Down Memory Lane

WITH the on-going help of club historian Hunter McClelland, colerainefc.com brings you the latest instalment of the ‘Down Memory Lane’ series as you have to go back to 1985 for an away win against Glenavon in the Irish Cup…

Date:

Saturday, March 9, 1985

Result:

Glenavon 0-4 Coleraine

Goals – Healy (‘5 mins, ’65 mins, ’72 mins), M Tabb (’18 mins)

Report:

COLERAINE took a big step in their efforts to lift at least one major trophy this season when they comprehensively outplayed Glenavon with a performance of great purpose and skill in the quarter-final of the Bass Irish Cup

The Bannsiders may have been overlooked by many, but they proved again at Mourneview Park that they are a force to be reckoned with and that the tremendous will to win which their player manager Jim Platt has instilled could well reap reward.

An encouraging large crowd – the majority of whom had travelled from Coleraine – saw a complete turnaround in form from last week’s league display, with Felix Healy again a central figure, scoring his third hat-trick of the season, giving him a total of 22 goals.

It is only right that Healy should be showered with praise, but surely the man of the match was Coleraine’s central defender and captain, Martin Tabb, who was a tremendous example to his men. He won everything in the air, was sure-footed on the ground and to cap it all, he scored the second goal, which virtually ended the game as a contest.

The visitors came out with a fierce determination and almost immediately began to take control with some slick passing, although there was an element of luck about the first goal when it came just after five minutes. Raymond Henry rolled a free-kick to Healy wide on the left, some 30 yards out, and the midfielder’s floated cross-shot looped over Glenavon’s ‘keeper Robbie Beck – who was slightly out of position – and into the net.

A minute later, the home side made one of their rare threats when a Lawrence Stitt header was almost touched on by Peter Murray, but the danger was cleared by Peter Ward. Raymond McCoy and the recalled Sammy McQuiston were both looking very sharp up front, and McQuiston might have scored after 12 minutes, when the visitors put together a delightful move.

Young Eddie McElhinney, who had another storming game in defence, won a tackle in his own half and made a characteristic forward run before hitting a fine pass to Ricky Wade who turned it inside only to see McQuiston miss-hit wide from just inside the box. Six minutes later Tabb made it two when slack marking allowed him a glancing header into the top of the net, with the defence all over the place.

Wade, McQuiston and then Healy, with a fifty yard run and shot could have added to the score in the first-half, while Glenavon, though constructing the occasional promising move, totally lacked punch in the penalty area. Noel Hamill might have done better for the home side on the hour when he looped a shot just over with Platt back- pedaling, in between two McCoy efforts, the second of which was cleared off the line by Davy Dennison after the ‘keeper had been beaten.

Just after Coleraine’s Roy McCreadie had been booked for dissent – he must now be close to a three-match-ban – Healy made it 3-0 when he hammered a free-kick into the top right-hand corner from 20 yards. Healy completed his hat-trick with another free-kick just outside the area where McCoy was cynically hauled down by the ‘keeper when he was on his way to a certain goal.

The visiting fans chanted “Healy, Healy” ominously and they were not disappointed. This time the dead ball master curled a chip into the top left hand corner with Beck thinking he would go for the other side. Platt showed his class in the last minute, with his first real test of the game when the got down well to block a fierce Robbie Dennison drive from 10 yards.

Line-ups:

GLENAVON: Beck, D Dennison, Byrne (Wilson ’80 mins), Murray, Stitt, Lowry, Fay, McCabe, Gardiner, Hamill, R Dennison.

COLERAINE: Platt, Ward, McDowell, McElhinney, M Tabb, Wade, McQuiston (B McCreadie ’71 mins), Healy, R McCreadie, McCoy, Henry.

Referee:

George Hynds