Two penalty shoot-out saves by Ballybofey United goalkeeper Chris Patton saw his team through to the next round of the Brian McCormick Cup and earned them bragging rights from this derby clash.
Ballybofey United 1 Cappry Rovers 1 (AET. Ballybofey win 4-2 on pens)
By Charlie Collins at the Finn Valley Centre
The winners played the final 65 mins of normal time and 20 minutes of extra-time with ten men after they had Ronan McMenamin red carded for a professional foul on Aaron Kelly as he raced through in the 25th minute.
By that stage Ballybofey Utd were 1-0 ahead, the impressive Michael Lafferty driving the ball home in the 9th minute to finish off a good move.
It could have been 2-0 a minute later as the visitors defence hesitated and Jude Patton pounced but his shot hit a post and was pushed away for a corner.
Dean O’Donnell and Oisín Gallen both went close for Cappry but clear-cut chances were hard to come by and the ten men led at half-time.
Cappry introduced young Jamie Murray at half-time and he was to make a good impression in the remainder of the game.
Kelly’s run and cross provided a chance for Gallen but his shot was easily saved by Patton.
Kelly created another chance for Stephen Carr three minutes later but his shot was blocked out for a corner.
The equaliser finally arrived in the 60th minute when Jamie Murray was fouled and O’Donnell’s free-kick found Kelly and he turned well before cracking a super shot past keeper Patton.
Any thoughts that the 10 men of Ballybofey might be overrun were soon dispelled and neither team created much of note goal chance wise for the remaining half-hour of normal time.
Extra-time was dominated by Cappry but failed to produce a goal. Paddy McNulty had a headed save by keeper Chris Patton in the first period and twice in two minutes Jamie Murray had good chances to win it.
Cappry Rovers
He should have headed O’Donnell’s cross but choose to try and control it and the chance was gone and then after Benny McLaughlin and Carr had created the opening young Murray’s shot hit the crossbar.
O’Donnell’s cross-shot was just wide late on and so we went to the dreaded penalty shoot-out.
Cappry’s first four were flawless but Chris Patton saved efforts from Oisín Gallen and Aaron Kelly to send Barney Lafferty’s team into the next round after this spirited performance against the odds after that early sending off.
Ballybofey United: Chris Patton, Alan Patton, Gavin Doherty, Ronan McMenamin, Shaun McGowan, Niall McCluskey, Michael Lafferty , Conor Doherty, Conor Doherty, Damian Glackin, Jude Patton, Mark Griffen. Subs: Brian Lafferty for A.Patton (55), Paul Kelly for Doherty (70) Dan O’Brien for Glackin (94), Michael Lynch for M.Lafferty (108).
Cappry Rovers: Conor McBride, Jack Burke-McBride, David Gethins, Darren McGowan, Tristan Ferris, Oisin Gallen, Stephen Carr, Paddy Mc Nulty, Aaron Kelly, Brendan McNulty, Dean O’Donnell. Subs: Jamie Murray for Gethins (half-time), Leo Gallagher for Burke-McBride (106).
Referee: Andrew Mullen.
