Mals Just Scrape Through in Steel Cup

Mals match winner Mark McCourt

A last gasp winning goal from striker Mark McCourt saved Malachians’ blushes in this Steel and Sons encounter at the Shore Road. The game as a contest should have been over at half-time but the home team failed miserably to turn their total dominance into goals, and a defensive blunder by McHugh minutes before the break gifted Ballynure Old Boys an equaliser which visibly lifted the visitors and gave them renewed hope for the second period.

The game in brilliant sunshine had started so well for the Mals with manager Lyttle starting at right-back and Corr returning from suspension to replace the injured McDonagh. Ballynure were struggling to cope with the movement of the Mals’ midfielders and wide men who picked up where they had left off against Kilmore in midweek.

The Mals took the lead on 12 minutes when a cross from the left from McKervey found Lowe 15 yards out on the right side of the box and he coolly trapped and side-footed into the corner. It looked then that the flood gates would open but that simply never materialised as chance after chance created for the Mals’ forwards went a-begging. All too often good approach play and crosses to the far post were not anticipated and the visitors cleared their lines under little pressure. The highlights for the remainder of the half involved some really good link play between Paul Prigent and Lowe down the right flank, with McHugh just failing to connect with one Lowe cross to make it 2-0.

Lowe himself was in sparkling form and he beat 2 men before striking just over from 22 yards in the 20th minute. On the half-hour mark Johnston showed some great close control but his effort from 18 yards was well-saved. On one of their rare forages forward Ballynure unexpectedly got an equaliser out of nothing. McHugh was caught in two minds in the corner and stumbled, gifting the ball to the winger who crossed neatly for the visitors’ centre-forward to slam home off keeper Steele’s arm.

Half-time: Malachians 1 Ballynure OB 1

The second half was a bit of a non-event as the teams cancelled each other out and created few chances. Smyth, McAtee and Johnston were replaced by McCourt, McDonnell and Rab Doherty for the Mals but the stalemate was not broken in the 90 minutes. Extra time brought much of the same with Mals dominating possession but failing use the width of the pitch or to create many clear-cut goal chances. The best chance again inevitably involved that man Lowe who ran at the defence leaving 3 men in his wake before laying off to Doherty whose well-drilled shot from 17 yards was tipped round the post by the Ballynure keeper.  With penalties looming Paul Prigent won the ball on the half-way line and surged forward past 2 men before laying the ball wide to Doherty just inside the box on the right side. Doherty produced a pin-point cross to McCourt just 8 yards out and the striker clipped in the winner much to the delight of his team-mates and management. A win is a win but the Mals will have to lift their game considerably, cut out unforced defensive errors and find the net much more frequently if they are to make any further progress in the Steel Cup.

Full-time Malachians 2 Ballynure OB 1 (AET)

Team: Steele, Lyttle, Corr, Prigent l, McHugh, McAtee, Prigent P, McKervey, Lowe, Smyth, Johnston. Subs: McCourt, McDonnell, Doherty.