Tummery and Strathroy dig deep to secure last eight spots in Irish Junior Cup

SHOULD Tummery Athletic go on to capture the fonaCAB Irish Junior Cup for the first time in the club’s history they may well look back on Saturday’s victory over Enniskillen Rangers as a hugely significant moment on the path to ultimate glory.

Tummery Athletic 3  Enniskillen Rangers 2  (after extra-time)

The clash of the Fermanagh and Western titans was every bit as close as the final scoreline suggests and the only real surprise is that the eagerly-anticipated encounter didn’t go all the way to penalties.

Fittingly, it was a goal by Tummery midfielder Paul McHugh midway through the second period of extra-time which ensured the Dromore outfit advanced  to the last eight instead of four-time winners Rangers.

McHugh was immense. The midfielder won two penalties – one of which converted –  after his team had twice fallen behind before driving forward in support of his front line to provide the tie’s decisive moment.

Conditions – overhead and on the ground – dictated that Saturday was not a day for the faint-hearted. Industry, endeavour, guts, blood, sweat and tears were likely to trump the finer skills of the beautiful game and so it proved.

Tummery’s player-manager Ryan Hanna afterwards described the last-16 tie as “a war of attrition” and that in a nutshell summed up the 110 plus gripping and compelling minutes.

From the first whistle there was no quarter given or taken as both sides went at it hammer and tongs. The hosts shaded the verdict in the first half although clear-cut opportunities were in short supply in the opening 45 minutes.

Rangers left-sided attacker Stuart Rainey had the first shot in anger but failed to trouble home netminder Niall McCrory while at the other end visiting custodian Joel Peden accrobatically tipped over a curling effort by Aidy McCaffrey.

McCaffrey then glanced a header inches over the crossbar from a Declan McNulty free kick and towards the close of the first half Ciaran Beacom blazed over the crossbar after Rangers struggled to clear their lines.

In response Rainey picked out Jake Browne but the Rangers right-back volleyed well wide.

But with the wind on the backs, Rangers hit the front six minutes after the interval. Nathan Khan’s ball over the top found Jason Keenan on the left and the striker cut back inside to hammer a rising shot, with the help of slight deflection, into the roof of McCrory’s net from an acute angle.

That goal lit the touch paper and moments later Keenan was played through again but this time McCrory came out on top before the ball was hoofed clear. Team-mate Eoin McManus also fizzed inches over after connecting with a corner kick at the near post.

Having survived those scares, Tummery attacked up the right and when McHugh burst into the box he was taken down by Matthew Chambers, leaving match official Terry Foley little option but to point to the spot.

But McCaffrey’s well struck penalty was brilliantly finger-tipped onto his left-post by Peden before the ball was cleared after it had rolled across the goal-line.

Tummery though weren’t detered and they duly equalised shortly afterwards when Peden could only stand and watch as Declan McNulty fired a stunning free kick high inside his right upright.

Athletic were well and truly back in the game but their joy was relatively short-lived. The gusting wind was wreaking havoc with the high ball and when Tummery stopper McCrory, under pressure from a number of players, failed to deal with a one such cross from Browne, Khan swooped to hammer into the roof of the net from close range.

Again Rangers’ advantage didn’t last long and when Peden clattered into McHugh, the referee immediately pointed to the spot. McNulty took over the penalty duties and the ice-cool midfielder thumped the ball straight down the middle to send the game into over-time.

Extra-time brought little in the way of further drama until five minutes from the end when McHugh swooped with the winner.

Tummery appeared to have greater options on their bench and when one of their three substitutes Ronan McNabb chased down a long ball on the left and crossed it to the near post Rangers keeper Peden spilled it to the inrushing McHugh, who steadied himself before hammering the ball home from close range to send the home support into ecstasy.

Murphy nets late winner for Harps

Strathroy Harps  4

Harryville Homers 3

IN a repeat of the 2013 final, Strathroy Harps again came out on top against Harryville Homers to book a place in the last eight of the fonaCAB Irish Junior Cup.

A goal by Harps hitman Tommy Murphy four minutes from time completed a stunning comeback victory for the Omagh side which found themselves 2-0 down after just 28 minutes.

But strikes by Caolan McCrossan, Darren Teague and Murphy had dramatically turned the tables by the interval before Alan Rainey levelled for Homers on 70 minutes.

Harps though held the upper hand and with extra-time looming large on the horizon, Teague sent Murphy clear to ultimately secure a place in the quarter-final.

That said, things didn’t exactly look promising for Harps initially. Lewis Meams swooped on a defensive slip to beat Dermot Donnelly for the opening goal and just before the half hour mark the same player got free on the right to fire an angled drive past the Harps stopper for a second time.

Crucially, Strathroy pulled a goal back within 60 seconds when the impressive Teague beat three players before crossing for McCrossan to finish.

Harps struck again a few moments later. Mark Sloan’s quick free kick sent Teague through on the right and he squeeze the ball past visiting keeper Andrew Steele from an acute angle.

With their tails up, the home side finished the half strongly and Murphy sent the hosts into the break with 3-2 advantage after steering home a right-sided cross.

Either side of the interval Teague blazed over, Paul Lowe was denied by Steele when well placed and Eoin McAnulla struck the base of a post and those missed opportunities came sharply into focus when Frazer Young crossed for Rainey to convert for 3-3.

Homers pushed on looking for the win with Harps keeper Donnelly thwarting Meams and Jason Stewart before Teague held off two defenders on the left to pick out Murphy, who drilled past Steele for the winning goal.