FONACAB CRAIG STANFIELD JUNIOR CUP
ROUND FIVE
Newhill… 0
Enniskillen Town Utd… 3
By Jonathan Hogan
ENNISKILLEN Town safely negotiated a potential banana skin on Saturday afternoon as last year’s finalists booked their place in the Junior Cup quarter-finals with a polished and deserved 3–0 win over Newhill at Crumlin Leisure Centre.
Against a Newhill side sitting top and unbeaten in NAFL Division 2A, goals from Cathal Beacom, Conall Quinn and Darren Freeman ensured Town’s cup run remains firmly on track, with the visitor’s good value for more than the three they scored.
Afterwards, manager Ryan Hanna was quick to underline the importance of the performance, both with and without the ball.
“Delighted with the performance and the win, I thought it was a real steely away performance,” he said. “I thought defensively we were excellent across the 90 minutes; excluding corners and set pieces we gave them little to no chances. I’m not sure Ben [Thompson] had a shot on target to save, which was the basis for our performance.”
The opening exchanges were frenetic, with both sides sussing each other out during a helter-skelter first ten minutes. Once Town settled, they began to assert themselves. Beacom went close early, meeting a Jake Smith cross at the back post and firing narrowly wide, before Quinn dragged a left-footed effort just past the far upright.
Town’s breakthrough arrived on 29 minutes, and it was no surprise that Beacom was central to it. His physicality had already caused problems, and he made it count by attacking a pinpoint Duwayne McManus corner from the right, rising above his marker to power a header home from six yards.
Town continued to press for a second before the break. Dan O’Connor was denied by a smart save after being played in at an angle on the right, while Beacom forced another stop after pressing the centre-half and racing through one-on-one.
“We were knocking on the door, then got the goal,” Hanna reflected. “In the second half, I thought we were better again. They dropped slightly deeper and I thought we’d stronger control.”
That control told just after the hour mark with a beautifully-worked second. Brendan Lilley released Freeman down the line, his initial effort was saved low, but Beacom kept the move alive, squaring for Smith. A deft flick from O’Connor set up Quinn, who swept a hard, low finish into the bottom corner before wheeling away in celebration.
Hanna himself went close soon after following a neat one-two with Lee Brennan, forcing another save, before Town wrapped things up late on. McManus intercepted a Newhill kickout at halfway, Brennan quickly switched play, and Freeman made no mistake this time, driving a powerful left-footed finish in at the near post to seal it.
“We created loads of chances as well, so look, three goals and a clean sheet in the last 16, we couldn’t ask for much more,” Hanna concluded, with Town now turning their attention to Mulhern Cup action this Saturday against Division Three basement side Lisnarick.
