Crumlin Star 4-0 Ballywalter

Crumlin Star moved a step closer to the 2A title on Saturday with a comfortable 4-0 win over County Down side Ballywalter Rec. With only 7 games remaining the Star have a 5 point lead over nearest rivals Derriaghy who on paper have a far harder run in than the Star. To be honest this wasn't a vintage Star performance as the Ardoyne men struggled to play any sort of neat football but the 3 points are what mattered in the end. The Star took the lead as early as the 5th minute when the referee awarded them a penalty after a hand ball from a Ballywalter defender. Sean Brown stepped up to send the keeper the wrong way for an emphatic start to the game for the Star. After that the game got scrappy as both sides failed to play any sort of football. Ballywalter never really troubled the Star as the back four of McCoey, O'Reilly, Nellis and McAlea dealt with everything they could offer. On the stroke of half time Devenny found McConnall with a defence splitting ball and the tiny midfielder coolly slotted the ball home to make the scoreline a lot healthier going into the interval.

H/T 2-0

After a stern talking to during the half time break the Star raised their game at the start of the second period and had Ballywalter under some real pressure. Some good work by McKervey on the wing seen him deliver a smashing cross into the Ballywalter danger area where a defender headed the ball into his own net to virtually end the game as a contest. With one eye on Tuesday nights semi-final against 18th Newtownabby, manager Hawkins rang the changes with Mooney, Reid & Burns replacing Braniff, O'Reilly and McCoey. Late on in the game Joe McAlea scored his first goal for the Star when he played a lovely one two with Sean Brown and smashed the ball into the top corner.

Team: Thompson, McCoey, O'Reilly, Nellis, McAlea, McConnall, S.Brown, Braniff, McKervey, Devenny, P.Brown

Subs: Reid, Mooney, Burns

Joe McAlea scored his first goal for the Star on Saturday