AISLING Annacotty made history on Sunday evening as they won the club’s first ever Munster Junior Cup as they defeated Fairview Rangers 1-0 at Jackman Park. Aaron Murphy scored the only goal in the first half for the club in a truly deserved victory.
Annacotty made the brighter start and former Limerick FC man Shane Tracy’s shot travelled just over Aaron Savage’s crossbar. The chance was created by one of many strong runs by Kennedy N’dip in the first period as Eddie Byrnes struggled to deal with his power and pace all afternoon.
N’dip was drafted in to the starting line-up having been a substitute against Waterford Crystal in the semi-final and it proved to be master stroke.
Five minutes later, Thomas Clarke headed Tracy’s free-kick delivery over the bar. Fairview responded with two chances of their own courtesy of AJ O’Connor. The first was a shot straight at Brian O’Connor and the second was a header directed wide from a James Fitzgerald free-kick.
The first goal of the game arrived with ten minutes remaining in the first half and Shane O’Hanlon’s Aisling side deservedly took the lead. Another driving run from Kennedy N’dip, one of several throughout the game, resulted in the energetic right-back releasing Brian Butler who cleverly squared the ball for Aaron Murphy to finish under pressure from Mark Slattery and John Mullane.
Another Shane Tracy shot was gathered by Aaron Savage as the first period drew to a close.
At the beginning of the second half, there was a massive moment in the game as Clyde O’Connell, who had been previously booked for a foul on Conor Coughlan in the first half, produced a full blooded tackle on Evan O’Connor and was shown a second yellow from referee Brian Higgins.
AJ O’Connor was moved to centre-back and Purcell opted to switch to a back three with Slattery and Enright on either side of the Newcastlewest native. The game was hectic following the sending off as Fairview pushed for an equaliser without producing a clear chance.
In fact, it was Aisling Annacotty who should have scored as substitute Brendan O’Dwyer, who had a great impact on the game when replacing Brian Butler, played a great ball to Shane Clarke on the left wing and the striker crossed to the front post where Evan O’Connor flicked goalwards only to be denied by Savage in the Fairview goal.
Additionally, in a move brought about by desperation in search of an equaliser, natural centre-back Paul Danaher was brought on as a striker in order to provide an aerial threat. The move almost paid off for Purcell when Danaher’s header crashed off the crossbar with just five minutes remaining.
There were a couple of nervy moments for Aisling in the final moments with Danaher continuing to make a nuisance of himself in the penalty box. However, a combination of O’Callaghan, O’Connor and Killian Maloney cleared the danger as time ticked away for the Fairgreen outfit.
With just one minute remaining in normal time, everybody in Jackman Park thought Fairview had earned a penalty when Slattery fell to the floor under pressure and it appeared as though Brian Higgins had pointed to the penalty spot but in fact he had awarded a goal-kick, much to the frustration of the Fairview management team and substitutes situated in the stand.
Aisling successfully closed out the game to clinch their first provincial title and it provided scenes of utter joy among clubmen and players alike.
Manager O’Hanlon and Chairman Jim Canny also paid tribute to former management duo Mike Aherne, Mike Considine and Paul Burke who led the club to the semi-final of the competition before standing down in April. Fairview will have to bounce back quickly as they face Athenry in the semi-final of the FAI Junior Cup at the Fairgreen next Saturday evening.
Fairview Rangers: Aaron Savage, John Mullane (Adam Frahill), Mark Slattery, Clyde O’Connell, Jamie Enright (Shane Costelloe), Jeffrey Judge, Steven Bradley, AJ O’Connor, Eddie Byrnes (Robbie Kelleher), James Fitzgerald (Paul Danaher), Ross Mann
Aisling Annacotty: Brian O’Connor, Kennedy N’dip, Thomas Clarke, Nathan O’Callaghan, Killian Maloney, Shane Tracy, Brian Butler (Brendan O’Dwyer), Evan O’Connor, Conor Coughlan, Aaron Murphy (Aodh O’Hanluain), Shane Clarke.
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