Waterford Junior League Premier Division
Dungarvan United 3
Ballinroad 3
Four goals in a second half which burst into life was a treat to spectators at Kilrush Park for Friday night’s Western derby in the Waterford Junior League Premier Division.
Ballinroad took the lead only for Dungarvan to equalise, before the visitors twice responded to goals from the home side to take a point back to the Road.
The atmosphere was typical of a local derby with a sizeable crowd gathered under Covid-19 restrictions, and it was the Rams who took the lead on 27 minutes having been brighter in the opening exchanges.
David Smith was the man who hit the net following a good spell of possession, but it didn’t take long for the Blues to re-group and find the equaliser, as they did so just five minutes after.
Dungarvan United worked the ball up the right wing through Davin Flynn, and the ball was pulled back to the edge of the area, with the impressive Danny Reynolds on hand to guide a low driven effort into the bottom left corner past a stranded James Corcoran.
The first-half petered out to an extent, Greg Waters going close with a header from a free kick but his effort went just over.
Greg Waters tried his luck with this first-half header.
Ballinroad attempted to unlock the home defence with balls over the top for Toby Taylor to run onto, while a lot of positive play for Dungarvan came through young winger Sam Uniacke who was man-of-the-match on the night.
Stefan McCurley and James Corcoran were both tested in goals but not to any extreme extent, before Ballinroad left-back Conor Donovan went close, whether he meant to or not, when his floated delivery into the box just landed on the roof of the net.
Conor Donovan sends the ball upfield. Photos: Eddie Dee
Tackles flew in and yellow cards were aplenty, as the local rivalry somewhat began to take away from the quality of football on show.
Dungarvan were left to feel aggrieved as a ball which split open the visitors defence saw Danny Reynolds and Davin Flynn in acres down the right flank. Reynolds looked to have calmly slotted in his second goal of the night past the onrushing Corcoran, but the linesman’s flag went up because Flynn was offside and adjudged to have interfered with play.
Ballinroad will have felt that Dungarvan could have been down to ten following a rash challenge on the edge of the area, but the referee thought differently.
However, one moment in the second half saw the game spark into life and finish on a frantic high note.
With seemingly little to no danger on, a Ballinroad defender found himself under pressure from Uniacke’s pressing, and his back-pass was poor, allowing the young man to nip in and round the goalkeeper before showing great composure to stroke the ball home from a relatively tight angle drawing rapturous applause from the home support.
Sam Uniacke gets away from the Ballinroad captain.
The Rams needed a goal and on came Shane Bennett in pursuit of such, and it was a managerial trick that worked just the treat. Not long after he entered the field, Bennett showed a somewhat fortunate Brazilian-like control with his neck and back to take down the ball, before turning and firing the ball into the bottom left corner. 2-2. Game on.
Dungarvan’s main threat all night came from their wingers, who received much of their supply from Danny Reynolds, Greg Waters and Tadhg McComb. Once again, Davin Flynn was played in down the right flank and when an opportunity came to go 1 on 1 with the goalkeeper, he showed composure to slot home from close range, and it looked at that point that the home team would take the points on offer with little left on the clock.
Davin Flynn gets away down the right wing.
But as is the case with local derbies, it’s never straightforward - and no more than two minutes later, the Rams showed great character to dig out another leveller.
A deflection saw them earn a corner, and from the left wing delivery, an attempted clearance didn’t make it too far and with the ball bouncing around the penalty spot, Tommy Fennell slid in to smash the ball home past McCurley and an earlier dull affair had somehow burst into a 3-3 thriller.
Ballinroad could well have really spoiled the party as they almost stole it at the death, Shane Bennett being played in behind, and as he was closed down with the angle tightening, his delicate chip sailed over the Dungarvan goalkeeper and looked destined to be a goal worthy of winning any match, but it eventually nestled just wide of the net.
Soon blew the final whistle, a draw probably a fair result on the night with Ballinroad the brighter early on but Dungarvan much improved in the second period.
In the night's other game, Brandon Deady, Jack Larkin and Mickey Brennan were on target for Tramore as they beat Piltown 3-0.
