'Heane hold their nerve to advance
Ballyheane and Manulla players await a delivery from a Ballyheane corner. Picture: John Corless
Ballyheane are through to the third round of the FAI Junior Cup after a shoot-out in Carramore on Saturday afternoon.
For Manulla it was repeat of the misery they suffered six days previously at the hands of Conn Rangers in the Benson Cup.
Ballyheane took a two-nil lead into the half-time break and should really have held on to it, in normal time. But they let Manulla back into it with sloppy defending and faced a shoot-out that could have gone either way.
There wasn’t much quality on display, but the match was entertaining with both sides up for it.
Manulla had a good first ten minutes. Diarmuid Costello had a chance but his header from Gavin Jennings’s corner went over the bar. A few minutes later, Manulla lost defender Andrew Shally to injury. Shally’s organisational ability was missed immediately, and it took the Manulla defence a while to settle again.
Liam Irwin took full advantage of that uncertainty when he finished from close range after excellent work by Adam Blake to put the visitors in front.
Cillian Redmond capitalised on a loose ball in the box from Liam Irwin’s long throw to double the lead before half-time.
That should have been game over. Manulla were better in the second half and the excellent Darragh Byrne reduced the deficit immediately. He was unmarked at the back post when he headed home James Dunne’s corner. A few minutes later, Conor Brett, who had a great game, almost levelled it when his lob over the advancing Ballyheane goalkeeper Luca Meldrum went over the bar.
But Brett wasn’t finished. He was hugely influential in the build-up to the eventual equaliser, when he set up Shea Benson just before the end to send the tie into extra-time.
Irwin and Brett had wides in an uneventful extra-time before the spot kicks commenced.
Ballyheane took an immediate lead when Cillian Redmond scored with a shot down the middle and James Dunne’s effort rebounded from the crossbar. Liam Irwin sent a low shot to the net and Conor Brett sent his to the left past Meldrum to make it 2-1. Rob Callaghan’s penalty was saved by Mattie Flanagan in the Manulla goal, and Cian Mannion levelled it when he fired to the goalkeeper’s left.
Dylan Stevenson was next for Ballyheane but he sent his penalty wildly over the bar. In reply, Josh Barrett for Manulla saw his effort saved by Meldrum. With one remaining each, and the score at two-two, it was decision time. Mark Bolger gave the advantage to Ballyheane with a solid strike past Flanagan. Padraig Beirne’s effort crucially hit the bar to send Ballyheane through.
Ballyheane probably deserved the win. They were the better side over the 110 minutes, in a game low on skill.
“There was a serious lack of quality for us today,” Ballyheane manager Ashley Stevenson told the after the game. “We got ourselves in good positions and should have been another goal or two up in the first half. We were poor in the second half and they had every right to come back into the game. Two-nil is always a dangerous lead, because they get one, and they are back in it. At 2-0 you have to control the game, but we didn’t, but we’ll take the win and move on.”
Manulla assistant manager Andrew Shally described it as a tough game. “Obviously going two down was not what we wanted, but we showed serious fight and belief in the second half to get back in the game. That’s two weeks in a row when we have come back from being two down, so we have demonstrated the fight and the belief, so now we have to stop going two down before we put on a display.”
Adam Blake, and Liam Irwin, Michael Fahy were excellent for the winners. Darragh Byrne and Conor Brett were Manulla’s best.
Manulla: Matthew Flanagan; Padraig Beirne, Diarmuid Costello, Andrew, Shally, Gavin Jennings; James Dunne, Darragh Byrne, Conor Brett; Cian Benson, Shea Benson, Dylan Dunne. Subs: Cian Mannion (for Shally 5), Liam Redmond (for C Benson 80), Josh Barrett (for Jennings 82), Jamie Flannery (for Costello 85).
Ballyheane: Luca Meldrum; Adam Blake, Cillian Redmond, Donie Behan, Mark Bolger; Dylan Stevenson, Michael Fahy, Nathan Reilly-Doyle; Seán Rabbette, Liam Irwin, Rob Callaghan. Sub: Joseph Mulcahy (for Rabbette 86).
REF: Tom Jennings.
