*Jack O’Halloran. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
BRIDGE UTD have bowed out of the Munster Junior Cup at the quarter-final stage for the second year running.
Aisling Annacotty 3
Bridge Utd 2
(after extra time)
Venue: Annacotty
A last-minute winner in extra time sent Aisling Annacotty into the Munster Junior Cup semi-finals and provided the heartache for Bridge Utd in ending their involvement in the provincial competition.
Mark Culbert’s Bridge exit at the quarter-final juncture of Munster for the second year running and once again it was on an astro surface that the Sixmilebridge side met their demise.
Experienced attackers Adam Foley and Conor Coughlan were central to Annacotty advancing. Coughlan put his body on the line and sustained a suspected broken collar bone when he was taken down by Bridge Utd netminder John Mulready with Foley dispatching a penalty to the net to win the game and send them to the semi-finals.
Having taken down Pike Rovers in the last sixteen, Bridge headed to Annacotty confident in their ability but they faced a livelier and slicker outfit in the guise of Aisling.
Clarecastle based Declan Farmer is one of the most respected coaches in the game and has steered Annacotty to reach the last four of Munster in his first season in charge. He is joined in his management by former Bridge player, Anton Mannering, between them they brought considerable intel on the threat posed by Culbert’s charges.
Collingwood Cup commitments have been cited as a reason for Aisling being somewhat slower out of the blocks and within a quarter of an hour, Bridge Utd had gone in front.
Jack O’Halloran drilled low to the bottom corner of the net on thirteen minutes after Filip Mostowy’s cross fell to Kyle Kirby but his attempted volley took a deflection as far as O’Halloran.
Mulready made his first save of the day to stop an excellent volley from Foley but the hosts were beginning to apply more pressure. This paid off when the Limerick side received their first penalty of the afternoon which Foley struck to the net on twenty five minutes.
Disaster struck for Bridge two minutes later when they fell behind. Liam Buckley’s attempted back pass went amiss allowing Sean Ezekannagha to pounce and put Annacotty ahead.
Further chances fell to Donnacha O’Leary and Ezekannagha before the end of the opening half and the hosts will feel they should have been further in front by the break.
Ex Tulla Utd netminder Arron Curtis had a superb display for Annacotty, saving from Jack O’Halloran early in the second half as Bridge began to build up on their opportunities from set pieces. Towards the end of the second half, Curtis made a spectacular save to somehow keep out a header from O’Halloran. Alan Mulready also had a header cleared off the line in the second half.
Prior to the big save, Bridge were back on level terms. Winger Mostowy tucked the ball to the net after substitute Adam Fitzpatrick played him through with seventy six minutes on the clock.
Defender Seanie Ó hAodha managed to save Annacotty’s blushes in extra time when he cleared an O’Halloran back heel from the goalmouth.
It looked like penalties were going to determine who progressed but it then turned out just one penalty would decide the result after Coughlan was brought down giving Foley the chance to send them through and he duly did.
Aisling Annacotty: Arron Curtis; Raid Mouras, David Moloney, Seanie Ó hAodha, Alex Cuddy, Jack Ahern, Donnacha O’Leary, Isaac O’Sullivan, Sean Ezekeannagha, Adam Foley, Conor Coughlan.
Subs: Jamie Halpin for Ezekannagha (61), Davey Brennan for O’Leary (69), Sean Oyibo Ngue Awane for O’Sullivan (69), Conor Carew for Cuddy (96), Joey Rushe for Coughlan (110) (inj).
Bridge Utd: John Mulready, Luc Fitzpatrick, Lee Mulready, Alan Mulready, Liam Buckley, Scott Kirkland, Jack O’Halloran, Kyle Kirby, Brian Corry, Aidan Moloney, Filip Mostowy.
Subs: Adam Fitzpatrick for L Fitzpatrick (41), Conor Henry for Corry (60), Caleb Lategan for Moloney (99), Dean Neary for L Mulready (100).
Referee: Brian Higgins
