Ballinamallard Reserves 2 Greysteel 1 (aet)

Ballinamallard Reserves advanced to the third round of the fonaCAB Junior Cup after an incident packed extra time win over Greysteel at Ferney Park on Saturday.

The Mallards were reduced to nine men just before full time but an Adam McCrea goal moments from the end saw them overcome their numerical disadvantage to grab a last gasp victory.

Manager Darren Higginbotham was full of praise for his side after they beat the odds to reach the next round.

“It was an invaluable experience, and the determination and passion they showed was impressive,” he said.

“To win any game after extra time with nine men is an admirable achievement and we are very proud of them, and it will certainly stand them in good stead for their careers.

“They showed great character and great resolve, and a bit of maturity and hunger to be better players and maybe crack into the first team. We see the Junior Cup as a great tournament and a great competition for the boys to get much needed experience in these sort of situations. It’s nice to get a run in any cup but we will be taking it round by round. We are excited to be involved in it and we will continue to approach each game in the correct manner and see how far we can go.”

It took the young Ballinamallard team time to settle into the game, and with Greysteel quick to get men behind the ball the home team were struggling to make the breakthrough.

Their first sight of goal came after half an hour when Lorcan McGrady did well down the left and pulled a cross back for Matthew Dixon, but his close range shot was blocked by the legs of the goal keeper.

The game reached the half time break goalless, and just two minutes into the second period the Mallards were dealt a blow when Matthew Dixon was dismissed. Despite playing with a player less Ballinamallard still threatened and Jake Brown came close when his back post shot from a tight angle was well saved.

With seven minutes left the Mallards took the lead when Lorcan McGrady glided past the full back and curled a shot past the keeper from just inside the penalty area. There was still time for more drama, and after Jake Brown received a second yellow card for kicking the ball away Greysteel snatched an equaliser to take the game to extra time.

With five minutes remaining Ballinamallard grabbed the goal that would earn them a hard fought win. James Stohlberg received the ball wide on the right and cut back inside before delivering a cross towards the penalty spot, where Adam McCrea swept the ball past the keeper from 12 yards to win the game.