Dromara Village took an early goal but Kilmore Rec came back to win in extra time
The NAFL,
The Clarence Mayes Cup Round 1,
Final Score: Kilmore Rec 2 Dromara Village 1 (after extra-time).
Kilmore Rec kept their silverware hopes alive with an extra-time victory over Premier Division rivals Dromara Village in the Clarence Cup.
The Blues found themselves trailing early after Callum Bradley launched Dromara in front after just two minutes, but Josh Smyth was on hand to force an additional 20 minutes.
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The Rec had dominated for the vast majority of play, and their efforts were rewarded when substitute Chris Magee fired them into the second round of the competition.
Kilmore went on the attack from the off, putting the opposition attack through their paces on the first forward drive.
However, they were left stunned as Domara Village executed their counter-attacking plan to the letter, snatching an early lead when Bradley rifled into the bottom corner from range.
The hosts showed no signs of licking their wounds, quickly dusting themselves down and beginning the search for an instant response.
They came to within inches of a leveller in their next two attempts, with captain Yaroslav Panfilov’s header denied by a reactive save from Oisin McStay and Conor Curran’s cross bouncing away from Joe Healy in the six-yard box.
John Mahoney was next to try his luck, meeting a clever, dinked pass from Harry Smyth, but the ball sat up and the shot sailed high and wide.
Rec were left with a sense of it simply not being their day when McStay made a heroic triple save, stopping Fionn Mulhern’s initial and covering ground to block the point-blank efforts of Harry Smyth and James Mahoney.
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Aside from their goal and James Costello drilling a pair of shots at goalkeeper Christopher Turley, Dromara did not give their hosts too much to worry about in the first half, yet they had just done enough to keep their noses in front at the break.
While the home picked up where they had left off when the second half commenced, they were left frustrated once more, as Rhys Clarke beat McStay to Mulhern’s through ball and poked goalward, only for Benjamin McKeown to clear off the line.
There was more of the same when Harry Smyth had a pair of shots stopped by a timely block and a diving save, but the subsequent corner was the catalyst for change.
Curran whipped a dangerous ball deep, into the back post, where Josh Smyth was waiting to head home the equaliser.
The Village reacted to conceding, however, with sprinting past several men an unleashing a powerful strike, one which was superbly tipped out of the top corner by Turley.
The final 10 minutes developed into a game of throw-ins, and both sides were left wondering how they had not snatched a late winner.
Harry Smyth failed to direct a number of Curran crosses goalward, while Costello put one on a plate for Phillip Kerr, who was denied a decisive goal by a world-class save from Turley and a sliding challenge from Healy, on the rebound.
There was nothing to split the sides at the end of 90 minutes, meaning extra-time, and possibly penalties, would be needed to decide the outcome.
The latter would not be required though, as Magee made the desired impact from the bench, producing a surging run, playing a one-two with Shea McGrattan and firing a spectacular, unstoppable shot past the diving McStay.
The goal, deserving of a victory, proved clinical, sending Kilmore through to the next round and providing some light in what has otherwise been a tough season.
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Kilmore Rec: 1 Christopher Turley (GK) 2 Joshua Smyth 3 Conor Curran 4 Joe Healy 5 Yaroslav Panfilov (C) 6 Caolon Conlon 7 Rhys Clarke 8 John Mahoney 9 Fionn Mulhern 10 Harry Smyth 11 James Mahoney. Subs: 12 Christopher Magee Shay McGrattan 15 Gary Stranney.
Dromara Village: 1 Oisin McStay (GK) 2 Mark Burke 3 Ben Hanna 4 Benjamin McKeown 5 Carl Coburn Matthew McCandless 7 Brendan Tumilty 8 Nathan Hamilton (C) 9 James Costello 10 Ben Martin 11 Calum Bradley. Subs: 12 Philip Kerr 14 Adam McClune 17 Clint Thompson.
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