Irvinestown bounced back from their Junior Cup exit to beat Division One rivals Magheraveely and progress to the next round of the Mulhern Cup.

A Shea Treanor penalty had given the home team an early lead, but Wanderers turned the game around with goals from Gary Maguire and Barry Goodwin.

The pair had met in December in the league with Magheraveely emerging 4-1 winners, but Irvinestown boss Darren Higginbotham feels his side have made real progress since that defeat.

“It was a controlled, measured performance,” said the Wanderers’ manager.

“We were good on the ball and kept it well, and we were defensively solid on the day. It was really positive to get into the next round of the cup.

“They had beaten us before Christmas but on that day we contributed a large part to our own downfall. Over the last six weeks we have been working on trying to improve, and on Saturday I felt we deserved it.

“We passed the ball well and created chances and I felt our work ethic off the ball was very good. When we had the ball we looked dangerous in attack, had good mobility in our front three, and our midfield three were good on the ball. The boys played well and full credit to them.

“They were down after the Coalisland result, but we were very unlucky over 90 minutes not to win that game and I told them that if they continue to play at that level over the rest of the season then they will get their just rewards.

“We are heavily hampered by injuries at the minute, but the boys that came in seized the opportunity and did extremely well. I can ask no more. It is a difficult place to go, and the lads put a performance in and got the result.

“It is pretty positive and it’s now on to another difficult game against Augher in the next round.”

Wanderers made the quarter-finals of the cup competition last season, and they came out like a team determined to put together another lengthy run in the competition.

With only five minutes gone Daire Gallagher was denied by Corey Smith in the Magheraveely goal, who made a one handed stop to turn his volley from the edge of the area over the bar.

The visitors were holding the upper hand in the early exchanges, but it was Magheraveely who took the lead against the run of play when Caolan Flanagan was brought down by Michael Mahon inside the area, and Treanor dispatched the spot kick into the bottom corner of the net.

Midway through the half Wanderers’ dead ball specialist Maguire brought his team level.

Caolan Ward had set Gallagher away before he was brought down 25 yards from goal, and Maguire curled the free kick into the top left corner of the net.

Goodwin was a constant threat for Wanderers down the left wing, and he was rewarded with the winning goal 10 minutes into the second half when he ran onto Maguire’s lofted pass and chipped the keeper from the edge of the area.