Thursday 30 Mar 2023

fonaCAB Junior Cup semi-finals recap

Harryville Homers and Dergview Reserves will contest this season's fonaCAB Junior Cup final following last four victories over Strathroy Harps and Coalisland Athletic respectively.

Fermanagh and Western side Dergview were first to book their place in the May decider on Tuesday evening with victory over outgoing holders Coalisland Athletic at Holm Park.

In a closely fought encounter the sides couldn't be separated after a scoreless 90 minutes and extra-time, leading to the inevitable penalty shoot-out.

Winning 6-5 on spot-kicks, player-boss Andrew Sproule and former Northern Ireland international Ivan Sproule were amongst those to successfully convert their penalties.

Colin Robinson, Johnny Lafferty, Ashley Lowry and Joe Breslin also found the net while keeper Ryan Brolly made two excellent saves to deny Coalisland.

On Wednesday night Harryville Homers - winners for three successive seasons from 2014-2016 - accounted for Strathroy Harps, themselves back-to-back winners in 2012 and 2013.

The Homers, representing the Ballymena Saturday Morning League, might have gone in front at Stangmore Park after just nine minutes only for Randal Reid to send an effort off the crossbar.

However Reid wasn't to be denied midway through the first half, making no mistake after Alan Rainey found him from the right flank.

Rainey came close himself just before the break with a shot against an upright but, just a couple of minutes after that, Harps levelled through an Eoin McAnulla volley from the edge of the box.

Both sides had chances in the second half with Reid going close for the Homers while, for Harps, Corey Wood sent the ball over the top from a great position.

Still level after 90 minutes, the game moved into extra-time but just as it looked like this too would require penalties to settle it a Sam Armstrong cross from the right found Reid who directed a bullet header past Tiernan McNamee to secure a 2-1 win for the Homers.