TULLA UTD had to come from behind to prevail in the FAI Junior Cup at the expense of Ennis Dons.
Tulla Utd 3
Ennis Dons 1
Venue: Lees Rd, Ennis
Having put themselves in an excellent position, Ennis Dons dipped in concentration and conceded two goals in as many minutes on the stroke of half time which was part of their undoing.
They would rightly have been very pleased with their initial showing in the first half but it came as a real sucker punch for them to trail by a goal when the sides retreated to the dressing rooms at half time.
It was Tulla that were gifted the chance of going ahead on five minutes when Cillian Roughan gave away a penalty and picked up a yellow card but fortunately for him Éanna Culloo didn’t hit the net.
Dons took the lead on twenty eight minutes with a well-worked move. Conor O’Halloran played a nice pass out wide to Michael Akujobi on the right wing, he cut in and finished low beyond Gearoid Austin to put the Dons in the driving seat.
As the game approached the end of the opening half, Tulla began to up the ante with chances falling to Daragh Corry and Seán Withycombe.
Dan Withycombe was centrally involved in both of their goals before the break. He got a slight volley onto a cross from the right hand side which Mark Cleary was unable to keep out.
Then Dan managed to dispossess Peter O’Brien allowing Tulla Utd to pounce with Ian Macnamara on hand to finish to the net and turn the tie on its head.
On the restart, Dons netminder Mark Cleary made a fine diving save to keep out an effort from Culloo following an Adam Kilker cross. Culloo did well to dispossess full-back Alex Akujobi giving Ian Mac a chance to double his tally but his shot went narrowly above the cross bar.
With their next attack, Ennis Dons were presented with their best chance of going level. Substitute Emmanuel Obadeyi was denied by the post on fifty eight minutes, this opportunity serving as a real turning point in the game and as an equaliser would have lifted Dons’ confidence.
Instead Tulla extended their advantage, Cleary managed to save a free from Daragh Corry but the ball drifted out for a throw. Up stepped centre half Diarmuid Molloy to throw the ball into the box which was headed to the net by his defensive partner Dara Ryan for their third goal on sixty six minutes.
Winger Callum Casey added further energy to Tulla’s charge and managed to put some chances together but there would no be scores prior to the sounding of Michael Rock’s final whistle.
Through to the second round, Tulla have been consistent this season and were collectively the stronger side in this outing. Adam Kilker, Dan Withycombe, Daragh Corry and Ian Macnamara were most influential for the winners.
Defeated and no longer in the FAI Junior Cup, Dons can still take some positives. They were able to match one of the stronger Premier Division sides and to their credit they did likewise against Newmarket Celtic and Avenue Utd in the league for large spells. Crucially, they are missing some depth and a stronger spine of their midfield would result in them climbing further up the table and competing with Clare’s top teams for longer. Stephen Jordan was solid at left back as was Conor O’Halloran in midfield with Rory O’Loughlin offering glimpses of potential up front. x
Tulla Utd: Gearoid Austin; Fionn Ryan, Dara Ryan, Diarmuid Molloy, Adam McNamara: Adam Kilker, Ian Macnamara, Sean Withycombe, Dan Withycombe, Éanna Culloo, Daragh Corry.
Subs: Callum Casey for D Withycombe (58), Billy McNamara for S Withycombe (70)
Ennis Dons: Mark Cleary, Alex Akujobi, Cillian Roughan, Eoin Keenan, Stephen Jordan, Peter O’Brien, Barry Woods, Michael Akujobi, Conor O’Halloran, Philip Talty, Rory O’Loughlin.
Subs: Emmanuel Obadeyi for M Akujobi (HT), Donal O’Halloran for O’Loughlin (HT), Kingsley Makombe for Talty (58), Jack Devitt Stubbs for O’Brien (62), Kosi Ugwueru for Keenan (70),
Referee: Michael Rock
Gallery of photographs by Gerard O’Neill
