Ryan Hanna showers the team with champagne as Captain Matt McAuley lifts the cup
Enniskillen Town United…..2
Beragh Swifts………………….1
RYAN Hanna once again proved he was the man for the big occasion by scoring a splendid brace of goals in helping Enniskillen Town United dramatically snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in Friday evening’s Mulhern Cup Final at Drumad.
A stunning first half volley by spearhead Michael Brown had Beragh Swifts fans dreaming of an historic first ever triumph but in the fourth minute of stoppage-time Hanna headed home a Frank Wallace cross to force a riveting contest into overtime.
And at the end of the first period of extra-time the same combination produced an outright winner to secure Town a third consecutive triumph in the prestigious Fermanagh and Western FA cup competition.
In scoring twice Hanna maintained a remarkable record in the coveted knockout tournament. The midfielder netted in the previous two showpiece finals in which Rory Judge’s side respectively defeated Tummery Athletic 3-0 and on penalties after the sides had shared the spoils in a six-goal thriller.
In truth Town looked dead and buried until Hanna’s late late intervention dramatically changed the course of events. And once the holders gained parity at the eleventh hour their greater experience and know-how once again saw them across the finish line.
As so often happens in showpiece finals the quality of football on offer in Friday evening’s decider was somewhat suffocated by the importance of the occasion.
Both sides struggled to make any significant impact early doors but on the 15 minute mark Town skipper Matty McAuley almost opened the scoring when he headed a Conor Tummon left-sided cross inches wide with Swifts goalkeeper Johnny Crawford caught in no man’s land.
Up to that point Beragh had opened in lively fashion however there was no end product until Brown spectacularly smashed the Tyrone side into an 18th minute lead. Mark Adams’s deep left-sided corner kick was controlled on the corner of the penalty area by Brown who steadied himself before firing an unstoppable volley across Town net-minder Pat Cadden and high inside his far post.
The cup holders responded immediately with Crawford diving to his left to deny Gary Lynch before the Beragh goalkeeper reacted brilliantly to thwart McAuley, who had connected with an inviting low cross by Frank Wallace.
Town continued to probe for an opening with Crawford again saving comfortably from attacker Stephen Clarke who had controlled a searching Wallace pass before firing goalward.
And the half ended with Crawford racing smartly off his line to beat Lynch to the ball after the Swifts custodian had been short-changed by defender Collie Adams’s cushioned header.
The first 45 minutes had proved a fractious affair with neither side able to stamp their authority on proceedings and that pattern continued in the second period, although Rory Judge’s experienced outfit always appeared a little more threatening in the final third.
Yet their attack was kept well in check by the Swifts back four of Paul Kelly, Richard Anderson and the Adams brothers, Collie and Mark, as Town skipper McAuley and Wallace both rifled wide from distance before Crawford pushed over a looping header from McAuley over his crossbar.
The arrival of substitute Gary Beckett from the bench added a new dimension to the Town attack and the former Derry City target man was only on the field a matter minutes when he opened the door for Wallace but again Crawford saved comfortably.
Back at the other end Cadden was off his line in a flash to thwart Browne who had been sent dashing down the left channel by the evergreen Andy McFarland. Moments earlier the Fountain Lane faithful had their eyes firmly fixed on referee Dessie Kerr when Browne appeared to be checked by defender Matty Chambers as he surged into the penalty area but their appeals fell on deaf ears.
Browne’s pace continued to trouble the Town rearguard on the counter attack as the holders, despite shading the verdict in terms of possession, struggled to conjure up an equaliser. On one occasion Wallace was ushered in by Beckett on the left however Crawford, with the help of his defenders, managed to scramble clear.
Circumstances though were beginning to conspire against Swifts as defenders Anderson and Kelly were both forced to retire through injury. Meanwhile Town were slowly but surely cranking it up as McAuley again failed to get enough purchase on a shot to trouble Crawford.
But just when it seemed the two-times defending champions had run out of ideas, up popped that man Hanna with his late, late equalising goal. Swifts had one hand firmly on the trophy when they conceded a needless free kick on the left. The resultant set-piece delivery was only partially cleared to Wallace who whipped in a dangerous cross to the back post where Hanna got his head between two defenders to nod home.
That dramatic equaliser inevitably breathed new life into the Town challenge. Beragh, to their credit, rallied in the first period of extra-time however it was their opponents who scented victory and duly grabbed the deciding goal in the dying embers.
Beckett made the initial incision on the left, Wallace again supplied the ammunition with a carbon copy delivery which the inrushing Hanna powered home with his head.
Beragh refused to throw in the towel as tempers became a little frayed around the edges, and in the dying seconds they almost set up a dreaded shootout but Collie Adams directed a Jason Armstrong free kick agonisingly past a post with his head.
Key moment
Has to be Ryan Hanna’s equalising header four minutes into stoppage-time. At that stage Beragh had one hand on the trophy when it was dramatically snatched from their grasp. It was a game-changer and from that moment on Town became favourites to go on and secure victory.
Man of the Match Ryan Hanna
Until Hanna’s late intervention Brown’s sensational first half volley looked like earning the Beragh striker the man of the match accolade however once the Town midfielder doubled his money by heading home the winner in extra-time he became the standout candidate.