Football: Cookstown Olympic have to settle for share of the S&L spoils

Cookstown Olympic entertained Sport and Leisure Swifts Reserves on Saturday, April 9 and had to settle for a 3-3 draw and only one point.
Cookstown Olympic's Niall Doyle celebrates with team mates after scoring his side's first goal during Saturday's league encounter with Mallusk Athletic at Beechway.INMM1116-343Cookstown Olympic's Niall Doyle celebrates with team mates after scoring his side's first goal during Saturday's league encounter with Mallusk Athletic at Beechway.INMM1116-343
Cookstown Olympic's Niall Doyle celebrates with team mates after scoring his side's first goal during Saturday's league encounter with Mallusk Athletic at Beechway.INMM1116-343

Olympic were facing a strong visiting Sport and Leisure team and it took both teams a while to settle down.

It was Olympic who took the lead after 15 minutes when from a direct free kick 25 yards out James McGahan wrong footed the keeper for his first of the match.

It was still a tight affair after that but Olympic fell a goal behind with conversions from the visitors on 22 and 34 minutes.

Olympic pressure up to half time failed to pay any dividends.

Sport and Leisure were keeping the game tight but Olympic had a chance after 55 minutes as Niall Doyle got James McGahan on a run and he fed Matty Hughes for a one-on-one but the keeper deflected it wide.

Olympic did draw level at 2-2 after 60 minutes as McGahan and Doyle played a one-two to get Barry Potter clear on the right and he laid it off for Paddy Hughes who found James McGahan 20 yards out and he blasted the ball to the net.

On 75 minutes Olympic went 3-2 in front as Tiarnan Brennan passed to Barry Potter and he went on a run past two defenders and pulled the ball out to the edge of the box where James McGahan hit a 25 yard half volley that the keeper had no chance of reaching.

Olympic were keeping Sport and Leisure under pressure but the visitors piled forward and from a corner after 89 minutes an Olympic own goal saw the visitors grab a share of the spoils.

Olympic: J. O’Neill, R. Bloomer, L. Mullan, Mark Meenan, N. Doyle, T. Brennan, P. Hughes, R. O’Neill, M. Hughes, Michael Meenan and J. McGahan. Subs: D. McNulty, and B. Potter.

Training has now ceased for the rest of the season.

The Lucky 4 Lottery numbers for Saturday 9th April were 1, 16,17 and 24. There were no winners who matched four numbers for the £600 jackpot. There were no winners of the £30 prize for 3 numbers. The jackpot will now be raised to £600 for next week’s draw and tickets are available from any committee or team member.

The club are running a Last Man Standing competition which started on Saturday 6th February.