9 April 1998 Edition
Sportsview: Competitive league encounters
In last weekend's National League quarter finals Leinster's only representatives, Offaly, continued to make big strides after winning last year's Leinster title. They took on Galway at Dr Hyde Park in rough conditions. Offaly's superior physical strength and their ability to take scores from play was enough to secure victory over the Tribesmen. They withstood a heavy onslaught in the final 20 minutes, then slotted over a couple of points in the final minutes to confirm their win.
An all-Ulster clash at Croke Park saw Monaghan take on Down. With eight minutes remaining it looked in the bag for the Mournemen, until a late Monaghan resurgence (or a lack of Down fitness and/or concentration) saw them net two goals from substitute Darren Swift and Stephen McGinnity. Down, now two points in arrears, came back with a Mickey Linden point but Monaghan held on to clinch a surprise place in the semis next Sunday.
A disastrous performance from the footballers of Cork led to them crashing out. Their opponents must have been surprised at the ease of their victory. After 44 minutes the Donegal men were 2-11 to 0-9 in front, after which Cork were awarded a dubious penalty. The goal however failed to rally the Rebel County. Their performance is summed up by the fact that they failed to score for the rest of the game. Plenty of pre-season training needed down in Cork for the up-coming championship.
The final encounter was between Derry and Mayo at Sligo's Markievicz Park. Mayo again must be wondering what they did wrong as a Gary Coleman goal was the differnec between the sides at the end.
A repeated squandering of chances was the main cause of Celtic's defeat in the Scottish Cup semi-final and the ending of the chance for the treble. McCoist was the cause of Celtic frustration yet again as he crashed home a 74th minute goal. Craig Burley and Paul Lambert flowed in midfield and Simon Donnelly and Larsson playing well, but problems up front is still the main cause of concern.
We'll see what happens at Ibrox.
BY CIARAN HEAPHEY
An all-Ulster clash at Croke Park saw Monaghan take on Down. With eight minutes remaining it looked in the bag for the Mournemen, until a late Monaghan resurgence (or a lack of Down fitness and/or concentration) saw them net two goals from substitute Darren Swift and Stephen McGinnity. Down, now two points in arrears, came back with a Mickey Linden point but Monaghan held on to clinch a surprise place in the semis next Sunday.
A disastrous performance from the footballers of Cork led to them crashing out. Their opponents must have been surprised at the ease of their victory. After 44 minutes the Donegal men were 2-11 to 0-9 in front, after which Cork were awarded a dubious penalty. The goal however failed to rally the Rebel County. Their performance is summed up by the fact that they failed to score for the rest of the game. Plenty of pre-season training needed down in Cork for the up-coming championship.
The final encounter was between Derry and Mayo at Sligo's Markievicz Park. Mayo again must be wondering what they did wrong as a Gary Coleman goal was the differnec between the sides at the end.
Celtic 1 Rangers 2
A repeated squandering of chances was the main cause of Celtic's defeat in the Scottish Cup semi-final and the ending of the chance for the treble. McCoist was the cause of Celtic frustration yet again as he crashed home a 74th minute goal. Craig Burley and Paul Lambert flowed in midfield and Simon Donnelly and Larsson playing well, but problems up front is still the main cause of concern.
We'll see what happens at Ibrox.
BY CIARAN HEAPHEY