Dramatic climax as Bann progress in the Irish Cup

Bann 3

BANN finally booked their place in the Irish Senior Cup quarter-finals after a dramatic afternoon at Shawsbridge on Saturday.

However passage could have been straightforward after Bann totally bossed the first half creating chance after chance. Ross McCandless finally broke the deadlock in the 21st minute with a bullet flick into the left corner of the net past Skillen.

Bann continued but poor finishing, good goalkeeping and some bad luck prevented them from doubling their lead.

After the break Bann started slower but within 10 minutes had doubled their lead when Dane Ward raced on to a through ball rounded the keeper and passed to 15 year old Josh Moffet to open his senior account.

This rattled Inst and Ross McCandless could have finished the contest with three corners attempts but the inst defence blocked well.

The turning point however came when a stick challenge in the hosts half was harshly treated with a yellow card to josh Moffet. Inst took this opportunity to take control and possession and force Bann out of their rhyme.

However Bann contained the inst threat during this period, but when midfielder Colin Dowds followed the young schoolboy into the bin, Bann became very stretched and Inst pounced with 12 minutes to go with a neat deflection past Lennox.

Bann were now struggling with the inst numbers as they threw the kitchen sink at the Bann goal and with six minutes left Mark Irwin somehow got down the baseline and squeezed the ball past Lennox at the near post.

Bann were gutted to concede such a poor goal and after dominating a game they were now back on level terms. Now back to eleven men, Bann regained the initiative and could have got the winner in normal time when Skillen saved well from a Dane Ward reverse stick effort.

The game ended 2-2 and entered into golden goal extra time, Bann seemed to refocus and started the extra period very well and forced Inst to defend deep.

Instonians forward Chris Kirk was yellow carded within this early period and seven minutes in Bann finally pounced to end the contest when Ross McCandless thundered in his seventh corner of the day to send the large travelling support home happy. Best for Bann were Scott Forbes, Dane Ward & Bruce McCandless.

IRISH SENIOR CUP QUARTER FINAL DRAW: BANBRIDGE V Annadale; Raphoe/Monkstown v Kilkeel; Glenanne v Corinthians; Three Rock Rovers/ Cookstown v Lisnagarvey. All ties to be played February 27.