Shootout exit for defiant Town
Ballina Town manager Mick Duffy during the Connacht FA Junior Cup at Belleek Park last Sunday. Picture: David Farrell Photography
Ballina Town’s journey in the Connacht Cup is over for another year as they were edged out in a penalty shootout to last season’s finalists Maree/Oranmore at a blustery Belleek Park.
Of the six Mayo teams left in the competition ahead of the game, Ballina’s task looked the most challenging. M/O knocked Ballina Town out in last season’s competition on their way to the final and the hosts have a much changed lineup coming into the new season, with senior debuts for 17-year-old Alex Monaghan and 18-year-old Oran Canavan, while veteran David O’Mahoney played in an unfamiliar left-side centre-back role and manager Mick Duffy was proud of his sides showing.
“It was about the performance today, when you’re out of season,” he told the . “Our season starts in a month or two’s time. We’re up against a team that’s in season. We kinda tried to say to our lads it wasn’t really about the result, because that could go either way. The performance was number one. Once you can show fight, you have a little bit of hope going forward.”
There was impact off the bench, with Benny Lavelle getting much needed minutes after coming back from a knee injury that kept him for the majority of last season while Conor Gorman and Oisin Tighe also impressed. There may be a rebuild job on Mick Duffy’s hands but, with Jamie Cawley also to return from injury, there’s enough evidence to suggest Ballina will remain a dangerous opponent in the Super League this season.
Ballina had the first shot of the game as Matthew Cowan cut inside from the left only for Jack Murphy to save comfortably. Ballina goalkeeper Emmet Peyton was certainly the busier of the custodians and he kept his side in it as M/O began to dominate possession. Peyton denied Colm Whelan and Liam McDonagh, while McDonagh also had a shot blocked, but Whelan did break the deadlock on 22 minutes with an excellent low drive into the bottom left corner.
Ballina’s only other chance in the half was started and finished by PJ Gilmartin. His long diagonal ball found Conor Gorman, who did brilliantly to keep it in play. Gorman cut it back to Gilmartin but the finish did not match the original ball.
With Benny Lavelle on for the second half, and Dylan McKee now laying in a more advanced role, the home side looked the more threatening. McKee almost equalised on 52 minutes but his shot from outside the penalty area came back off the post.
Ten minutes later, they were level. A corner whipped in was kept alive and a shot was deflected away, but O’Mahoney smashed it back in and it deflected into the net, much to the chagrin of M/O who felt the goal should not have stood due to a Ballina player interfering in an offside position.
Ballina and M/O both pushed for the winner in normal time, but both defences held firm as the game went to extra-time. A deflection off Conor Quinn had Peyton scrambling to tip it over the bar while at the other end, Lavelle forced Murphy into a good save while in the second period of extra-time, a sweetly struck effort by substitute Ashton Judge was dipping but went the wrong side of the post.
Penalties was required and Murphy was the hero for M/O, saving Alex Monaghan’s spot kick while the visitors were perfect from 18-yards to book their place in the last 16.
