The Club see this as a stepping stone to bigger and better things in the years ahead and is proof of the continual growth built around the youth set up which first started way back in 1989 and from which Mark Crean was one of the original members as a five year old. Now he has played an important role in one of Ballinamallard’s finest successes at Dungannon.

    The Club’s director of football, John Quinn, speaking afterwards was delighted with the win as he said: “It’s a great honour for the club to win the Irish Youth Cup as in past decades the Cup has been won by the likes of Linfield, Glentoran, Cliftonville, Crusaders, Coleraine and Portadown and now Ballinamallard’s name will join these Irish Premier League Clubs as winners. That will always be something the club will be proud of. It has been a great twelve months with four League Titles in the Brendan Keogh Youth League and two League Cup wins also while still to come is the Northern Ireland Boys FA U12 final and a possible two league titles in the Mid Ulster Youth League. We firmly believe the need to build up the youth and that is very much the future.”

    Ballinamallard went into the game with the underdog tag against a Ballymena United side which had six Northern Ireland Internationals and with seven of the side having had first team experience with the club in the Irish League First Division, it looked as if the Fermanagh side were very much up against it.

    Ballymena had hit Lisnaskea Rovers Youth for five in the quarter finals and Rovers manager George Elliott said afterwards that: “We have come up against a very good side which will go on and win the Youth Cup” and when you consider Lisnaskea are the current holders of the Lowry Corry Cup and are once again in the final this season then it puts the Mallard’s performance firmly into context.

    Ballinamallard’s win against Ballymena is even more remarkable in that by Kenny Shiel’s own admission, they have trawled the length and breadth of the country in an attempt to spot the best young players in the country and bring them to the Showgrounds. Indeed, they very much wanted the win to underline the potential at their club according to Shiels prior to the game.

    Paul Keenan only minutes before kick off decided that Crean would start and it proved a big decision on the night and with Niall Tinney back in goals the Mallards were at full strength with the exception of long term injuries Glen McCleery and Christopher Robinson.

    Ballymena were the better side over the 110 minutes when it came to passing and movement. They were quick and slick but the Mallards were more determined to battle for the result and the defence was excellent and this was where the final was won while every other player gave 100%. Ballymena hit the woodwork three times and had a player dismissed and when they did get past the defence, Tinney made some superb saves.

    Ballinamallard kicked off the final in front of a large support who cheered and shouted every tackle and pass made by the Ferney Park side and in the opening minutes it was the Fermanagh side that began the better with Matthew Holden proving to be the side’s best player on the night with some excellent defending. Going forward he looked a constant danger and must be unlucky not to have won the man of the match.

    The Ballinamallard side had the better of the opening 35 minutes with only rare Ballymena attacks and it was the Mallards that held the upper hand as Dara McGrenaghan missed a great opportunity on 11 minutes when some composure would surely have meant a goal.

    Despite having the better of exchanges it was a cutting edge that was lacking in the Fermanagh side and Holden had to clear off the line on 19 minutes to keep the game scoreless. Mallards in the closing 10 minutes of the half were holding on as the quicker passing and movement of the Irish League First Division side began to show with Leon Carters, Donal O’Reilly, Holden and Hurst all having to make vital saving tackles as the half time whistle was sounded.

    The Mallards win was clearly based on the defence and the back four were excellent and when they were beaten Tinney in goal was in fine form as he made several saves from distance and one excellent save diving to his left.

    The Mallard’s two wide men Robert McAuley and Philip Keenan worked hard throughout with McAuley looking very impressive while Keenan had a quick free kick a yard wide with the keeper back pedalling. Crean and Richard Cathcart worked hard to contain a talented Ballymena side and both players won vital tackles but received yellow cards for their efforts as Crean showed real character playing when not near fully fit.

    In attack, the Ferney Park side were missing that edge despite the excellent workrate of Darren McNulty who brought players into the game a lot and won the ball on many occasions but they were never effective in the penalty area while McGrenaghan had just that one opportunity.

    Ballymena had David McAlinden, their most experienced player with over 40 first team appearances, sent off on 82 minutes for an off the ball incident by referee David Appleyard but this did not stop the Irish League first division side hitting woodwork three times one got the feeling it wasn’t to be their night as extra time came to an end and the penalty shoot out loomed.

    Come the penalty shoot out Ballinamallard had two things in their favour. Namely Niall Tinney in goals and Phillip Keenan taking the vital fifth spot kick.This was how it proved to be in the end up as Ballymena won the toss and went first.

    Ballymena’s Michael Dobbin stepped up and slotted his kick past Tinney for 1-0 with Richard Cathcart coming forward for Ballinamallard and sending keeper Dwayne Nelson the wrong way as he slotted his kick low to net for 1-1. Conall Murtagh took Ballymena’s second spot kick hitting it to Tinney’s left. The keeper dived full length in mid air and got his finger tips to the ball but just couldn’t get enough on it to push the ball around the post as it rested in the corner of the net. Sean McMahon confidently slotted his spot kick low to the keeper’s left for 2-2.

    Next up was Conor Gregg as he fired his effort to the right with Tinney diving forward and pushing the ball away to the cheers of the hundreds of Mallards supporters. Up stepped Matthew Holden but his left foot effort was easily saved by Nelson thereby keeping the scores at 2-2.

    The tension was growing, next to miss and the Cup could well go with it as Michael McAlinden hit a left foot kick which Tinney palmed away to the delight of the Fermanagh support and suddenly the expectation of winning was getting ever so close. Darren McNulty stepped up and drove his effort into the roof of the net past Nelson for 3-2 to Ballinamallard.

    Ryan Brady came forward knowing he had to score for Ballymena and placed his effort to Tinney’s right for 3-3 and it was all down to Phillip Keenan. He placed the ball on the spot and the ground went silent. Referee Appleyard added to the tension as he made Keenan replace the ball. Keenan stepped back. An air of expectation awaited as he moved forward to strike a right foot spot kick high into the roof of the net past Nelson as the noise erupted and celebrations began. A moment of history had been made as Ballinamallard United became the first Fermanagh Club to win the Irish Youth Cup and the celebrations continued accordingly.