Snugboro hit for six as Ballina reach final
Ballina Town's Paul Moran and Snugboro United's Eoin Morris in action during the Mayo Premier Cup Semi-Final. Picture: John Corless
A sixty-second spell twelve minutes into the second half changed the course of this tie and sent the B team of Ballina Town through to the Mayo Premier Cup final where they will meet Swinford.
With Snugboro leading 2-1, a greasy ball deceived their goalkeeper Oran Bourke, and he was helpless to watch Paul Moran’s long-range shot trickle over the line and into the net to level the match. Town went in front immediately after the restart when Tiernan Tighe pounced, and from there on Snugboro heads dropped as Town took control.
The match was played in constant drizzle which made conditions difficult for both sides. Town started better with Leon Geraghty driving a shot narrowly wide after five minutes, as they passed neatly along the surface. Snugboro went more direct and Jason Ormsby tried to set up Thomas Coen with a diagonal ball, but he didn’t connect.
Town had an effort ruled out for offside as they tried to stamp their authority on the match. Up at the other end, Peter Foy’s effort was headed off the line by Town full back Ted Rowe as Snugboro pressed. They were rewarded when John Durkan fouled Tom Murray and Ormsby bent the free kick beautifully to the net on 19 minutes, to put the home side in front.
The lead didn’t last long however, as Tiernan Tighe got on the end of a Leon Geraghty low cross to level it three minutes later.
Coen and Murray combined as Snugboro pressed but then Town goalkeeper Aaron Reilly tripped Murray in the box and Ormsby sent his penalty to the goalkeeper’s left and safely to the net on 26 minutes, putting Snugboro back in front. Ballina responded with Kyle McLoughlin and Moran sending shots over, and at the other end, Murray, who was causing problems for Ballina, sent one over for Snugboro.
Moran and Geraghty had shots saved for Ballina before the mayhem which saw the lead reversed in a crazy minute. Bourke, who has been excellent all season, seemed to have Moran’s shot under control, but somehow it slipped past him in the rain and into the net. Snugboro were shell-shocked, and before they could settle again, Tighe had put Ballina in front. Snugboro’s heads dropped, understandably, and they began to tire.
Tighe added his third with ten minutes to go, when he capitalised on good work by Sam Monaghan and creative play from substitute Conor Durkan. At 4-2, Town were safe. But just in case, James Mulligan snuck home another penalty after Tighe was tripped by the goalkeeper, and Finnan Gavin added a sixth as the clock ticked down.
The result was harsh on an understrength Snugboro side that has done well since they were promoted last season, but it is Ballina Town B, who were also promoted last season, that will contest the Premier Cup Final.
Town manager Aidan Cowen was happy for his players, whom he said played really well in the conditions.
“We got two early set-backs,” he told the Western People. “But we never let the game go. The score maybe flatters us a little bit, I think, but we deserved it in the end. We came here to play football and open gaps in the opposition and take our chances. We were keeping the ball well in the second half and the two goals in quick succession changed the game. It’s great to be in a final and we’ll go about it as we do every game.”
Snugboro coach Paul Egan admitted that the better team won on the day. “They really put the pressure on in the second half,” he said.
“Our plan was to get the ball up to our forwards quickly and cause them problems, and I think we did for spells in the game, but it is unfortunate that it ended the way it did. It’s hard to take when you concede two goals in a minute, but that’s football.
“You switch off for thirty seconds against this good Ballina side and you get punished. That’s what they did today and fair play to them for taking their chances.
“We were missing a few for various reasons but we can’t fault the lads on the pitch for giving it their all. They ran themselves into the ground. It’s been a long season but we’ll take the positives.”
Snugboro United: Oran Bourke, Damien Togher, Thomas Gibbons, Seán Coyle, Daniel Nagy, Eoin Morris, Thomas Coen, Kyrylo Boichuk, Jason Ormsby, Tom Murray. Subs: Adam Coyne (for Murray 46), Ibrahim Mohammed Hacene (for Foy 76).
Ballina Town B: Aaron Reilly, Ted Rowe, John Durkan, Marcus Lacuesta, Simon Romel, James Mulligan, Leon Geraghty, Paul Moran, Kyle McLoughlin, Tiernan Tighe, Sam Monaghan. Subs: Conor Durkan (for Geraghty 70), Aaron Monaghan (for Romel 83), Finnan Gavin (for McLoughlin 90).
REF: Óisin Walsh.
