Dominant Devon pay the price for failure to take chances in cup

Date Published: 14-Jan-2013

Salthill Devon 1

Cork City 2

AET

Salthill Devon bowed out of the Enda McGill U-19 Cup at the semi-final stage in Drom on Saturday, visitors Cork City securing their second successive appearance in the final of the competition thanks to an extra-time winner.

The home side were desperately unlucky to lose out, but the old adage of not taking your chances coming back to bite you, was certainly true as the home side dominated, but failed to make that pressure count on the scoreboard.

The visitors opened the brighter and tested the Salthill keeper Conor O’Malley early on, but he was more that equal to the task. Gradually the home midfield – where Timmy Molloy and Jason Murphy were outstanding – began to get a grip, and it came as no surprise when Salthill took the lead.

Top scorer Conor Barry latched onto a loose ball in the City penalty area in the 28th minute, and he took a touch before slotting home past David Browne in the visitors’ goal for a deserved lead.

Browne was without doubt City’s man-of-the-match, keeping the visitors in the game on more than one occasion, and nine minutes into the second half, the visitors were on level terms. Browne tipped a Conor Byrne free kick over his crossbar, and when the subsequent corner was cleared, City broke on the counter-attack through Greg Henry, whose pass allowed Rob Lehane race into the box and plant a quality strike beyond Conor O’Malley’s reach.

Browne was in action again 10 minutes later, denying Jason Lyons with a stunning save after Timmy Molloy had dribbled past several defenders. Immediately afterwards Conor Barry had a chance but was wide with his shot, while Cormac Raftery cracked a header off the bar as Cork lived dangerously.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Sentinel.