Willow secure victory as Bay boys fail to take chances

Three second half goals from Cathal Stacey, Richie Greene and Cian Quinn gave Willow Park a satisfactory, if slightly flattering, 3-0 win over Hodson Bay Celtic at Kilmacuagh Avenue last Saturday morning. Despite playing the better football for the majority of the game, Hodson Bay were hit by three sucker punches of goals that completely took the wind from them. Credit must go to Willow, however, who took their chances when they were presented to them, something the Kiltoom side failed to do throughout the entirety of the game. The game started very evenly with both sides always looking to attack where possible. But the first chance of the game fell to the home side on four minutes when Ryan Gaffey skipped by Celtic full-back Eddie Nolan before whipping in a ball to Cian Quinn at the far post. Quinn took to the ball down and took on Brian Stack but, just as he was about to pull the trigger, Stack intervened with a fine challenge. Two minutes later, a ball in behind the Celtic defence once again found Quinn. Quinn touched the ball beyond the advancing goalkeeper but his attempt was weak and rolled the wrong side of the post. With nine minutes on the clock, Hodson Bay showed their hand for the first time when Jack McDonald swung the ball in from the right. The ball fell to Conor Murray whose shot was saved. The rebound then came to Kieran Walsh on the edge of the box but he too saw his effort saved by goalkeeper Shane McEnery before the Willow defence stepped in and cleared. With 15 minutes played, both sides remained evenly matched with that final finishing touch the only thing letting the teams down at this stage. Twenty minutes in and Willow really should have taken the lead. Habeb Sanusi played a neat one-two with his strike partner Cathal Stacey before pulling back to Quinn. Again Quinn should have scored but his first-time effort skied over the bar. Two minutes later, the visitors went close again. Eddie Nolan swung in a cross from the left and the unmarked Paul Daly looped a header over Shane McEnery only to see his effort fell just wide of the post. Hodson Bay were finishing the half the better of the two sides and the final chance of the half fell to them after Paul Daly swung in a corner from the left. Conor Murray rose highest but saw his header cleared off the line by the alert Ryan Gaffey. The ball fell to Jack McDonald and his deflected effort drew another corner for Celtic. Again, Daly swung the corner in and again Murray headed toward goal. But again the ball was cleared off the line and Willow had escaped once more. Hodson Bay made two changes for the start of the second half with Sean Commane and Ronan Kilcline entering the field of play in place of Dylan Kelly and Kieran Walsh. But the visitors were soon on the back foot as Willow went in search of the opening goal. Three minutes in, Cathal Stacey played Habeb Sanusi in on goal but his attempted shot was well blocked by the right hand of goalkeeper Colm Murray. The opening goal did arrive five minutes later, however, as Willow capitalised on their fine start to the half. The move started down the right wing with Cian Quinn who played a one-two with Richie Greene, before pulling back to Sanusi on the edge of the box. Sanusi hit a first-time shot that rebounded off the angle of post and crossbar before falling straight at the feet of Cathal Stacey. And with an open goal to aim for, Stacey couldn't miss and Willow had the lead. Hodson Bay were perhaps a bit unfortunate to be behind but it was a well-worked goal by Willow nonetheless. In the 44th minute, Shane Fitzsimmons picked out Cian Quinn inside the penalty area but his attempted chip flew high and wide. Hodson Bay looked to hit back three minutes later when a vicious strike from Brian Stack brought the best out of Shane McEnery in the Willow goal. But instead they were hit on the counter as McEnery immediately started the move that brought about the second Willow goal. The ball was worked out to full-back Richie Greene on the right wing and his cross eluded everyone including goalkeeper Colm Murray. Ciaran McGuinness headed the ball to the net but it was Greene who claimed it as the ball definitely looked to have crossed the line before McGuinness' header. Nonetheless, it was 2-0 to Willow. A minute later the lead should have been halved when Jack McDonnell fizzed a ball across the Willow goal. Sean Commane should have scored but McEnery made a fine stop. With ten minutes remaining, Celtic's Luke Carty laid a perfect ball into the path of Ronan Kilcline but his strike cleared the crossbar. Hodson Bay were pushing hard to find a way back into the game but again they were caught out at the back with four minutes to go. From the right, Ryan Gaffey clipped a lovely ball into the box finding Cian Quinn who headed back across the goal and in off the post. No more than Quinn deserved for his tireless work up and down the right flank. WILLOW PARK: Shane McEnery, Richie Greene, Eric Grimberg, Michael Doolin, Kevin Martin, Ciaran McGuinness, Ryan Gaffey, Shane Fitzsimmons, Habeb Sanusi, Cathal Stacey, Cian Quinn. SUBS: Ronan Mulvihill for R. Greene (48'), Alex Papa for C. Quinn (57'), Joseph Finucane for H. Sanusi (57'), David Loran for C. Stacey (58'). HODSON BAY CELTIC: Colm Murray, Eddie Nolan, Dylan Kelly, Brian Stack, Eoin McCormack, Conor Murray, Kieran Walsh, Brendan O'Meara, Paul Daly, Luke Carty, Jack McDonald. SUBS: Sean Commane for D. Kelly (HT), Ronan Kilcline for K. Walsh (HT), Liam Kenny for B. O'Meara (49'). REFEREE: C. Jordan.