Dougherty Super Strike Puts Rec Through

Comber Rec shrugged off the stigma of their dismal midweek league defeat to record a deserved if not fully convincing cup win on Saturday at Taylor’s Avenue, Carrickfergus. The 2-1 victory is very welcome, but yet again the scoreline gives no indication of the promise in much of Rec’s play, and only a late individual moment of brilliance from Keith Dougherty secured the win against a team that had been outplayed for much of the match.
Straight from the whistle Comber set about their business with a fire and determination that suggested there has been some straight talking since the East Belfast fiasco. Jim McCloskey showed class and leadership as Rec launched an offensive against a Barn side that bickered with anything that moved, especially their team-mates, but some of the Comber set piece play and finishing failed to live up to the build up. A Craig Bowers free kick in the 10th minute was too long and gave his front men no chance, and on the quarter hour a fine Gareth Larmour free kick was headed well wide by Gordon Leckey.
Peter Kelly went on a strong run from midfield in the 20th minute, but pulled his shot a few yards past the post, and at the other end, in their very first attack of note, Sharples got free on the right and put in a good shot on target that Connor Couston saved well with his legs. The Barn player was blown up for offside, in any case, but it was significant that a home team that had been on the back foot from the opening whistle was first to force a save from a goalkeeper.
Almost on the half hour Rec went ahead with a gift goal. Craig McCracken, playing again like his old self, put over a low corner from the left and when a defender miskicked on the goal line, the ball deflected off him into the net. The score was richly deserved in view of the domination and pressure shown by the visitors, but it was a decidedly fortuitous one.
10 minutes from the interval Rec squandered a glorious chance to double their advantage. Neil Magowan, surely the man of the match, looped in a 20 yard header that came back off the frame of the goal straight to the head of Leckey, 3 yards out in front of goal, but the big Rec striker put himself in the running for the miss of the season when he somehow managed to head it back over the crossbar.
The miss seemed to encourage United, who forced 2 corners from the right. Couston did well to turn a header at the back post on to the upright and past for another corner, and this one looked equally dangerous until McCloskey popped up to head to safety over his own crossbar.
The half ended with Rec having almost totally outplayed Barn, but with only a one goal lead, and very little on target.
Marty Robinson went off at half time and the outcome was a completely different game. Rec lost shape and direction, and found themselves for the first time under repeated attack. A poor throw-in from Robinson’s replacement led to a free kick on the edge of the Rec area, and only a superb save from Couston kept his team ahead. The Comber keeper dived to his right and palmed the ball off the post and the rebound was cleared.
McClune in the home goal stopped a toed McCracken effort a couple of minutes later, but in the 52nd minute Barn drew level, Patterson cutting inside his man on the right and firing low into Couston’s far corner.
Suddenly Barn were in the driving seat and Lough should have put them ahead but headed over the top from 5 yards from a great cross ball from the right flag area.
Exactly on the hour Lough’s long ball reached Sharples on the right edge of the area, but he sliced his effort high and wide.
Play became scrappy and fragmented for a long spell, with frequent stoppages for injuries and infringements, but 10 minutes from time Rec unexpectedly scored what proved to be the winner, and it was a goal fit to decide any match. Dougherty, 30 yards out, ignored instructions from the technical area not to shoot, and let fly with a peach of a drive that flew strong and straight into the top left of the home net, giving McClune no chance.
The goal, so close to the end of the game, seemed to demoralise Barn, and Rec went hunting for more. Sub Joe Magee did well at the left corner to ghost past two defenders, but his cross ball was just too deep to the far post, and then a lovely 3 man crossfield move allowed Leckey to feed McCloskey who fired cleanly into the net, but referee Sam Agnew disallowed it for offside.
Couston was well positioned to scoop up a header on his line, and even though the referee played 5 minutes of extra time, Barn never looked capable of taking the game to extra time.
This win will give Comber a much needed morale boost. The team is far from being the finished article, and scoring goals is still a problem, but hopefully Keith Dougherty has demonstrated that shooting pays off. It was pleasing to see Craig McCracken having another good game, releasing the ball earlier and spraying about some excellent passes, and the hope is that his coming off early is not from injury.

Fixtures
Comber Rec are at home to Nortel in a league match on Saturday, with a 2pm kick off.