Bay book Division Two title play-off with Redeemer after thumping Johnstown

NEFL Division Two

Bay FC 6-2 Johnstown

Bay FC will face derby rivals Redeemer Celtic in a play-off for the Division Two title after winning their final league game of the season, against Johnstown, on Friday night.

In a ‘do or die’ game, victory for Johnstown would have put them in position to go toe-to-toe with the Cox’s Demesne outfit for a place in next season’s Division One, while a draw would have handed Redeemer the title.

But Bay’s form of recent weeks has been superb and they continued in this vein, which has seen them lose just one league game all season, in dismantling Johnstown, with Quadri Olowo scoring four times.

The striker opened his account after just three minutes, hammering to the net after latching on to a through ball, before he assisted strike partner Alan McCartney to make it 2-0.

However, the visitors got themselves back into the game midway through the half and pushed for a leveller in the lead into half-time. Bay hit them with a sucker punch just before the short whistle, though, with McCartney’s corner being powerfully met by the head of Pairic Browne.

Leading 3-1, Damien Bellew’s side extended the lead 10 minutes after the interval when Anto McLaughlin teed up Olowo, who cut loose in the second half.

Johnstown halved the deficit, but Olowo completed a wonderful Bay display by scoring his third and fourth goals of the contest.

The play-off will take place on Sunday, November 25.

Bay FC: Kevin Mullen; Brian McCloskey, Angelo Stanley, Pairic Browne, Stephen McGuinness; Shaun O’Connor, Alfonso Crespo, Anto McLaughlin, Joe Woods; Alan McCartney, Quadri Olowo

Subs: Mark Larkin, Johnny Winters, Robbie Murphy, Kevin Scollon