Cannon goal helps Athenry reach the Junior Cup decider

Date Published: 11-Apr-2012

Mervue United 0

Athenry FC 1

Mike Rafferty

IF Conor Cannon’s goal was the highlight of Sunday’s Connacht Junior Cup semi-final, the main talking point afterwards was the dismissal of Benny Lawless for a second yellow card that rules him out of the final.

Although hardly a classic, it was still a competitive contest between two good teams who defended very well and where confrontation and commitment were very much to the fore. Despite eight yellow cards been issued, it couldn’t be described as an unsavoury clash.

Without a doubt the attacking highlight of the day arrived on 78 minutes as Athenry made the vital breakthrough. Seamie Crowe started the move with a delivery down the flank to Ray Moran. His pull back from the byline was met by the head of Cannon as he won the race between two defenders and goalkeeper Ryan Griffin to get the vital touch.

On only one other occasion was Griffin really extended and that followed an Alan O’Donovan corner on 31 minutes, when the custodian did well to block Gary Forde’s close range shot with his legs.

At the other end, Athenry custodian David McDonagh almost didn’t require the gloves at all. Such was the protection afforded to him, he never had a save to make all day. Sure, there was some routine handling, but his most serious moments came at set pieces, which he dealt with competently.

Chances certainly were at a premium throughout, with Forde finding the side netting following a Crowe free kick in the opening minutes. Cannon volleyed over, before a Moran delivery found no allies as it flew across the face of goal.

At the other end, Brian Meaney and Dara Ryan shot well over before a Tommy Walsh free kick was deflected away by the defensive wall. Colie Kelly did direct an effort at McDonagh, while Stephen Rabbitte did likewise at Griffin, in the closing minutes of the half.

The home side certainly enjoyed the majority of possession and territory in the second half, but everything had broken down by the time they got to the edge of the Athenry area. Here Packie Byrne and Ronan Kinneen repelled challenge after challenge and backed up by willing colleagues, they continued to frustrate the home side.

Mervue too must have been driven demented by their inability to create any worthwhile opportunities, as not once did they hit the target in that second half.

An Owen Concannon free kick just banged into the defensive wall, while a Dara Ryan header was always rising as he got on the end of a Walsh corner. Concannon, Ryan and Cunningham combined, but Kinneen intervened to block the latter close to goal.

The Athenry breakthrough on 78 minutes was certainly against the run of play, but Cannon’s header was to provide the only highlight in the attacking stakes throughout the ninety minutes. Minutes later, the atmosphere wasn’t helped by the flashing of yet another yellow card, that will certainly ruin Lawless’s conclusion to the season.

Though the defensive cover of the visitors can certainly take a lot of the credit for their victory, some of the almost new, younger, and fresher generation of Ray Moran, Cathal Fahy and Conor Cannon deserve special mention as their work rate and closing down of the opposition was such a vital part of the success.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.