Oldcastle hold onto a point at home to Carrick Rovers 

North East Football League Division 2

Oldcastle United 1 - 1 Carrick Rovers 

The Blues kept up their recent good form at home in the league with a hard fought point against in form Carrick Rovers from Monaghan. The home side opened the scoring after just nine minutes when Jonathan Boylan was fouled on the edge of the box and Alan McCann swung in a peach of a free kick with found its way into the back of the net to give Oldcastle the lead. More pressure from the blues saw Boylan put McCann through on goal and the midfielder tried to turn inside instead of a first time shot and a defender saw his clearanace bounce off McCanns shin and go agonishingly wide. Great link up play from Delaney saw his header fall to McCann and he found Boylan with a pass and his quick thinking played in Cj Healy but his shot went wide. Darragh Moore produced a fine reaction stop when saving a header from Carroll . The second half saw the home side go close again only for healy to miss the target. Just after the hour mark Carrick levelled as Scully conceded a soft free twenty five yards from goal, and left back Cian Matthews curled the resulting kick into the top bin of Moore's net. With the game on a knife edge Delaney headed a ball to Cj Healy and his cross was met by Boylan at the back post only for the striker to volley wide. Carricks Stephen Carroll then was guilty of missing an open target firing wide in front of goal. Oldcastle then had a spell of chances with Alan McCann putting Boylan clean through and his left foot shot missed the target, and Cj Healy was also clean through only to fire his shot high and over the crossbar. Benny McShane then hit a thunderbolt from long range which cannoned off Oldcastles crossbar before Barry McNally headed over a corner kick for the visitors. Moore was brought into the action again when he dived to his left to save with his finger tips from a Kerley shot. The last chance of the match fell to Carrick and they will feel unlucky not to collect all three points when Barney Kerley was free inside the Oldcastle box and fired a header wide when it seemed harder to miss the target. 

Oldcastle United Team

Darragh Moore, Conor Somers, James Smith, Dylan Scully, Eamon Boyle, Brian Caffrey, Alan McCann, Thomas O Reilly, Jonathan Boylan, Conor Delaney, Cj Healy.... Subs Paul Mulvaney, Ross Cadden

Carrick Rovers Team 

Martin McDermott, Craig Fannin, Cian Matthews, Stephen Carroll, Barry McNally, Wayne Kerley, Kevin Lambe, Benny McShane, Paddy Larney, Barney Kerley, Ciaran Flanagan..... Colm McEvaney, Daniel McDonnell, Padraig Marron, Warren Kerley

Match Official - Piotr Smakwowski