Limerick District League sides advance in FAI Junior Cup

FAI JUNIOR CUP

IT proved a memorable weekend for the three Limerick sides remaining in the FAI Junior Cup with victories all around to put them in the hat for the last 16 of the tournament. 

Ballynanty Rvs 5 Castlefin Celtic 0

Ballynanty Rovers eased into the last 16 of the FAI Junior Cup with an impressive win over Castlefin at LIT on Sunday afternoon. 

In the end, Balla had five goals to spare against their Donegal opponents in a game where they never looked in danger. 
The visitors began at a frenetic pace but Balla matched their opponents, ball for ball.

Balla’s physically imposing back four presented the Northerners with little opportunity and in front of them Aidan Hurley and the excellent Thomas Byrnes had the upper hand. Foe all their defensive capabilities, the work rate and pace of Gbadebo Habideen and Adrian Power was what wore down Celtic. 

The deadlock was broken after ten minutes when a superb ball from Byrnes picked out Habideen and the Celtic defence backed off and paid the price as the Balla front man drilled a low shot from the edge of the box into the bottom corner. 

Balla doubled their lead ten minutes from the break when a clever ball by James Fitzgerald towards the back post picked out captain, Adrian Power who volleyed in from close range. 

The half time break failed to change the dynamic of the game and it was always going to be a matter of “how many”. 
Balla tacked on the vital third goal midway through the half. Superb selfless running down the right by Habideen saw him pull the ball back for James Fitzgerald to drill a beauty to the net from 18 yards. 

If the Balla wide man’s first goal was good, his second was even better, meeting an Adrian Power cross with a dropping volley that gave the keeper no chance. 

Balla wrapped up the scoring in the final minute when a good run by Liam Byrnes ended with a ball across goal for Power to tuck away at the back post. 

Ballynanty Rovers: Stephen McNamara; Darragh Hughes; Adam Costello; Josh Adams; Thomas O'Connor; James Fitzgerald; Aidan Hurley; Thomas Byrnes; Adrian Power; Cian Power; Gbadebo Habideen, Subs: Cian Fitzgerald; David Donnan; Liam Byrnes; Barry Quinn; Kevin Walsh

Athenry 2 Fairview Rgs 2 (Fairview won 5-3 on pens aet)

Record competition winners, Fairview Rgs showed why they are a constant fixture in the latter stages when they staged a last gasp reprieve before winning the tie on a penalty shoot-out.

With Athenry leading 2-1 with eight minutes of injury time played, most teams would have folded but Fairview pulled a Houdini like escape when Jack Arra struck a late late equaliser. 

Things looked to be going smoothly for the Limerick side when they took the lead after six minutes. Shane Duggan sent Arra away on the wing and his pass across goal was finished to the net by Conor Coughlan. 

The home side were back on level terms five minutes before the break when Stephen Relihan fired into the net following a number of corner kicks. 

Jeffery Judge was denied the lead for Fairview by a superb save from Athenry keeper TJ Forde and Darragh Rainsford also went close for the visitors but it was the home side who struck with fifteen minutes to play when Adam Molloy blocked down an attempted clearance by Aaron Savage and the ball rebounded to the net. 

Fairview lost the influential Steven Bradley to a red card and it looked like game over. However in the final chance of the game, Coughlan whipped a ball into the area that made it’s way to Jack Arra who gleefully fired in the equaliser. 

Extra time failed to separate the sides and in the resulting penalty shoot-out Judge, Duggan, Rainsford, Tracey and Cross all scored while Savage made more than amends with a vital save to see the Blues through.  

Fairview Rgs: Aaron Savage; Wayne Colbert; Scott Kirwin; Jake Dillon; Jason Cross; Steven Bradley; Shane Duggan; Jeffery Judge; Conor Coughlan; Darragh Rainsford; Jack Arra, Subs: Brian Aherne; Shane Tracey
Athenry: TJ Forde.

Strand Celtic 2 Regional Utd 3

A superbly struck free kick by captain Kieran O’Connell in the last minute of extra time ensured that Regional Utd would join Fairview and Ballynanty Rvs in the last 16 of the National tournament following a 3-2 win over Sligo outfit Strand Celtic. 

Celtic took a first half lead through Dylan Martin to make it an uphill fight for the Limerick side. 

However, immediately after the restart Ruairi Casserley levelled the tie.

Casserly put Regional in front with a superb goal that saw him weave his way through a number of defenders before finishing. 
The home side were not done however a Dylan Martin netted again to force the game to extra time. 

Neither side could find a breakthrough until the final act of the game when Kieran O’Connell stepped up and expertly curled the ball around the wall and into the corner to kick off huge celebrations in the United camp. 

Regional Utd: Rob Shier; Tom Frawley; Joey Rushe; David Cowpar; Andrew Cowpar; Kieran O'Connell; Pat McDonagh; Ruairi Casserley; Eoin Duff; Brian O'Connor; Paudie Hartigan, Subs; Joe Lavan; Ewan O'Brien; Luke Ryan; Oleg Vysochan; Shane Carmody.

Lawson Cup

NENAGH continued on their good run with a comprehensive 4-0 win over fellow Premier side Coonagh United at Nenagh on Sunday. 
Adam Ryan set up Aidan White for the opening score and the striker went on to complete a hat trick. Adam Ryan was again the architect for Saeed Ryan to complete the scoring and set up a clash with Pike Rvs in the third round. 
Nenagh lines out as follows; Eoghan Tinkler; Lee Mowatt; Saeed Ryan; Kieran Barr; Mark McKenna; Eoin Coffey; Bryan McGee; Dylan Morrison; Adam Ryan; Aidan White; Kieran O'Brien, Subs: Colm Hayden; Lenny Raleigh; Szymon Popiela; Devlyn Courtney
The Coonagh Utd team was: Josh Sheehan; Luke Doherty; Andrew Leydon; Joey Sheehan; Niall Earls; Ronan Ryan; Chris Kaya; Ossama Saddudi; Daniel Ikoghode; Ger Myles; Eoghan O'Neill, Subs: Ger Higgins; Sean Hartney; Ian Considine; Osakpolor Junior Okorodion

Pike Rovers Eased to a facile win over Glenview. Kevin Barry bagged four goals with Aaron Murphy netting twice. 
Shane Clarke, Colm Walsh O'Loughlin, Danny O'Neill, Adam Lipper and Shane Walsh made up the tally for Pike side who lined out as follow; Ryan Manning; Nathan O'Callaghan; Adam Lipper; Eddie O'Donovan; Evan Patterson; Shane Walsh; Derek Daly; Sean Madigan; Paudie Murphy; Kyle Duhig; Kevin Barry, Subs: Danny O'Neill; Colm Walsh O'Loughlin; Shane Clarke

Athlunkard Villa beat Kilfrush thanks to goals from Famara Kassana (2) and Donal Doherty. 

Premier A Cup

Newport 4 Aisling Annacotty B 4 (Newport won 5-4 on pens)
Newport and Aisling fought out a classic 4-4 Premier A Healy Webb cup tie at a frozen Jackman Park on Thursday evening before the Tipperary side kept their composure to progress after a penalty shoot-out.

Newport did it the hard way having to haul themselves back from a two-goal deficit twice in the 90 minutes.
Aisling were out of the blocks at full speed and took the lead within minutes when Caiman Ayres scored the first of a well taken hat trick.

Aisling doubled their lead midway through the half when Shane Donegan crept in at the back post to volley home from an acute angle.

Newport gradually played their way back into the game and got their reward when Elliot Slattery fired through a crowded goalmouth following a half-cleared corner kick.

The sides were level before the break when Slattery scored again with a near replica of his earlier score.
The second half continued in the same vein and Aisling regained the lead when failure to clear allowed Ayres to fire in from the edge of the box.

Minutes later Ayres completed his hat trick when getting in behind the defence to fire past Harry Ryan in the Newport goal.
Facing exit from the competition, Newport threw caution to the wind and a penalty kick allowed Brian O’Sullivan to make it a one goal game.

With time running out Darren Collins gathered wide on the right and hit a daisy cutter from 30 yards low into the bottom corner for a superb equaliser.

With no extra times it was straight to a penalty shoot-out where Newport emerged 5-4 winners.