Geraldines 3-2 Regional United (Hartnett 29′, C. O’Neill 61′, D. O’Neill (pen) 74′; O’Doherty 66′, 89′)

In this enthralling early-season clash between two sides looking to shatter the Premier League glass ceiling, it was Geraldines who eventually came out on top – despite toiling for 75 minutes with ten men.

Lineups

The home side continued with the 4-1-4-1 formation that bested Summerville on the opening Sunday, with one change – James Cleary came into the side up top in place of Ian O’Donoghue.

Regional for their part, who had also fielded a 4-1-4-1 on the opening day, switched to a 4-4-1-1 shape for this encounter. New signing, Garbhan Coughlan, who was fielded on the right in the away win at Ballynanty, lined up in the number ten slot – behind target man Peter Ryan. The absent Kieran O’Connell, who played at the base of the Regional midfield on Sunday, was replaced by Davey Lyons, who got his first start on the left of midfield.

First half

There were two major talking points in the first half of this game. The first was the showdown between Garbhan Coughlan and new ‘Dines keeper, Mfon Nyong – which the big English stopper won comfortably. The second was the surprising shift in momentum after Thomas O’Grady’s inexplicably rash 17th minute sending off offence.

Prior to O’Grady’s lunge from behind on Shane O’Doherty near Geraldines’ right touchline, Regional were well in the ascendancy here, probing down the left with dangerous intent. Mikey Lyons, nominally fielded as a centre midfielder, was making constant runs into that area to overload the home team’s right side. It was his left footed cross from the byline that would create the first of Garbhan’s big opportunities. Coughlan controlled brilliantly in the area, turned McGarry with ease, only to sky his effort from eight yards out.

After the red, Geraldines brought on midfielder Keith O’Connor as an auxiliary centre-half and reorganised into a very narrow 4-4-1, with the wide players tucked in. Recent arrival from Summerville, Darren O’Sullivan, was the unfortunate sacrifice necessary to accommodate this change.

Theoretically, due to the home side’s greater compactness, Regional should have had even more fun in wide areas. Instead they seemed to lose their composure, going long from the back all too often and losing possession cheaply – only player-manager Brian O’Callaghan appeared to be using the ball with due care. Goalkeeper Rob Shier was particularly culpable in this regard. Having struggled with his distribution in the early part of the game, he presented the ‘Dines with a glorious chance to go ahead midway through the half. Shier’s wayward pass was intercepted outside the area by a motivated Christy O’Neill, who immediately looked for the one-two with Eddie Lee. Alas, Lee overhit the return pass, allowing Shier to recover and collect.

The ‘Dines appeared to be the team with the extra man at times here. Still, they conceded plenty of chances. Mikey Lyons’ through ball should have been converted by Coughlan in the 25th minute. Instead, the young number ten delayed, before seeing his shot foiled at point-blank range by Nyong.

Minutes later, Coughlan spurned another chance. One of several fine inswinging crosses off Ken Nealon’s left foot found Coughlan in front of goal. He did not make an adequate connection however, and the result was only a corner.

By this point however, Regional were already one down. A Christy O’Neill corner found the head of Regional’s Tommy Frawley, who miscued his clearance. Keith Hartnett, as he is wont to do, lurked in wait at the back post to head home, after escaping the attentions of his marker, Mikey Lyons.

Eight minutes from the half-time whistle, Coughlan was foiled again at point-blank range by Nyong. From the resulting corner, striker Peter Ryan got in on his number ten’s act, nodding a free header agonizingly wide at the back post.

Coughlan wasn’t to be denied however. With seconds remaining, he unleashed a fearsome exocet missile of a shot from outside the area, with the outside of his right boot. The ball swerved wildly towards Nyong’s top left-hand corner – but the ‘Dines keeper was equal to it again, with a fantastic diving save.

Second half

The second half took on the more familiar complexion of an 11 v 10 game. The Regional management, perhaps realising the error of their side’s ways in the first half, took a decision designed to exploit the space being left on the flanks by Geraldines’ hard-running, narrow midfield four. Inside ten minutes, young winger, Evan Patterson, was introduced at right back in place of Ian Hughes. Now Regional were probing in wide areas again, as in the first quarter-hour – except this time on the right instead of the left.

Mikey Lyons also started to again make the same in-to-out overloading runs that were so threatening in the first half. It was one such overload that led to his side’s first big chance of the half. He squared it to Coughlan from the right byline, who unleashed another curler, this time off his left, towards the top corner. Again Nyong was equal to it. From the resulting corner, Ryan again got his head on it at the back post, heading it across the face. Coughlan, free at the other stick, attempted an unnecessarily acrobatic finish and fluffed his lines.

Regional were punished again for their profligacy. Right on the hour mark, the tireless Eddie Lee went on a counter-attacking run down the right, before squaring it to the onrushing Christy O’Neill, who had run off his man. O’Neill coolly finished past Shier with his weaker right foot – exactly the kind of clinical edge that the away side were lacking.

Two minutes after the goal, Peter Ryan was involved again off another inswinging Mikey Lyons corner. The Regional target man hit the post with his header at the near, under pressure from more than one ‘Dines body.

It still felt like Regional were in this game, as they continued to besiege the ‘Dines left side. Eventually that route to goal finally bore fruit. Unsurprisingly it was Mikey Lyons with the cross. More surprisingly, it was left-back Shane O’Doherty who popped up unmarked at the back stick to head home!

That lifeline arrived exactly halfway through the second period. Andy Cowpar uncharacteristically threw it away six minutes later however, by hanging a leg on the byline at Keith Hartnett and conceding a penalty – which right-full Danny O’Neill dispatched with great composure.

Still Regional pushed down that right side – now in search of two goals to save this contest. Brian O’Callaghan moved wide on the ball with ten minutes remaining, taking matters into his own hands by delivering an inch-perfect cross to Ryan, who had got in front of his man in the centre of the area. Straight at Nyong.

Regional’s last throw of the dice consisted of removing midfielder Frawley with a few minutes left, introducing the returning Dave Cowpar as part of a back three, with O’Doherty pushed on as a wing-back and Nealon pushed up top alongside Ryan.

They found themselves another lifeline with two minutes of normal time remaining. Mikey Lyons’ miskick off a Donie Curtin clearance luckily found Nealon on the right of the area. Nealon squared it from the byline and O’Doherty nipped in for his second to prod home past a scramble of bodies on the goal-line.

Was the comeback on? It could well have been, had Coughlan not kicked air off a Patterson cross – an effort that perfectly summed up a frustrating night for him and his side.

There was still time for some minor controversy, however. In injury-time, Pa McGarry appeared to foul Dave Cowpar just inside the area, which produced big appeals from the Regional faithful. Referee Tom Duggan was unmoved however and the home side saw it out.

Conclusion

I’ll be a very lucky man if I witness many more entertaining encounters than this one this season. This was truly a thoroughly enthralling contest from start to finish, which Geraldines absolutely deserved to shade. Although they rode their luck at times, relying on the outstanding goalkeeping of Mfon Nyong and some poor finishing from the opposition, one could not but admire their organisation and work-rate after O’Grady’s dismissal. The efforts of their midfield four after that point was highly laudable, particularly those of the tireless Keith Hartnett and Eddie Lee, while Keith O’Connor, playing as a stand-in centre-half, made a huge impact on the solidity of his side’s backline, particularly in the air. Donie Curtin, another man playing in an unfamilar position at left-back, also showed off some fantastic penalty-box defending, making a number of important interceptions and clearances to keep his side ahead.

Regional, for their part, will be unhappy at the manner in which they failed to take advantage of the extra man in the first half of the game. While they improved massively in the second-half, again troubling the home side on the flanks, the concession of three soft goals to a side a man down can not be ignored. While Mikey Lyons was a massive positive for the club going forward with his shuttling runs into wide areas, he wasn’t so impressive in the defensive aspect of his game – losing his man for the first goal and allowing O’Neill to go untracked for the second, at a point in the game in which Frawley appeared to be the man elected to push on. Andrew Cowpar’s challenge that led to the penalty for the third was also extremely disappointing, particularly as his side has just found a way back into the game.

I made the point, in my season preview, that Regional needed a 20-goal a season striker to break the mould in this league. While the aforementioned defensive errors played a massive part today, so too did the wasteful finishing of their number nine and, particularly, their number ten. Resolving that issue is a must for this side to continue to progress.

As for Geraldines, their weakness lies in the centre of defence, the area of the field in which they incurred their red card today. It was no surprise whatsoever that Regional changed their shape to bring Garbhan into the middle off Ryan – a clear effort to target that area of the home side’s backline. Improve there and this side could well break that glass ceiling that the Big Three sit atop at the moment. The ability of Ryan and Considine to get these guys organised and playing for each other is certainly not in question after tonight.