FonaCAB Junior Cup, Round Five
Finaghy FC 2 Willowbank FC 3
HOLDERS Willowbank were forced to fight hard against Finaghy FC to claim victory at Wedderburn Park on Saturday to reach there last eight of the Junior Cup.
The game began fast and remained so throughout the first half despite adverse weather conditions, with the pitch being slightly soggy, and wind and rain coming down to cause obstructions to both teams play.
Willowbank’s winger Gill, who won man-of-the-match, started things off early for Willowbank with a shot on goal by the third minute of play which would have gone in with a little more power, but was skilfully saved by Finaghy’s goalkeeper, McEnhill.
Finaghy bit back in the seventh minute with a shot of their own from McCarthy, but it went wide and Willowbank launched a counterattack in response which saw Gill have another chance on goal, only for it to be saved once again.
Finaghy, however, refused to stay quiet and began taking ground of their own, overwhelming Willowbank’s defence, which paid off in the 10th minute when Benjamin Hendron got past Willowbank’s goalkeeper Diamond and sunk it into the back of the net, putting them a goal up.
Ben Hendron celebrates putting Finaghy into an early lead
The West Belfast men promptly got back on their feet, ensuring that the next 15 minutes were played near exclusively in Finaghy’s half, with McAvoy and Gill providing and taking four chances on goal, as the rain and wind continued to howl down.
Finaghy’s frustration was highlighted when a defender resorted to kicking the ankle of Gill, bringing him down as he pushed forward with another attack, and it was this frustration that helped Willowbank secure the equaliser in the 23rd minute with McAvoy being set up with a lovely chance which he took and delivered, bringing the score up to a goal apiece.
Willowbank played a skilful, passing game, using every neat piece of footwork in the book to work their way around Finaghy’s heavy defence, and they almost got themselves another goal after a good cross saw Devine try a header which was just caught by the goalkeeper.
Finaghy defender Baker played well, ensuring that for all their skills with the ball, Willowbank found it hard to break through their defence, spoiling at least three decent attacks from the West Belfast side.
However Gill, who thoroughly deserved to be named man-of-the-match was constantly alert and attempted another strike in the 37 minute which went just over the net.
Willowbank continued to play excellently from corners and throw-ins, turning them into excellent header chances which paid off after 40 minutes when a throw-in saw Ciaran Manson head the ball into the back of the net, bringing them up to two goals to one.
In the 42nd minute the West Belfast men used the same skill to their advantage once again with McAvoy scoring another goal from a solid header which saw the half end firmly in Willowbank’s favour, and they would have surely ended the half with more goals if it weren’t for Finaghy’s Hendron who worked very hard to ensure his side managed to end the half only two goals down with the score 3-1.
The second half got underway without much happening, each team attempting to maintain possession, and probing the defences of their opponents until a Finaghy challenge in the 50th minute left goalkeeper Diamond with what looked like a bad injury, which he rallied back from, but was seen with a limp for much of the second half.
The 55th minute mark saw Finaghy’s Devine attempt a wonderful shot but it went just over the net, prompting Willowbank to begin to knuckle down and go on the attack again, taking sound tactical advice on the sidelines from assistant manager John Burns.
Willowbank’s McCullough made several good runs throughout the half, always being on the cusp of getting through, but was shut down each time by the men from South Belfast, with Benjamin Hendron and Edgar making two great chances, one which went just over the net, and the other saved by Diamond. Finaghy also appeared deflated by a goal scored by their man Edgar in the 61st minute, which was ruled as being offside, providing another boost to Willowbank’s morale.
On 64 minutes, Finaghy made their first substitutions with Adair coming on for Peden. Willowbank followed with substitutions of their own shortly after, replacing Savage for McCrory.
Willowbank kept up pressure, not allowing Finaghy any chances to break through until the 75th minute mark when Benjamin Hendron nearly scored a header of his own following a great cross from Adair, but it went slightly wide of the net.
The West Belfast men made another substitution after 75 minutes with Gill coming off for McAreavey who filled in for the remainder of the game.
The wind, which had died down after its previous thrashing again picked up around the moment, and played against the West Belfast side, blowing directly into their faces and changing the balls direction mid-air.
Finaghy attempted to capitalise on a tiring Willowbank side, who were quite literally having the wind knocked out of their sails, but the West Belfast men refused to let anyone past their defensive line until Finaghy finally broke through after 85 minutes following a free-kick from Edgar which allowed Benjamin Hendron to sink it into the back of the net, earning him another goal and bringing the score up to 3-2.
Three minutes were called for additional time, and from Hendron’s goal, the final eight minutes of play descended into a hectic battle with Willowbank bringing in another man, replacing McCullough who had played very well with Heaney for the final push.
The 88th minute mark saw Finaghy man Adair sent off with a red card after a bruising foul on double goalscorer McAvoy who took a bad bash to the stomach.
Finaghy attempted one last chance in the closing minutes, which was saved by Diamond who was still dealing with a small injury of his own.
The final minute of play also saw Willowbank man Heaney awarded at yellow card for a foul before play was brought to a close with a final score of Willowbank 3, Finaghy 2, ensuring the West Belfast men would go onto the Sixth Round of the fonaCAB Junior Cup.
Speaking about the win Willowbank’s manager Declan McCrory said: “We’re buzzing about it. Coming up here and playing on a pitch like this in the weather conditions.
“Finaghy are a big, physical side, a good side, but a big physical one and they know what they’re doing. A lot of our boys are small, skilful players and it almost turned into a bit of a banana skin for them, trying to get past them and get some wins against them.
“We gave ourselves a good half in the first half, getting up two goals ahead and then we manoeuvred about in the second half to make sure we didn’t give anything silly away. Our boys had their backs against the wall, with the wind and rain in their face and Finaghy battering on the door and we stood tall to a man and defended the edge of our box.”
“We won the cup last time, and it was our first time winning it, which was a big boost for us and we do have aspirations of playing at a higher level, of playing at intermediate level and we are heading that direction hopefully if the rest of the league comes off the way we want.
“We haven’t thought about the league next week though, as today we’re all here for today. We focus on each game and get it ticked off, and then we turn our heads onto what’s next.”
WILLOWBANK: Diamond, McCabe, G. Manson, Hughes (C), Ciaran Manson, Winchester, Gill (McAreavey 75), Devine, McAvoy (Goals 23 & 42 min), Savage (McCrory 68), McCullough (Heaney 86 min)
FINAGHY: McEnhill, Fell, Baker, Burke, Taylor, Edgar, Gordon, McCarthy, Greenfield, B Hendron, Peden. Subs L Hendron, Close, Adair
