Clonmel Town lose to defending champions in Munster Junior Cup
Clonmel Town 1-2 Aisling Annacotty
Clonmel Town are out of this year’s Munster Junior Cup. With just over twenty minutes to go the game was delicately poised at 1-1 and Town seemed to have all the momentum. Then within ninety seconds the whole tie turned.
Kyle Cuddy somehow was unable to steer a Craig Guiry knock-on into an empty net. Aisling from the resultant kick out, saw Craig Guiry bundle Shane Clarke over in the box and referee Michael Duffy immediately pointed to the spot.
The former Junior international Clarke, made no mistake from the spot and as hard as they tried, Town could not find an equaliser and force the game into extra time.
Aisling took the lead in the 21st minute when Adam Foley pounced to finish neatly passed Evan Comerford. In what was a scrappy first half, with the ball in the air more than on ground, Town almost equalised but Brian O’Connor made a wonder save from Jack O’Donnell to divert his strike from ten yards over the bar. Neither keeper were troubled after that, as Aisling went in at the break with their lead intact.
Town’s performance improved in the second half and they applied huge pressure to the Aisling defence. A defence where Kennedy Tabot, Thomas Clarke and Rickkov Boevi were simply outstanding. However, in the 59th minute Kyle Cuddy got on the end of a Jake French Davis through ball to finish brilliantly past O’Connor. Town bombarded the Aisling goal after that without forcing Brian O’Connor into a save. Then Kyle Cuddy missed a certain goal and Aisling converted their penalty.
With 11 minutes to go Brian O’Connor produced another great one handed save to deny Evan McGuire. There was almost a farcical equaliser for Town when the Annacotty keeper slipped and the ball bounced over his head but he recovered to grab the ball before it entered the net.
Clonmel Town may feel it was an opportunity lost but in truth they didn’t play enough football to breach a well-disciplined and resolute Aisling Annocotty defence.
Photo: Jamie O’Flaherty