Ballinasloe Town make the most of reprieve in Junior Cup

By Mike Rafferty

WHAT a difference a week makes. Seven days previously, Ballinasloe Town were two nil down against Castlebar Celtic in the semi-final of the Connacht Junior Cup and looking to be heading towards the exit door when the weather intervened and the match was abandoned due to a waterlogged pitch.

On Sunday, the two teams turned up again in Celtic Park for the refixture, but on this occasion it was The Town were prevailed by 2-1 following extra time.

Castlebar were certainly the better side in the opening half as they enjoyed an interval advantage courtesy of a Jordan Loftus goal. The second half saw a complete turnaround and just before the hour mark a Jordan Carr shot levelled matters.

Ballinasloe continued to enjoy the upper hand, but could not find a second goal as extra time was required. They carried this momentum into the added twenty minutes and secured the matchwinner when Carr struck for his second of the game with a header following a Gary Egan delivery.

Ballinasloe Town have a proud record in the Connacht Junior Cup and have appeared in four finals over the past eight years. Courtesy of a Eoin McCormack hat trick they defeated West United by 3-2 in their last appearance in 2017 and they also recorded a penalty shoot-out success over Castlebar Celtic in 2014. The other semi-final between Salthill Devon and Athenry was also scheduled for Sunday, but was postponed with no refixture date announced yet.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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