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Carrowmena secure Junior Cup victory 22.10.08
Carrowmena fight back to progress in Junior Cup

Cockhill Celtic...1
(O’Donnell 4)

Carrowmena...2
(Duffy, pen 29; Callaghan 79)

by Liam Porter at Cockhill, Inishowen Independent

A DEFTLY flicked header from substitute Glen Callaghan capped a fine fight back for Carrowmena on Sunday as they secured victory over Cockhill in the Ulster Junior Cup.
The home side got out of the traps quickly and were a goal ahead inside the first five minutes, but despite having the best of the possession in the first half, they failed to make their advantage pay and Carrowmena were in the end, well worth their win.
Indeed the visitors had fought back to go in at the break on level terms, and having survived an early onslaught at the start of the second half, they played their way into the game and certainly carved out the clearest chances as the game wore on.
However Cockhill will know that the possession they had in the early stages should have yielded more than the goal that young James O’Donnell coolly slotted home after fine work on the right by Garbhan Friel to create the chance.
The lively Friel kept the Carrowmena defence on their toes in the first half, working hard to hold up the ball for his team even if he was guilty at times of trying to do too much himself.
O’Donnell on the left also looked lively, but didn’t get enough of the ball although he did sneak in at the back post to get on the end of a good cross from Jarlath Herrity that Noone did well to block.
Battling against a strong wind Carrowmena were finding it difficult to carve out chances against the home side, although Paul Duffy did manage to force Leo McColgan into a smart save with his feet with a good shot in the 7th minute.
However the visitors were right back in the game in the 21st minute when Matthew Henry was fouled in the box as he teed up a shot and Duffy converted from the penalty spot to level the game.
It was a real boost for the visitors who pressed on towards the end of the half and it took a combination of some excellent defending and sheer luck to deny them a second just before the break following a scramble at a corner.
That late scare seemed to have kicked Cockhill into action again 
and they pressed on at the start of the second half in search of a goal to put them back in the lead. Marty Doherty’s flick from a corner in the 46th minute again tested Noone, while four minutes later Friel’s shot again warmed the Carrowmena keeper’s hands.
However it was by no means all one way traffic and Jonathan McLaughlin saw his shot saved in the 52nd minute when he failed to get enough power on his strike to worry McColgan.
A minute later Brian Kone raced through on goal, but the big striker steered his shot into the side netting to the relief of the static home defence.
Again it prompted a response from Cockhill and only an amazing 57th minute save from Noone and a goal line clearance from Ruairi Dougal straight from the rebound ensured that Carrowmena stayed on level terms.
A minute later Noone was almost embarrassed when a long range free from Donal O’Brien squirmed through his hands and out for a corner, but after that the visitors had the best of things.
Paul Duffy began to boss things in the centre of midfield and a couple of surging runs from James Henry troubled Cockhill on several occasions.
Indeed one such run saw James Henry link Matthew Henry to cave open a good chance, but none of the Carrowmena players got far enough into the box to get on the end of his fine pass across the face of goal.
A minute later a good strike from John McGeady forced McColgan into a good save and all of a sudden it was all Carrowmena.
Their pressure finally paid off in the 79th minute when Duffy rose high to power a header towards goal from a corner, but it was the deft flick from Glen Callaghan that helped it through the crowd of players and into the net.
Matthew Henry and Kone both had half chances after that when they found themselves in the box with the ball but could get neither shot nor pass away, and then Callaghan fired a speculative drive well wide of the target as the visitors looked to make sure there were no late surprises.
Cockhill to be fair threw everything at the visitors in the dying minutes in search of a goal that would force the game to extra time, but Carrowmena defended brilliantly and held on for a deserved win that puts them into the next round.

Cockhill Celtic: Leo McColgan, Kieran McLaughlin, Michael O’Connor, Terry Sheehy, Donal O’Brien, Jarlath Herrity, Marty Doherty, Shaun McKinney, Kevin McDaid, Garbhan Friel, James O’Donnell. Subs: Paul Hegarty for Friel (half-time); Darragh Lyons for McKinney (66); Michael McLaughlin for Doherty (73).

Carrowmena: Michael Noone, Andy McLaughlin, Ruairi Dougal, Jonathan McLaughlin, James Gillen, James Henry, Paul Duffy, John McGeady, Michael O’Doherty, Matthew Henry, Brian Kone. Subs: Glen Callaghan for J McLaughlin (61).

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