New Santos vs Westrock Star
Without a point in their opening 7 league matches, New Santos faced the also pointless Westrock Star in a relegation battle at the foot of the table.
Santos were dealt a blow going into the game as captain and top scorer Martin Magee as well as first team regulars Simon Magee and Joe Magee, were all unable to play, although Paddy O’Reilly made his first start after being out with an injury. Manager Ronan Doherty made sure the players that were available however were fired up, emphasizing the importance of the game.
Santos got the dream start they were looking for within 10 minutes, when great work from full back Paul McKillop saw him get into the box and to the by-line to pull the back for Paul Barr, whose effort was well saved although the rebound fell to Paddy O’Reilly who scored on his return to the team.
Having went ahead in previous matches during the season and gone on to lost, it was imperative that Santos kept their concentration levels and didn’t concede a goal. The defence held out well as Westrock failed to create any chances of note while Santos made roads to doubling their lead coming close with Paul Barr and David Dougan producing good saves from the Westrock goalkeeper.
Half-time: New Santos 1-0 Westrock
With Santos knowing that a one goal lead is rarely enough, they set out in the second half with their mind set on getting another goal. The attacking mentality paid off as soon into the half, Santos were awarded a dubious penalty after a late aerial challenge on Paddy O’Reilly by a Westrock defender. Stand-in skipper Kieran Seaward stepped up and converted the penalty to give Santos a two goal cushion.
With Westrock looking unlikely to score, Santos maintained the majority of the possession and were awarded with a 3rd goal as David Harrigan finished well from Kevin Carsons free-kick. Three goals to the good, Santos temporarily switched off and Westrock got a goal of their own through a break down the right resulting in a deflection of Kevin Carson and past JP Byrne into the Santos goal.
Fearing a Westrock comeback, Santos immediately switched back on and responded well with a fourth goal as Paul Barr produced a fine finish across the goalkeeper following a goal mouth scramble. Santos held on until the final whistle to record their first league win of the season.
Santos Team:
GK: JP Byrne
RB: Paul McKillop
LB: Kevin Carson (Martin Cunningham)
CB: David Dougan
CB: Brian Caldwell
RM: David Harrigan
LM: Chris Monan
CM: Richard Scullion
CM: Kieran Seaward (c)
SC: Paul Barr (James Martin)
SC: Paddy O'Reilly (Michael West)
Santos Goals: P. O'Reilly, K. Seaward pen (P. O'Reilly assist), David Harrigan (K.Carson assist), Paul Barr
Santos M.o.t.M: Paddy O'Reilly
