Best team wins as Swifts go out of the cup

Keady Celtic 4

RATHFRILAND Swifts exited the Marshall Cup on Saturday with a 4–1 home defeat at the hands of Keady Celtic.

It has to be said that the best team deserved to win the game and were dominant throughout. Right from the first whistle the visitors wanted it more and showed this on a regular basis with their first to the ball attitude and commitment all afternoon.

Rathfriland never got going and Keady took the lead on the 20 minute mark when the big number four rose unmarked from a corner kick and headed into the roof of the net.

They could have got a second soon after but for a brilliant save from Gavin Allen and good defending by William Morrison.

The Swifts forced a couple of corners which came to nothing but a second was conceded on the 40 minute mark when Rathfriland lost the ball on the halfway line which allowed the Keady offensive players to progress and round the keeper to give them the two goal advantage – a scoreline which was seen out to half time.

In the second half what improvement there was for the home side was slight but it was Celtic who scored a third and a fourth with two hard worked and well taken goals. Joe Toal pulled one back for the Swifts to make it 4–1 with a side footer while Kyle Heslip went close to getting another for the home side but he collided with the keeper and had to go off leaving Rathfriland with ten men having used all their subs.

Overall a poor display by the Swifts who will need to think long and hard about their individual performances before next week’s monster game against three in a row Junior Cup winners Immaculata.

TEAM: Gavin Allen, Ryan Monaghan, Gavin Duffy, William Morrison, Alan Murray, David Gilmore, Simon Groves, Keith Megaw, Kyle Heslip, David Hollingsworth, Joe Toal.

Subs: Lee Mackin, Lee McDowell, Niall Maginn.