Kesh 2-2 Enniskillen Rangers
A Ryan Campbell double helped Kesh come from two goals behind to snatch a draw with Enniskillen Rangers.
The visitors looked as though they would leave Connolly Park with all three points when a Jamie Robinson header and an own goal gave them a 2-0 lead with half an hour left to play, but a Campbell wonder strike and a late penalty earned his side a point.
Rangers manager Michael Kerr was frustrated his team did not hold on to their advantage, and admitted they made mistakes at both ends of the pitch to allow Kesh back into the game.
“It was two points dropped from being 2-0 up,” he said. “We missed two or three gilt edged chances, one at 1-0 up and a couple at 2-0 up. Individual mistakes cost us, both from an attacking point of view and then in defence giving two goals away, losing possession too easily for their first one and then giving away a penalty for the second one.
"It was very disappointing but there were positives to take from the game as well as negatives. At the end of the day we don’t expect to be in a title race, but we want to finish as high up the table as possible and those two dropped points against a mid-table rival at the minute was disappointing. We move on to Athletic this week. It is an Enniskillen derby so it’s not going to be easy and they have players back from Gaelic, but it is at home and we will be going looking for the three points.”
Kesh dropped their first league points under manager Ryan Campbell, but the boss was content with the draw after his two goals rescued a point.
“The lads showed good character not to give up,” said Campbell. “They kept fighting and in the end we got the penalty and a draw. I thought the game was even enough. Mickey might feel hard done by having been two up, but I think overall a draw was fair enough.
"We had great chances and they had great chances, and it was fine margins. At 2-1 they seemed to get a bit nervy and got a bit deeper and we were able to push on more. Overall, I was happy to get the draw after being two down.”
Going into the game there was only one point separating the teams in the league table and it was always likely to be a closely contested match, but it was Kesh who carved out the first goal scoring opportunity of the match.
A Kesh corner was only partially cleared and Nathan Cashel returned the ball into the penalty area. Campbell got on the end of the cross but his free header from six yards out dropped wide of the post.
There was little to choose between the teams for much of the first half, but Rangers took the lead after 38 minutes when Conor Rippey’s free kick was headed in at the front post by Jamie Robinson.
Kesh’s Danny Wilson had a second half effort well saved, but it was Rangers who grabbed the second goal when they broke forward, Cashel inadvertently diverting a cross past his own goal keeper.
Rangers then spurned two good chances to wrap the game up, and Kesh took full advantage. Campbell curled in a long range effort to drag his team back into contention, and the comeback was complete in the closing minutes of the contest when Neil Coulter brought down Cashel, and Campbell made no mistake from 12 yards to snatch a point.
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