to his earlier missed chance. Dougan also had to be replaced soon after with an ankle injury and Santos' third substitution saw Simon Magee removed after a great display of pace and unselfish running in the obviously draining heat. This third change could have proved costly, as with around 15 minutes left, CB Richard Scullion went down with yet another ankle injury and Santos had to finish the game with 10 men. Craigavon took advantage of Santos' decision to play 1 upfront and immediately went to a 3 - 4 - 3 formation. The tactic almost paid off as Shaun Crooks managed to pull a goal back against the makeshift Santos defence.
The home team held on, though, for a successful start to their Cup campaign, although a message on AFCs website stated that the changing facilities at the ground may have been to blame for their loss.
New Santos Goals - David Harrigan ( Simon Magee assist ), Richard Scullion ( Martin Magee assist ), Martin Magee ( Pol Douglas assist ), David Dougan ( Martin Magee assist )
AFC Craigavon Goals - Doaly Wells, Shaun Crooks
Starting 11 and average player ratings:
GK - JP Byrne - 7.5
CB - Richard Scullion - 8. 6
CB - Gareth McKinstry - 7.5
RB - Paul Barr - 8 LB
LB - Chris Monan - 7
CM - Kieran Seaward - 7.5 CM
CM -David Dougan - 7 RM
RM - David Harrigan - 6 LM
LM - Martin Magee (c) - 8 ST
ST - Simon Magee - 8.7 ST
ST - Pol Douglas - 7.5
Subs - Paddy McLean, Tommy Kempston, Patrick O'Reilly, Ronan Doherty, Sean Carson
MOTM - Simon Magee - had this to say " Nice one, cheers. It was a game of two halves, just got stuck into them early doors...blah....blah. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to vote, it was much appreciated. A special mention to the changing facilities, took the defenders minds of the game "
New Santos would like to extend their thanks to AFC Craigavon for an enjoyable game played in a great spirit and to The Parador Hotel, on the Ormeau Road, who provided a great post match buffet for both teams.
