David Humphries Memorial Trophy
Armagh Juniors 5 Fermanagh Juniors 1
FERMANAGH Junior boss Gareth McGuckin spoke of a “good learning experience” for his players, as they succumbed to defeat in their second game of the David Humphries Memorial Cup against hosts Armagh.
Cillian Rafferty scored twice inside the opening 11 minutes, before Cian Curran made several fine stops for Fermanagh. Curran was assisted defensively by Kaden McGovern and Conor Goodwin, who cleared goal-bound efforts off the line ahead of the interval.
Two further strikes by Rafferty sealed victory for Armagh, with Darragh Boyle headed home a late consolation. Armagh’s James Bell had the final say though, with the result securing the memorial trophy for the hosts.
“I’m not concerned about the result,” emphasised McGuckin. “We tried several players in different positions to assess their capabilities. Some worked and perhaps some didn’t. But that’s what these tournaments are all about. It was a good learning experience.”
Hosts Armagh made a strong start, with two early strikes by Rafferty giving the hosts a two goal advantage after 11 minutes.
Goalline clearances by McGovern and Conor Goodwin and a string of superb saves by Cian Curran prevented the Orchard County from adding to their tally.
Reuben Clarke came the closest for the Ernesiders in the first half, with his header from a McGovern cross dropping into the hands of the Armagh goalkeeper.
Rafferty brought his and Armagh’s tally to four goals with a couple of strikes early in the second half, derailing any realistic prospect of a Fermanagh comeback.
But despite the setback, the Ernemen remained undeterred and continued to press high in search of a goal. Clarke and Boyle both had efforts from distance, before Boyle netted a consolation goal for Fermanagh with 5 minutes remaining.
Conor Goodwin found space on the right and stood up a fine cross that was powered home by the head of Boyle at the far post.
A late strike by Armagh’s Bell added gloss to the scoreline for the side who went on to lift the memorial trophy.
McGuckin added that fatigue may have played a part in the result for his improving side.
“A lot of our players have never played two matches in one day. It’s about how you recover from one game to the next,” he reflected.
“We can take the negatives and turn them into positives next week. I’ve seen big improvements over the past six weeks and once again our goalkeeper was exceptional.”
Fermanagh Juniors 1 Tyrone Juniors 1
FERMANAGH Junior boss Gareth McGuckin lauded another “outstanding display”, as his side opened the David Humphries Memorial Trophy with a draw against county rivals Tyrone.
Shea Donnelly headed home the opener for Tyrone, before a fine individual effort by Shea McManus levelled matters for the Ernemen.
A sublime effort from distance by full-back Alex Beacom put Fermanagh in front, before an equaliser by Tyrone 10 minutes from time ensured the tie ended level. And despite that late equaliser, McGuckin was impressed by another encouraging display.
“Once again I thought we were outstanding,” stated McGuckin. “We started the game brightly and although Tyrone also had some first half opportunities, overall, we topped it.
“Alex Beacom’s goal in the second half was outstanding, I felt that if there was only going to be one winner in the second half and that was us.
“But unfortunately, we conceded a scrappy second goal towards the end.”
Fermanagh started the game brightly, Kaden McGovern flashing a low effort across goal. But it was Tyrone who opened the scoring midway through the first half, Shea Donnelly heading home from a pinpoint Jayden Buchanan corner.
Shea McManus equalised five minutes before the break; receiving the ball in the attacking third, McManus skipped past the Tyrone defence before finishing low across the goal.
Corey Harkin rattled the crossbar from distance as the boys in red sought to regain their lead before the break.
Alex Beacom then unleashed a thunderbolt to give his side the lead early in the second half. A clipped ball by Darragh Boyle found McManus, whose attempt was cleared as far as Beacom who had no hesitation in directing an outrageous strike into the top left corner of the Tyrone goal.
Jamie Wallace made a couple of decent saves to keep Fermanagh ahead, Buchanan forcing a superb low block by the Fermanagh netminder before saving a Josh O’Donnell effort from point blank range.
Tyrone however did find an equaliser, with Tyrone’s forward finishing from close range with less than 10 minutes remaining.
McGuckin also praised the reflexes of goalkeeper Wallace, who helped contribute towards a positive result.
“Jamie made some great stops to keep us in the game, including some he maybe shouldn’t have made! And from one of his stops, we then went up and scored.
“It was his best performance in a Fermanagh jersey. It was a positive result for us in the opening game of the tournament,” concluded McGuckin.