Superb four goals and welcome victory for Point

With just four points from their last five games including back-to-back defeats to Newington and league leaders Annagh United, Saturday's 4-1 victory over Ballinamallard in Milltown was more than welcome for Warrenpoint.

With a goal apiece in the first half, three in the second was more than enough to secure all three points and with the visitors down to 10 men for the last 20 minutes, it was comfortable in the end.

“Yes it was brilliant,” said Manager Gary Boyle after the game.

"Last week we started well but we let ourselves down a wee bit – probably for the first time this season – but we took our defeat on the chin and moved on.

"Sometimes they're easier to take when you know you don't deserve anything out of them. We've had games this season where we've been beaten and we think we could have got something and they're a wee bit harder to take but it was a brilliant reaction today. It was never in doubt with the group we have and we know that, but we trained really well this week and we knew the performance was bubbling. The first half was probably 50-50, they had a wee bit more of the ball but in the second half we dominated and got goals at good times.”

The Mallards began with an attacking mindset and came close to opening the scoring in the third minute when James McGrath narrowly missed getting a toe to a long ball into the box by Darragh Byrne to poke home.

A second attack soon followed with Byrne once again instrumental. In fact he turned out to be a man to watch, at one stage skipping through three Point players in midfield with two silky touches getting the ball away to his man with ease.

But at that stage it was 1-1 and remained so at the break.

The home side opened the scoring in the seventh minute after withstanding some early pressure from the visitors, when Adam Carroll hit the target. Another good diagonal cross intended for Carroll four minutes later was cut off with a header from Richard Johnston.

Ballinamallard were quick on the break however and Daniel Devine was called into action for a save moments later for a corner that Point captain John Boyle nodded clear.

And on 21 minutes it was a level playing field again when Byrne played a ball in for Daniel Barker who finished to the net.

The speedy Alex Holder made another quick break for the visitors getting his cross away to Byrne but the ball was cleared, while at the other end a Jamie Doran corner played deep into the box was plucked out of the sky by Mallards keeper Lorcan Donnelly.

Rory Powell had a good looping effort just before the half-hour mark that finished just off target and with neither side making any further inroads the score remained 1-1 at the break.

There were a couple of early chances for the hard-working Decky Loye after the re-start, but while the ball didn't fall kindly to him on either occasion it did for Doran six minutes in when he drilled home with a super finish to put the Point into a 2-1 lead.

That lead was increased a few minutes later when the home side were awarded a penalty. Rory Powell stepped up and struck the ball low and hard into the bottom right hand corner of the net giving his side a welcome two-goal cushion.

Callan Farley saw his terrific effort fly inches over the bar on the hour mark that would have put the game to bed but the fizz had gone out of it for the Mallards and their cause wasn't helped when Holder was sent off with a second yellow, reducing the visitors to 10 men for the remainder.

Then, a lovely run down the right flank by Carroll saw him cut inside and fire home to make it 4-1 with just over 10 minutes left on the clock and that was more than enough for a Milltown win.

A combination of Boyle and Devine denied Ballinamallard the chance to pull a goal back and the Point were reduced to 10 for the last couple of minutes when Leddy picked up an injury and all of the subs were used, but it mattered little as the job was done.

Boyle agreed that the two early goals in the second half were crucial in settling nerves after Ballinamallard had equalised before the break.

“I think the next goal was always going to be crucial. We got it and deservedly so and we were able to kick on. Probably going two then three so quickly maybe put out a wee bit of the fight from them and it all sort of spiralled for them in that 10 minutes. We'll take it and we move on.”

And that moving on is against Glenavon in the League Cup on Tuesday night at Milltown before they're back in league action on Saturday away to Loughgall.

MATCH STATS

Warrenpoint Town: D Devine, C Farley, C Murray (S Haughey 80), C Crane, J Boyle, J O'Hanlon (J O'Flaherty 86), R Powell (D O'Hanlon 68), A Carroll, J Doran (M Lynch 86), M Robinson, D Doyle (M Leddy 68)

Subs not used: E Carey, J Nowlan,

Ballinamallard United: L Donnelly, R Morris, R Johnston, A Holder, A Arkinson, D Byrne (S McAteer 68), C Donnelly, T Campbell, J McGrath (M Walsh 68), T Connolly (C Moorhead, 68), D Barker (J McIlwaine 83)

Subs not used: J Ray, D Jonathan, J Browne

Referee: Ben Shepherd