Athletic battle back to oust Villa in extra-time clash

Mullingar Athletic 2, Temple Villa 1 (AET)

Mullingar Athletic battled their way past Temple Villa and into the next round of the Paddy Cotter Cup under the floodlights at a cold, drizzly and windy Gainstown last Saturday evening.

The home side overcame a half-time deficit to grasp victory, with extra-time needed to decide the outcome. Brendan McCormack found the net for Temple Villa in the 15th minute, but Bobby Archbold’s finish with just under ten minutes to go in normal time, and then Neilis Vitkauskas’s goal five minutes into extra-time sealed victory for the hosts in an evenly fought encounter.

There was nothing to note in the opening ten minutes of the match as both teams were settling into the cup tie and testing each other out.

The first chance arrived when Sean Brennan’s delightful ball found Mark Gannon, whose shot was excellently saved by Athletic keeper John McCormack, who got down low at his near post. At the other end, Paul Bannon was called into action four minutes later when he had to punch clear a dangerous corner.

Then the first goal arrived. Brennan once again put in a delightful ball, this time to an unmarked Brendan McCormack, who slotted his shot past the goalkeeper. Advantage Temple Villa. The score would remain 1-0 at half-time.

Both teams had several chances from here until the break. For the hosts, the best chances went to Jordan Scally, whose 34th-minute shot bended beyond the right-hand post. The same player also fired another effort down the goalkeeper’s throat eight minutes later.

For the visitors, Brendan McCormack was once again unmarked on the right-hand side shortly after the goal, before setting up Sean Brennan. The latter was foiled by a busy John McCormack who got his left paw to the shot.

In the 38th minute, Mark Gannon set up Tadhg Heavin through on goal, though Heavin pulled his shot to the left and wide. Sean Brennan had another chance five minutes before the break, but couldn’t convert as Liam Brennan blocked his shot away from the target.

The ball found the net seven minutes into the second half, though Bobby Archbold was deemed offside by the match official when he rounded Paul Bannon and scored.

The Mount Temple side’s brightest moments came within the next five minutes, when Brennan over-hit his opportunity and Heavin’s lobbed shot bounced off the crossbar and over.

Their best chance came in the 73rd minute; Ben Martin assisted Sean Brennan who fired a vicious shot at John McCormack from a tight-angle, yet the goalkeeper once again saved the shot.

After multiple half-chances, and as Mullingar Athletic began to manufacture the greater chances, the opportunity for the equaliser arrived. Jake Costello’s corner kick was fired dangerously into the box, and Bobby Archbold got the final flick to guide the ball goalwards.

Opportunities to win it fell to Liam Brennan, Bobby Archbold and Jordan Scally, who couldn’t convert, and so, the teams got ready for extra-time.

The winner was scored five minutes into extra-time. Stephen Cleary’s incredible bouncing ball came towards an onrushing Neilis Vitkauskas at the back post, and he blasted his shot into the roof of the Villa net, leaving Paul Bannon helpless to stop it.

The visitors pushed strongly for an equaliser in the second half of extra-time in a bid to force penalties, yet two golden opportunities for Tadhg Heavin and one from Mark Gannon were squandered.

The referee blew the final whistle shortly after Heavin’s second missed opportunity and, despite a tremendous effort from the visitors, Mullingar Athletic claimed a comeback win.

Scorers - Mullingar Athletic: Bobby Archbold and Neilis Vitkauskas; assists: Jake Costello and Stephen Cleary, 1 each. Temple Villa: Brendan McCormack; assist: Sean Brennan.

Mullingar Athletic: John McCormack; Hayden Nolan, Andrew Evans, George Ayibiowu, Liam Brennan; Ryan Bitu, Tito Oluwafunwikaje, Jordan Scally; Stephen Cleary, Ross Clinton, Bobby Archbold. Subs: Nathan McCullagh for R Clinton (half-time), Neilis Vitkauskas for R Bitu (57), Jake Costello for A Evans and Simon Jorgensen for T Oluwafunwikaje (75), Eoin Darby for H Nolan (half-time, extra-time).

Temple Villa: Paul Bannon; Adam Dolan, Nazar Zubkof, Kieran McNally, Dean O’Neill; Benny Magennis, Brendan McCormack, Mark Gannon; Sean Brennan, Tadhg Heavin, Andy O’Sullivan. Subs: Ben Martin for B McCormack (67), Diarmuid Morgan for A O’Sullivan (15, extra-time).

Referee: Leslie Buckley.