Match Reports

SC&K (B) 1–2 Ballymackey

SC&K’s Junior B side bowed out of the Munster Junior Shield after Ballymackey overturned a half-time deficit in Kilsheelan. On a wintry afternoon, the hosts led through Ben Smith’s penalty, but the visitors used the wind to their advantage after the break and held off a late push.

Both teams tried to get the ball down and created early openings. Paddy Murphy forced the Ballymackey goalkeeper into a low save, while Kieran O’Donnell dealt with the high balls arriving in the SC&K penalty area.

The hosts found the breakthrough on 42 minutes when Smith was fouled inside the box. He took the penalty himself and fired home via the crossbar to give SC&K a narrow interval lead.

Ballymackey equalised on 52 minutes through Pat Tuohy’s 20-yard free-kick. The visitors then struck the post with a penalty, but maintained their momentum and went ahead on 62 minutes when a defender headed home a corner.

SC&K pushed players forward in search of an equaliser, but Ballymackey’s defence held firm. The hosts now turn their attention back to Division 3 and a trip to Bansha the following Sunday.

PRO Verdict: Ballymackey made their second-half pressure count and recovered from the missed penalty to find a winner. SC&K competed throughout but could not turn their late push into an equaliser.

St Michaels B 1–6 Cahir Park B

Cahir Park B recovered from conceding first to record an emphatic away victory at the Complex. St Michaels B began brightly, but Park’s more clinical finishing transformed the contest before half-time and helped them pull clear after the break.

Joshua McLaughlin brought a save from Cagney on 17 minutes before opening the scoring seven minutes later. Good work by Antonio Rea saw the ball break to McLaughlin, who finished to give Saints the lead. Cahir responded on 29 minutes when Kenny Cunningham advanced down the right and squared for J. Kiely to equalise.

Hayes put Park ahead with a long-range effort on 34 minutes, and Cunningham broke through to make it 3–1 just before half-time. The visitors added a fourth on 53 minutes when Ciaran Ryan was adjudged to have fouled Cunningham and Biram converted the penalty.

Saints were left to rue second-half opportunities as Cahir continued to take theirs. Substitute Halpin set up Cunningham for his second on 78 minutes, before substitute Kiely scored from an angle on 85 minutes to complete the scoring.

PRO Verdict: Cahir’s response to the opening goal was decisive, with Cunningham heavily involved. Saints had promising moments, but Park’s finishing gave the scoreline its emphatic shape.

Powerstown 4–2 Vee Rovers

Powerstown advanced from an eventful six-goal tie, with stand-in goalkeeper Dean Madigan making important saves after an injury forced Peter Boland off. Goals from David Grace, Aaron Kiely, Dylan Bates and Paul Kelly secured the home victory, but Vee Rovers pushed them deep into the closing stages.

The hosts took the lead after ten minutes when Bates was fouled by Mark Haide inside the area and Grace converted the penalty. Rovers equalised on 25 minutes: Christy English’s well-weighted pass released Andrew Gallagher, who got the crucial touch to score despite a collision with Boland. The Powerstown goalkeeper could not continue, bringing Madigan into action.

Powerstown regained the lead on 45 minutes when John Alan Lowes delivered to the back post for Kiely to finish. Four minutes after the restart, Kiely turned provider, sending Bates through to place his shot into the bottom-right corner for 3–1.

Madigan protected that advantage with a point-blank save after a crossed free-kick was met by a Rovers attacker. The visitors persisted and reduced the gap on 82 minutes when English’s quickly taken corner found Shane McGrath at the back post for an acrobatic finish.

With the game back in the balance, Madigan denied Patrick Morrissey from close range on 85 minutes. Two minutes later, Bates won possession high up the pitch and delivered for Kelly to finish, finally settling the contest at 4–2.

PRO Verdict: Powerstown’s attacking contributions were spread across four scorers, but Madigan’s saves were equally important. Rovers twice narrowed the gap before Kelly’s late finish secured progression.

Tipperary Town B 3–2 Toomevara

Tipperary Town B marked their first Munster Junior Shield appearance with a hard-earned victory at The Abbey. Building on their first win of the season the previous week, Marcus Godfrey and Timmy Ryan’s side made a flying start before withstanding a determined Toomevara challenge.

Town were two goals clear inside ten minutes. Mark Flannery’s clever flick set up Micheal Butler for a powerful first-time finish, before Flannery provided another assist for Aaron Hickey’s glancing header. Toomevara replied through Darren Stokes, who reacted quickest when a quickly taken free-kick struck the post and tapped in the rebound.

A physical, competitive first half followed, with Toomevara threatening on the break. Town’s defending and goalkeeping helped preserve their 2–1 advantage at the interval.

After an intense opening spell in the second half, Alan Carter restored the two-goal cushion. His long throw was initially defended, but the ball returned to him and he side-footed a clever finish into the corner. Stokes struck again to make it 3–2, ensuring a demanding finish for the hosts, but Town dug in to secure a memorable cup victory.

PRO Verdict: Town’s early attacking combinations gave them an advantage worth defending. Carter’s goal proved vital, and their resolve saw them through despite Stokes’ brace for the visitors.

St Nicholas 3–2 Knigh United B

A Lonergan hat-trick carried St Nicholas into the next round after Knigh United B fought back from two goals down. The home side’s excellent start was cancelled out early in the second half, but their match-winner struck again with ten minutes remaining.

St Nicholas went ahead in the sixth minute when Lonergan ran onto Chris Ryan’s ball over the top and finished well. The same player doubled the lead on 13 minutes, reacting after a corner was not cleared and applying a composed finish near the six-yard box.

Knigh cut the deficit almost immediately after the interval, their number 11 scoring from a breakaway on 46 minutes. Ten minutes later, their number 9 headed home a cross to complete the comeback and leave the tie finely balanced at 2–2.

St Nicholas found the decisive response in the 80th minute. Decky Riordan supplied the cross, and Lonergan finished neatly to complete his treble and restore a lead the hosts retained to the final whistle.

PRO Verdict: Lonergan’s three finishes made the difference in a tie that swung sharply after half-time. Knigh’s comeback tested St Nicholas, but the hosts found a winning response.

Ballingarry 1–7 Two Mile Borris

Two Mile Borris produced a powerful attacking display, with Jamie Lee central to a seven-goal victory. Ballingarry resisted well early on and created chances of their own, but Borris took control before half-time and pulled further clear after the restart.

Darren Connolly saved Jamie Lee’s 14th-minute penalty as Ballingarry absorbed the early pressure. Borris eventually broke through when Lee’s cross picked out Jack Delaney at the back post for a header. Ballingarry almost replied immediately: Riain O’Callaghan’s strong run ended with a saved effort, and Jonothan Lawlor’s follow-up was cleared off the line.

The visitors then struck twice in quick succession. Tom Ryan headed home Lee’s corner from close range, before Lee curled a 20-yard free-kick into the top corner to make it 3–0 at the break. Lee added another with a volley from inside the box within two minutes of the restart.

Keane Hayes and Lawlor tested the Borris goalkeeper as Ballingarry continued to seek a response. At the other end, Delaney, Urban Nolan and Dylan Lee scored within a five-minute spell late on to stretch the advantage. Hayes earned and converted a penalty to give the hosts a consolation goal.

PRO Verdict: Jamie Lee’s goals and delivery helped Borris turn sustained pressure into a commanding win. Ballingarry had opportunities, but Borris were much more effective in front of goal.

Bansha Celtic 5–3 Clonmel Town

Bansha Celtic came through an eight-goal thriller, recovering from 3–2 down to defeat Clonmel Town with three unanswered goals in the closing stages. Eamon Quirke scored twice, while Danny Ryan supplied a goal and a crucial assist in a decisive spell for the hosts.

Clonmel struck first after four minutes when Ben Brown side-footed past the goalkeeper. Bansha drew level on 22 minutes through Quirke’s close-range finish, then moved in front on the half-hour when Kevin Mullins headed home. The hosts took that 2–1 advantage into the interval.

Brown levelled again in the 49th minute, finishing to the goalkeeper’s left after being played through. Town then turned the contest around on 62 minutes, breaking from a Bansha corner before Dylan McCormack curled a fine effort into the top corner to make it 3–2.

Bansha responded just five minutes later when Tony Egan finished from close range. With the tie back at 3–3, Ryan’s left-footed strike found the bottom corner on 70 minutes to restore the home lead. Ryan then crossed for Quirke to turn home his second on 80 minutes, completing an impressive recovery.

PRO Verdict: Bansha’s response to falling behind in the second half won a thrilling tie. Clonmel showed their attacking quality, but Celtic’s three-goal reply was the decisive passage of the match.

Cashel Town 0–3 St Michaels

St Michaels secured a convincing away victory in a competitive cup encounter shaped by two early dismissals. Both sides were reduced to ten men after just 14 minutes, forcing an early adjustment to their approach.

Cashel worked hard to establish themselves in the contest, but Saints made the first breakthrough in the 35th minute when Cian Fadden found the net. His goal separated the sides at half-time and gave the visitors an advantage to protect after the restart.

Cashel sought a way back, only for St Michaels to take a firmer grip with two goals in six minutes. Jimmy Carr converted a penalty in the 56th minute, and Rhys Regan made it 3–0 on 62 minutes. That burst left the hosts facing a difficult recovery, and despite their efforts, they could not find a response as Saints saw out the victory.

PRO Verdict: St Michaels made the key moments count. Fadden’s opener gave them the edge, while the quick second-half double put the result beyond Cashel’s reach.

Cahir Park 2–0 Tipperary Town

Cahir Park progressed with a deserved home victory over Tipperary Town, although they had to wait until the final seconds to turn their control of the match into a two-goal winning margin.

The hosts took charge from the outset and were rewarded after 15 minutes when Rhys Byron finished from close range. That early breakthrough gave Park a platform to build on, but their continued dominance brought few further clear openings before half-time.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Cahir controlling proceedings but failing to convert a number of chances. With the score still at 1–0, the outcome remained unsettled until Lennon Caplice reacted to a rebound inside the six-yard box in the final seconds and tapped home to confirm the win.

PRO Verdict: Cahir’s control and clean sheet laid the foundations for progression. More clinical finishing would have settled the tie earlier, but Caplice’s late goal delivered the cushion their performance deserved.

St Michaels 2–3 SC&K after extra time

An extra-time penalty from B. O’Brien sent SC&K through after a closely fought tie in which St Michaels recovered from a half-time deficit to lead 2–1. Both teams had opportunities to win it in normal time before the visitors finally made the decisive breakthrough.

Byrne headed over for SC&K after nine minutes, while Davy Hogan twice went close for Saints midway through the half, including a header narrowly wide from Luke Webster’s cross. The visitors struck on 45 minutes when the ball broke kindly for E. Nolan, who finished from 12 yards.

Saints answered strongly. Robert Swords glanced home Webster’s cross in the 48th minute, and Hogan latched onto Kevin Tobolski’s goal kick to make it 2–1 six minutes later. Tobolski then came smartly off his line to deny A. Munro, but substitute B. Condon levelled on 68 minutes after a wayward defensive header. Swords and Condon both missed excellent chances before the match moved into extra time.

Condon fired wide after the ball rebounded from the crossbar, before SC&K were awarded a penalty following a raised-foot challenge by a Saints defender. O’Brien converted to make it 3–2. Tomas O’Connor went close with a header as Saints searched for another response, but the visitors held on.

PRO Verdict: A tie decided by fine margins. Saints produced a strong second-half turnaround, but SC&K recovered and took the crucial extra-time opportunity.

Peake Villa 4–1 Cashel Town

Jason Patterson struck a hat-trick as Peake Villa booked their place in the third round with a convincing victory over Cashel Town. Two early goals gave Villa the initiative, and although Cashel threatened a second-half revival, Patterson’s finishing settled the contest.

Villa opened the scoring after just five minutes when Luke Doyle found Charlie Lawlor in space, and Lawlor finished into the bottom corner. Six minutes later, Lawlor turned provider, playing in Patterson to double the advantage. The frantic opening gave way to a more settled spell, with half-chances at either end but no further goals before the break.

Cashel were handed a route back into the tie in the 50th minute when Milo Bourke converted a penalty to reduce the deficit to 2–1. Villa’s response arrived in the 64th minute, Doyle again supplying the pass for Patterson to restore the two-goal cushion. Just four minutes later, Patterson completed his treble to put Villa firmly in command and secure their passage.

PRO Verdict: Patterson’s finishing was decisive, with Doyle and Lawlor also influential in creating the goals. Cashel’s penalty briefly reopened the contest, but Villa responded emphatically.