Some big guns fail to fire on night of shocks
Bangor Hibs carried their excellent Division 3 form in the Westaro Masters Cup when taking out Division 1 side Ballina Town in Round 1. Picture: Michael Donnelly
Cup giant killings were the theme in last Wednesday night’s action as the Division 1 runners-up and the Division 2 champions were both sent packing on an evening littered with drama at Umbro Park.
Bangor Hibs produced the shock of the round when the Division Three side knocked out Division One heavy-hitters Ballina Town 5-4. They held a 2-1 lead at the break thanks to goals from Anthony Coyle and Mikie Sweeney. John Durkan found the back of the net for Ballina in the opening half. Coyle and Sweeney struck again early in the second-half to extend the Hibs lead but the drama was far from over. Paul Moran netted a brace to make it 4-3 before Thomas Murphy scored directly from a corner to put some daylight between the teams. Moran completed his hat-trick but Bangor Hibs dug deep to secure a big cup giant-killing.
The other shock saw another Division Three side Partry Athletic score a late winner to knockout out Division Two champions Conn Rangers 4-3. Shane Bourke’s penalty for Conn had cancelled out Kevin Dolan’s opener but Brian Naughton and Dolan’s second put Partry firmly in control.
The men in yellow missed a host of chances to put the game away and it looked like it might come back to haunt them as Noel Butler and Bourke levelled the game. But Partry, despite the absence of free-scoring John Russell, rallied late on and the outstanding Mark Gibbons fired home a winner.
Fahy Rovers are also through to the quarter-finals after Tom Gill scored late on to send Division 1 side Ballyvary Blue Bombers out. In a topsy-turvy affair, Gill drew Fahy level before the break and also scored the opening goal, with Darren Creaby netting the other. Ballyvary’s first-half strikes came from Declan Neary Jakub Gawalkiewicz and Conor Kelly. Goals from Eoin Carney and Jonathan Beckett looked to have put Fahy home and dry before a frantic final 90 seconds saw Gawalkiewicz net a second and Colm Kelly score an equaliser before Gill completed his hat-trick with the final kick of the game.
Killala are also into the last eight after they saw off a stubborn Castlebar Town 5-3. Johnny McNulty, two, Alan Murphy, Michael Murphy and Mark McLoughlin, from the penalty spot, got the goals for the North Mayo men. Zoltan Gal, Sean O’Malley and Brian Hanrahan found the net for Town.
Kiltimagh/Knock United got the hard work done in the first-half against S&F United in a 7-3 win. Gavin Groarke scored while Sean Garvey, Conor Heneghan and Paul Regan all netted braces for Kiltimagh/Knock with Regan’s second the only goal of a much duller second-half. Cormac Healy, a double, and Michael Prendergast were on the scoresheet for S&F.
Westport United had a comfortable 7-3 win over Snugboro United. David Hoban netted a hat-trick while Danny Scahill also scored a brace. Sean Bradshaw and Austin O’Malley also found the back of the net. Colin Corrigan and Ronan Glynn, a brace, scored for Snugboro in the second-half when Westport were already well in the driving seat.
Iorras Aontaithe eased into the quarter-finals with a comprehensive 11-1 win over Manulla ‘B’. Brendan Nallen helped himself to a four-goal haul while Garrett O’Malley got a hat-trick. Mark Gilbert, two, Eamon Carey and Liam O’Donoghue completed the rout, while Colin Walsh scored Manulla’s sole effort from the penalty spot.
The final tie was an all-Ballyglass affair, and the ‘A’ team proved why they are just that as the Division One champions beat Ballyglass ‘B’ 6-0. Alan Plunkett and Dermot Costello both netted a brace, while JP Reilly and Colm Boyle were also on the scoresheet.
The quarter-final draw is as follows: Kiltimagh/Knock v Westport United, Ballyglass v Fahy Rovers, Iorras Aontaithe v Partry Athletic and Bangor Hibs v Killala. Ties will take place tomorrow (Wednesday), March 27.
Goal of the week: David Hoban (Westport United)
Hoban scored a tasty volley to complete his hat-trick against Snugboro United.
The combination of Holmes’ excellence, his crossbar and goalpost thwarted most of what Ballina threw at Bangor Hibs in a shock win for the Barony men.
Gibbons filled the void left in John Russell’s absence expertly, with his late winner a fitting reward for an excellent performance.
