Biggest win in a year! Institute hammer Newington at the Brandywell

Institute 4

Newington 0

Two goals from teenager Padraig Lynch helped Institute to their biggest home win in almost a year as they easily overcame Newington at the Brandywell.

It is now successive wins for Kevin Deery’s side whose season is well and truly off and running after a difficult start which brought four successive defeats and had the Blues at the bottom of the NIFL Championship.

But it is all about looking forward for Deery and his players, who were well worth their win here, following on from last week’s dramatic late win at Ballinamallard with an emphatic and comfortable display here.  

Newington were well on top in the early stages and from a free-kick played short from the left flank the ball was worked towards Patrick Downey in acres of space on the edge of the penalty area. The Newington No.10 powered his shot towards goal but it took a wicked deflection off Berti Diau and away to safety amid big calls for a handball from the visitors.

There was an instant shift in momentum as 'Stute began to find their feet. Caoimhin Porter swung in a free kick from deep and Shane Boyle rose highest to meet it but his header went just over the crossbar.

'Stute made the breakthrough in emphatic fashion on 24 minutes when Carlin picked out the run of

Padraig Lynch had a great chance to open the scoring early on when he went through one-on-one from Sean Carlin’s pass, but although his attempted lob beat Newington goalkeeper Rian Brown, the ball bounced just off target.

But Lynch got it right with his second attempt 24 minutes in when he took Sean Carlin’s cross in his stride and expertly lifted the ball over the goalkeeper into the net to make it 1-0.

The striker produced an even better finish just five minutes later as ‘Stute took full advantage of being on top for the first time in the game. Shane Boyle picked out the perfect pass over the top to find Lynch, who took the ball in his stride to take it beyond Brown and slot the ball into an empty net to double his team’s advantage.

‘Stute defended a whole series of corners from Newington, whose best hope of a fightback came from set-pieces, and they could even have gone into the break three goals up, with Caoimhin Porter showing tremendous skill to beat two men on a mazy run into the area, before his shot was eventually charged down.

The half-time whistle followed and Kevin Deery went into the break relaxed and with a smile on his face, with ‘Stute looking good value for their first home win of the season.

Half Time 2-0

Newington needed to strike first if they were to make a game of it in the second half and they very nearly did so on 53 minutes when Jackson Reid’s cross found Storey, who shifted cleverly onto his left foot before his shot through a crowd of players was well turned away by Fintan Doherty.

But it was ‘Stute who got the goal to kill their opponents off on 62 minutes. It was a lightning quick break from a Newington attack which resulted in a superb finish from Michael Harris, who raced through before slamming the ball past Brown for his second goal of the season.

To prove it wasn’t Newington’s day, the ball somehow stayed out on 83 minutes when Seamus Duffy’s cross ricocheted off Darren Stuart onto the post and then Conall Curran into the hands of Fintan Doherty, who somehow did enough to ensure the ball didn’t cross the line.

There was still time for one more ‘Stute goal, with referee Niall Devlin pointing to the penalty spot after Darren Stuart fouled Sean Carlin. Substitute Mikhail Kennedy, who had been denied a goal just seconds earlier, blasted it emphatically into the net for his third goal of the season.

Teams

Institute: Fintan Doherty; Caoimhin Porter, Berti Diau, Shane Boyle, Stephen Doherty; Michael Harris (Cormac Burke 62’), Evan Tweed (Tiarnan Lynch 71’), Padraig Lynch (Mikhail Kennedy 62’), Sean Carlin, Jamie Browne (Conor Quigley 85’), Tiarnan McGinty (Brendan McLaughlin 62’).

Newington: Rian Brown; Kevin Bradley, Richard Gowdy (Callum Parker 60’), Darren Stuart, Patrick Downey (Jacobbi Tugman 73’), Conall McGrandles, Robbie Morrow, Gerard Storey, Jackson Reid (Seamus Duffy 73’), Jack Reilly (Elijah Seymour 60’), Joshua Diver.

Referee - Niall Devlin.