Hat-trick hero Garrett helps Renmore through

Date Published: 07-Feb-2013

IN what proved to be a ringing endorsement of the strength of U15 soccer in Galway, a talented Renmore squad qualified the last 16 of the FAI Evans (Irish) Cup by defeating a strong Portlaoise outfit last Saturday.

The game which was played in near perfect conditions saw Renmore come from behind to overcome a two goal deficit against their Laois rivals with hat-trick hero Cian Garrett scoring in extra time.

The opening exchanges saw Renmore on top with the Portlaoise defence finding Ryan Forde in particular difficult to handle. It therefore came against the run of play that Portlaoise were first to score when they pounced on a mix-up in the middle of the Renmore defence to take a one-goal lead after 15 minutes.

Subsequently, Renmore were once again on the receiving end when the Portlaoise strike force broke swiftly to catch the Galway club’s defence on the back foot to double their advantage. Renmore’s predicament was compounded all the more when they lost their captain and influential midfielder, Adam Quirke, to a serious hand injury shortly before half time.

But they still came out for the second half full of purpose and tempo. They took control of the game almost immediately in the middle of the field thanks to the efforts of the impressive Dara Mulgannon and Jack Coyne, following his switch from centre back.

Forde, with his pace and control, continued to cause problems for the Portlaoise defence and with Cian Garrett coming more and more into the game, it wasn’t long before Renmore got their break through.

Following a strong run up the left hand side by Forde on 50 minutes, he slid across a perfectly weighted ball for Garrett to latch onto to pull one back.

Pressure was now building on the Portlaoise defence which was being forced into a number of last ditch tackles and clearances. With five minutes left, Renmore got their reward when Garrett was in the right place to pounce on a breaking ball and hit the back of the net for the equaliser. Renmore were unfortunate not to win it in regulation time, when only desperater scrambling by the Portlaoise defence denied Forde.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.