Late rally not enough for Moore as Manulla advance

Moore United 2 Manulla 3

By Eamon A. Donoghue

Despite scoring two late goals, Moore United lost out to Manulla in the third round of the FAI Junior Cup at Falty Park last Sunday.

Coming into this game, Tommy Naughton resigned as Moore manager after losses to Boyle Celtic and Ballinasloe Town in the RDFL Premier Division, with Declan Duffy taking over as interim manager.

Manulla – whose league in Mayo is played during the summer months - finished safely fourth from bottom and they might have had an edge in sharpness on their Roscommon counterparts.

Moore were wasteful and they missed a number of clear-cut chances in the first half. They more than held their own in every department, except putting the ball in the net.

Manulla had no such issues; they were the more efficient team, scoring from almost every clear-cut opportunity they had. After their long trip from Balla, Manulla got the perfect start in the fifth minute. Lorcan Conroy crossed and Shea Benson tucked the ball past Paul Whelan in the Moore goal.

Conroy and the Benson brothers were causing the Moore defence all sorts of problems in the first quarter.

Moore looked flat from the off and didn't come to life until Charles Nevin’s lively run into the Manulla box in the tenth minute, but his header was wide. That was Moore’s first attack with any threat.

From then on though, Moore had the better of the possession. They were the more aggressive side and had numerous chances to score. Rian Carpenter and Alan Duffy both had gilt-edged opportunities to score, after inventive build-up play, but both their attempts were blocked.

Josh Lennon and Duffy again had chances and they also failed to find the target. They were left to regret those misses by the finish of the game.

Then a misjudged back pass by Manulla went to the feet of youngster Jack Nevin; he rounded the keeper and the last defender and his shot was going into the net until Darren Fernandez threw his body across the goal from nowhere to deflect the goalbound shot out for a corner. Then to make matters worse for Moore, Mark Gannon’s header skimmed the post and wide with the keeper beaten.

Moore just couldn’t find the target. Then the efficient Manulla team scored again. Fernandez played a long ball forward, Rian O’Connor crossed and Cian Benson guided the ball past Whelan.

The Elverys Super League side, with less possession and chances, still led 2-0 at half-time.

After the turnaround, Manulla got a grip on the game. Conroy and Cian Benson in particular were bold in possession with forceful running at the Moore rearguard. They looked threatening every time they attacked.

Cian Benson went dribbling down the wing and avoided a couple of tackles, before releasing a screamer of a shot from 20 yards out that gave Whelan no chance.

The game looked over, done and dusted by the 60th minute, and Manulla started to empty their bench. One could hardly blame them; after all, they were 3-0 up and Moore had shown they weren’t very sharp in the scoring department.

Moore seemed to accept defeat also, they also threw on a couple of substitutions. But just like the weather, from sunshine to darker skies and colder temperatures, the game changed.

Moore finally got the breakthrough. In the 80th minute, Jack Nevin played in his brother Charles Nevin, and Charles beat Conor Stapleton in the Manulla goal.

Moore then showed great determination and they took total control of the game. They had all the momentum. Manulla had switched off and they couldn’t turn themselves back on.

Showing considerable spirit, Moore bombarded the Manulla goal and scored again. Lennon was the scorer, finishing in the box after a corner. The game had looked over for them, but they still had a chance of forcing extra-time with minutes left on the clock.

The referee played 57 minutes in the second half, 12 full minutes of added time. Yes, there was an injury to Manulla’s keeper, but Moore were given plenty of time to get an equaliser. They did go close, especially Charles Nevin’s late, late attempt that skimmed the top of the crossbar and over. And with that came the final whistle and, finally, the game was over.

Although defeat was their lot in the end, Moore will be pleased with their display overall. They really should have scored five or six goals in this game. They bizarrely played Charles Nevin out on the left wing. Nevin was Moore’s striker last season, and the league’s top scorer. Why play your best goalscoring threat away from his best position? Something for them to dwell over, before they get back to the domestic action.

Player of the match: Cian Benson (Manulla). Benson’s dribbling, work rate and two goals earn him the accolade. Lorcan Conroy was a nuisance for the Moore defence. Jack Nevin was nimble, inventive, and busy for the full 90 plus minutes, and Charles Nevin was dynamic and gave Jack most support.

Key moments: Any number of Moore’s missed goal opportunities could be described as crucial. But Jack Nevin’s attempt, taken off the goal line by Darren Fernandez, was really key in Manulla's win.

Manulla: Conor Stapleton, Lee Lyons, Gavin Jennings, Odhran O’Connor, Darren Fernandez, Rian O’Connor, Seán Corcoran, Ruairi Henry, Cian Benson, Shea Benson, Lorcan Conroy. Subs: Kasper Gavalkiewicz for R O’Connor (55 mins), Alex Cunningham for Corcoran (68), Jack Cunningham for S Benson (78), Bryan Ralph for Fernandez (injured 80).

Moore United: Paul Whelan, Mark Gannon, Shane Pettit, Jason Ryan, James Byrne, Kevin Kenny, Josh Lennon, Rian Carpenter, Alan Duffy, Jack Nevin, Charles Nevin. Subs: Shane Dunning for Gannon (78 mins), Liam Ryan for Carpenter (78).

Referee: Glen Campbell (Ballinasloe).