Late late agony for Bellurgan in cup tie

BELLURGAN suffered a real sting in the tail with a place beckoning in the last 16 of the FAI Junior Cup.

Having made the long journey to Limerick, the Peninsula side appeared to have made the decisive breakthrough when they took the lead with 12 minutes to go courtesy of the vastly experienced Diarmuid Murphy.

He was put through by a delightful chipped pass by Brian White after the latter exchanged passes with Owen Armstrong to make space for him to send Murphy racing clear. With the goalkeeper only standing in his way Murphy flicked the ball past him and slipped it into the empty net.

However, the visitors’ celebrations turned quickly to dejection as a couple of soft free kicks enabled Kilmallock to swing the pendulum right round. To add to Bellurgan’s sense of grievance a home player whom they felt was lucky to remain on the pitch after a challenge on Ray Finnegan was the one to head home the equaliser.

Then agonisingly from another free-kick outside the box the home side secured victory with virtually the last kick of the tie. Robbie Arthur made a great save for James Reagan to scramble the ball out of the penalty box only to be collected by the home right back who whipped it in back into the box and the ball was despatched to the Bellurgan net.

It’s hard to imagine a greater anti-climax with victory within their grasp.

The result was not reflective of the play, with Bellrugan the better team in the first-half, with Darren Gaynor thwarted by the home ‘keeper after 15 minutes.

Ten minutes later Brian White’s brilliant overhead shot from the edge of the box was headed off the home goal line, and from the resultant corner kick the same player shot over.

The home goalkeeper was also called upon to make another great save ten minutes from the break after fine interplay between Darren Gaynor and Owen Armstrong.

Kilmallock applied pressure in the early part of the second-half, and Robert Arthur was required to make a fine save, but Bellurgan regained control and Niall Donnelly went close, before that dramatic and cruel finale. BELLURGAN: Robert Arthur, Stephen Finnegan, Ray Finnegan, James Renaghan, John Smith, Owen Armstrong, Diarmuid Murphy, Brian White, Niall Donnelly, Paddy Quinn, Darren Gaynor (Cormac Renaghan 80).