Villa are Munster final bound after late winner
Villa have progressed into the final of the McCarthy Insurance Munster Junior Cup. Photo: Paul Elliott
Villa have secured their passage into the McCarthy Insurance Munster Junior Cup final after a thrilling semi-final win over Coachford of Cork in a game played at Ringmahon Rangers grounds on Sunday afternoon last.
After losing to the same opposition in the last couple of meetings, it all came good for Conor Coad’s side as John Tamen proved to be the hero for his side with a winner five minutes from the finish.
The game was less than three minutes old when the workLAB Connors Park outfit took the lead when Aaron O’Connor found the back of the net with a free-kick, but a defensive slip allowed Luke Casey to level for the hosts on 11 minutes.
Villa created a host of chances to get their noses back in front before the break, but they couldn’t find the net. That all changed with only seconds played in the second period of the match.
Match winner Tamen did the spade work down the left side of the park before crossing into the centre for Dean Walsh, and he applied the finish past Coachford keeper Stephen Murray from deep inside the area.
But they let their opponents back into the game with 56 minutes on the clock when they sent in a right-wing corner kick that found the head of central defender Mark Murphy, who powered a header past keeper Craig Dunphy.
With neither side wanting to lose the game, there was a final twist to the affair on 85 minutes when Conor Kilgannon cracked in a shot that was finished to the net by John Tamen to ensure that Villa can look forward to another Munster final.
This time, they’ll face Aisling Annacotty in the decider, with the date and venue set to be confirmed by the Munster FA in the coming days, but for now, they can look forward to trying to get their hands on silverware after losing the final in recent years.
