Murphy keeps his cool as Bellurgan edge thriller

CASTLEBAR CELTIC 4 BELLURGAN UNITED 5

BELLURGAN made the long trip to Mayo a rewarding one, snatching victory with a last gasp goal by Diarmuid Murphy.

The vastly experienced midfielder showed a real cool head to convert a penalty a minute into stoppage time after Castlebar scored three times in the closing half an hour to draw level.

It was a thrilling outcome in a tie in which there was nothing between the sides despite Bellurgan opening a 4-1 lead.

The Peninsula side showed great resilience to weather the second-half storm and book their place in the last 32 of the FAI Junior Cup in which for a change they hope to land a home draw.

Martin Finnegan took charge of the visitors in the absence of Paudie Gollogley and Paddy Quinn, and couldn’t have hoped for a better start as his side took the lead after five minutes.

Brian White combined with Daniel O’Connor to open up the home defence, with the latter cutting in from the right from White’s diagonal pass and his cross along the six-yard box provided Niall Donnelly with a virtual tap-in.

Things got even better for Bellurgan, with goal number two arriving after 15 minutes. John Smith split the centre of the Castlebar defence for Ciaran Sheelan to control the ball and curl it into the corner of the net from outside the penalty box.

It was three-nil on the half hour with this time Sheelan scoring a brilliant individual effort. He knocked a long ball from Sean McEvoy into the air with his head and then met it perfectly as it was dropping to send it into the top of the net.

Virtually with the last kick of the half Castlebar reduced the deficit from the penalty spot, but Niall Donnelly restored Bellurgan’s three-goal advantage on the hour with his second goal.

James Renaghan, Diarmuid Murphy and Sheelan did the spadework for the latter to set up Donnelly to smash his cross to the net.

Castlebar really then stormed back, with a slack enough goal from a freekick from Bellurgan’s point of view, giving them the impetus.

They cut the leeway to a single goal ten minutes from time, and two minutes later completed a rousing recovery to draw level.

Bellurgan looked in serious trouble with the large home crowd cheering on a buoyant Castlebar, but substitute Cormac Renaghan stunned them winning a penalty when taken down in the penalty box with only a minute left of normal time in the decisive turn in the match. Murphy was just the right man to deal with the pressure and send his side into the next round. BELLURGAN: Robert Arthur, James Renaghan, Ray Finnegan, Sean McEvoy, Ciaran Clarke, Brian White, Diarmuid Murphy, John Smith (Cormack Renaghan 70) , Daniel O’Connor, Ciaran Sheelan, Niall Donnelly.