Mervue ruin Rangers’ trip to the city

Connacht Junior Cup – Round 3 

Mervue United 5 

Conn Rangers 1

Patrick Hennelly at Fahy’s Field 

The concession of four first-half goals to a slick and creative Mervue United on Sunday afternoon effectively ended Conn Rangers’ interest in this season’s Connacht Cup.

Rangers did produce some tidy football during that first-half and even managed to net a goal of the season contender, courtesy of Adam Gallagher. However, there can be no denying that Mervue were much the better team on the day and the youthful Galway city outfit could well be crowned provincial champions at the end of the competition.

Conn Rangers began the tie impressively and were enjoying moving the ball across the slick Fahy’s Field surface whilst looking for that pocket of space behind the Mervue defence. In contrast, the hosts took time to settle but they did still manage to craft the first noteworthy effort of the afternoon when Kody McCann teed-up Lewis Waweru, but he fluffed a close-range shot and Brian McMahon’s goal remained intact.

The Maroon and Blue then tried their luck from distance, when a chance fell to Oisin Coyne, whose effort trickled harmlessly wide.

The hosts continued to pepper the visitors goal and it eventually paid dividends, when Conn Rangers’ Sean Holmes inadvertently handled the ball inside the 18 yard box, forcing the referee to point to the penalty spot. Aaron Neary was coolness personified from the spot-kick and suddenly Mervue were up and running.

Conn Rangers tried to regroup but just three minutes after conceding the opener, McMahon was once again forced to pick the ball out from the back of his net. A raking free-kick from Mervue’s Oisin Coyne bypassed a static Rangers defence, thus allowing the hovering Dara McGrath the opportunity to divert the leather home.

Rangers needed a tonic and it almost arrived on 20 minutes when a chance fell to Conor Flynn but his deflected goal-bound effort was somehow turned around his post by the agile Peter Healy.

Undeterred, Conn continued to press and their persistence paid dividends on 29 minutes. A slick Rangers move saw the energetic Adam Gallagher collect possession outside the box and his ‘Mo Salah type’ curling strike flew into the top corner of the net, for what must surely be one of the top goals of this season’s Connacht Cup.

It looked like the understrength Mayo visitors were about to launch a daring comeback, but Mervue’s guile and creativity came to the fore once again on 35 minutes. An intricate and tidy move by the locals saw Adam Healy cross for the poaching Lewis Waweru and he calmly guided the ball to the back of the net, much to the delight of the home supporters.

United were motoring along nicely and very nearly fashioned another goal on 42 minutes, but Kody McCann’s snapshot had too much elevation.

A beleaguered Conn Rangers needed the sanctuary of the dressing-room and the chance to regroup, however, Ollie Neary’s charges ended the game as a contest on 44 minutes. A marvellous deep cross from the industrious Daniel Brennan was met by a superlative cushioned finish from Waweru, which nestled in the bottom corner of the net.

Any lingering hope of a second-half fightback from Conn Rangers was extinguished seven minutes into the second period, when Mervue’s Adam Healy rounded off a deadly counteroffensive move by arrowing home a smashing finish.

Despite trailing 5-1, the gallant North Mayo side continued to plug away and refused to throw in the towel, with Eoin Prendergast forcing a fine save from Healy, after the Conn striker weaved his way past the Mervue rearguard.

Conn’s Flynn and Ajay McGrath also saw chances fall into their paths, but both their strikes lacked the required accuracy.

Mervue decided to empty their bench during the closing stages of the joust and made a trio of substitutions on 67 minutes, which included former Galway United player Jason Molloy. Indeed Molloy very nearly set-up a sixth goal for his team on 78 minutes when his nimble footwork saw the striker evade the Rangers defence before teeing-up fellow substitute Mark O’Halloran, but the latter’s strike failed to find its intended target.

The Mount Falcon men could well have filched a late consolation strike, however, Owen McNamara’s effort from inside a crowded goalmouth was somehow thwarted by the alert Healy.

With full-time on the horizon, Mervue very nearly added a sixth but Molloy saw his goal-bound strike expertly saved by the alert McMahon.

Mervue United can now look forward to the quarter-finals of the Connacht Cup, whilst Conn Rangers return to domestic action next weekend when they host Manulla in the first round of the Super League Cup.

Mervue United: Peter Healy, Daniel Brennan, Kacper Zatonski, Conor Keady, Dara McGrath, Luke O’Gorman, Kody McCann, Oisin Coyne, Lewis Waweru, Aaron Neary, Adam Healy. Subs: Jason Molloy, Mark O’Halloran and Charlies Jones Concannon (for Waweru, McCann and O’Gorman 67), Kieran O’Connor and Ben O’Gorman (for Brennan and Neary 75).

Conn Rangers: Brian McMahon, A.J. McGrath, Sean Holmes, Chris Moore, Owen McNamara, Conor Flynn, Adam Gallagher, Peter Naughton, Eoin Prendergast, Liam Durkan, Tadhg O’Sullivan.

Sub: Ciaran Brogan (for Prendergast 70).

REF: Kevin Ruane (Galway)