1996/99
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Ballyglass held their nerve. And how!
Soccer
18 February 1998
GUINNESS F.A.I. JUNIOR CUP (Sixth Round)
COOL-HEADED KEADY ENSURES MAYO KINGPINS OF SENSATIONAL WIN. . .
Ballyglass's eleventh hour!
Ballyglass ............................... 0 North End (Wexford) ...................... 0
(Ballyglass won 11-10 on penalties after extra time)
Big match report By Tom Kelly
They progressed to the seventh round of the Guinness F.A.I. Junior Cup on Sunday with a remarkable victory over North End which will be prominently etched in the football annals. A total of twenty-four kicks were required to separate the inseparable in what represented one of the longest ever climaxes in the history of the competition.
When each of the twenty-two players who finished the game had completed their testing duties from the spot in an atmosphere filled with trepidation, the issue was deadlocked at ten goals apiece with just one penalty being missed on either side.
At that point, the cycle had to start all over again with North End defender, John Fahy, being summoned from the centre circle for a second time. Fahy, succumbing to the pressure, failed to strike the ball with sufficient conviction and Ballyglass goalkeeper, Declan Prendergast, saved expertly.
Now the focus switched to Justin Keady, the Shrule-based central defender who never missed a penalty since joining the club. He picked his spot and drove it brilliant past Simon Houghton, the North End goalkeeper.
Ballyglass. applauded off the pitch by their overjoyed and relieved followers, were through to the last sixteen of the cup for the first time. But never before had a Mayo team endured such an exhausting examination of their concentration and courage.
Now they are at home in the next round to Nenagh Town, a fixture which will give them hope of becoming only the fourth Mayo side ever to reach the quarter-finals.
Ballyglass had the opportunity of winning the match during the initial series of five penalties each. But in what is becoming a typical trait of Jarlath Moran's side, they love making things difficult for themselves!
Declan Prendergast saved North End's fifth effort by midfielder Pat Redican. Then Prendergast turned from hero to villain in a few short seconds by blasted the next attempt over the bar, a miss which put the game into a sudden death scenario.
Ballyglass faced something of a crisis when North End goalkeeper, Houghton, scored against his opposite number to make it 10-9.
The next Ballyglass penalty-taker Kenny Staunton, who probably expected the issue to be resolved long before his number was called, discovered he had a burst boot! A quick change later, Staunton fitted comfortably into his highly responsible role and dispatched the ball with his left foot into the net.
In the final analysis, it could not be denied that Ballyglass deserved their victory. They had been the more determined and spirited side from the start and created the better opportunities. It could be argued with some justification, in fact, that the best saves Ballyglass goalkeeper Prendergast had to made were from two misdirected shots by his own players, namely Kevin Connolly and Mark Diskin.
North End promised more than they delivered. Their first half display against the wind in the first direct suggested they could take the home side apart in the second period.
But the quite opposite occurred with Ballyglass taking firm command from the 47th minute when Stephen Ring was inches wide with a good effort. Then, five minutes later following the best Ballyglass move of the match, Joe Reapy put Ring through to a scoring position. But the former Claremorris player's effort struck a post and rebounded wide.
It was not all one-way traffic by any means. Billy Dodd and Ger Berry made a number of telling runs for the Wexford side, but they rarely looked like breaking down a Ballyglass defence in which Colm Burke was particularly outstanding. Dobbs tested Prendergast with a powerful shot in the 65th minute. But Prendergast was in no mood to be beaten and displayed his confidence by punching away two dangerous corner kicks from his left side.
It was a busy enough half for Prendergast with a stiff wind into his face and the normally routine exercise of kicking out the ball became an increasingly laborious one. The introduction of substitutes Shane Hyland and James Regan gave Ballyglass greater attacking impetus when they needed it. Regan, who replaced Ray Prendergast, nearly scored twice within five minutes of his introduction with two fine efforts.
But the most unfortunate player of all was Paul Connolly, producing a dynamic performance in his central midfield position. He had a shot taken off the line by North End substitute, Colin Bent, in the 72nd minute after the goalkeeper had been beaten all ends up.
There was always the fear that Ballyglass would be caught with a late sucker-punch, but that would have been an injustice.
The result extended Ballyglass's unbeaten home record in junior football stretching back to January, 1997. Who's to say they cannot keep the run going?
Ballyglass: D. Prendergast, K. Staunton, M. Diskin, C. Burke, J. Keady, S. Ring, J. Reapy, P. Connolly, R. Prendergast, K. Connolly, M. Vahey. Res: S. Hyland (for K. Connolly); J. Regan (for R. Prendergast). North End: S. Houghton, K. Kelly, R. Foley, J. Fahy, K. Furlong, P. Redican, D. Cunningham, S. O'Shea, M. Mulligan, B. Dodd, G. Beary.
Res: D. Beary (for O'Shea); C. Bent (for Furlong); A. O'Connor (for Cunningham).
Ref: K. Reilly (Ballyglass).
* Star Rating: Colm Burke . . . composure personified.
