WSFL Greenstar U16 B Cup Final
Ballinroad 2  Ferrybank  1
Ballinroad won the last schoolboy cup final of the season last week in Graun Park and it was fitting that the winning goal came with the last kick of the season.Eoin Flynn popped up with the golden goal five minutes into stoppage time. It was a bitter pill for Ferrybank to swallow but such has been the dramatic nature of many of this year’s finals.It is worth nothing that Ferrybank won the U14 A Cup decider the previous week with the last kick of the match against Carrick United. The Fat Lady was certainly singing her heart out in Tramore in recent weeks.James Hahessy had the first chance of note for Ballinroad when he found space in the penalty area but Ferrybank defender James O’Meara did well to throw his body on the line before hacking the ball to safety.It took a magnificent save from Rian Hogan to keep his side on level pegging after 27 minutes. Mark Imiren raced down the left-side of the penalty area before he was brought to ground. Full back Kyle Delahunty stepped over the bar but his angled free kick was tipped over the crossbar.

Magnificent save by the Ballinroad goalkeeper Rian Hogan who just got his finger tip to this shot and deflected it out for a corner kick.

Magnificent save by the Ballinroad goalkeeper Rian Hogan who just got his finger tip to this shot and deflected it out for a corner kick.


Ballinroad struck for the lead goal with a half hour on the clock.Rian Hogan played a long clearance downfield that was not dealt with by the Ferrybank defence Reece Hally took full advantage and slipped a right-footed shot past the advancing Killian Ryan.Tadhg Collins could have doubled the lead on 39 minutes when he got his head on the end of a Ben O’Donovan cross but his header went wide.Ferrybank were back on level terms just four minutes into the second half when Kyle Delahunty sent over a right-wing cross that met Mark Imiren and he lifted a right-footed finish over the head of Rian Hogan from deep inside the area.Adam Dwyer was denied a goal that would have put Ballinroad back in front on 64 minutes when he latched onto a pass from Ben O’Donovan but his effort flashed over the bar.
It looked certain that extra time and perhaps penalties would be needed to decide the outcome but that all changed in the fifth minute of the added time. Ben O’Donovan and Reece Hally caused panic in the Ferrybank defence and Eoin Flynn drilled the breaking ball to the back of the net.After the game, the Greenstar Cup was presented to the victorious captain Daire Slevin by Damien Murray (Greenstar)   much to the delight of the Western faithful as they left the seaside venue with a cup final success.Ballinraod missed out on the league title by a single point to Tramore but the magic of the cup more than made up for that fact.