Statoil FAI Junior Cup Round Five
Westport Utd 4, Tralee Dynamoes 3

Spring may still be some distance off but with the explosion of colour witnessed in the Sport’s Park on Sunday, one could be forgiven for thinking that the season of growth had arrived early.
The red and black which accounted for both side’s attire was only a bit-player compared to the explosion of yellow and red cards that decorated this encounter. Throw in the colourful language used by some of the visitors on the match officials after the match, two rainbows, a plethora of multi-coloured umbrellas and it becomes apparent that this was a very illuminating afternoon in Westport.

The fact that three Tralee players were red carded in the course of the afternoon suggests that this was a match riddled with outrageous tackles but that wasn’t the case at all. One dismissal occurred in the dying moments of the match for two yellow card offences and another after the final whistle when unhappy Tralee players and officials let their frustration out on the referee, Damien McGrath and his assistants.
Their unhappiness began the moment their striker, Damien Diggins, was dismissed after thirty-one minutes. He seemd to push Westport’s Alan Mulchrone in the face as they tussled for possession near the sideline and while it seemed innocuous enough there shouldn’t have been any complaints as the referee implemented the letter of the law.

At that stage the game was very much in the melting pot, the home side had started well and had taken the lead after only six minutes when Dessie O’Malley raided down the left, curled in a tantalising cross and Vinny O’Malley nodded it home.
Westport looked dangerous every time they attacked but a moment of indecision at the back in the twentieth minute undid all their good work.
A clearance out of the Tralee defence caught the home defenders unaware and Adrian McHugh latched onto it and rounded Martin McGreal to shoot into an empty net.
David Cameron almost restored the lead moments later when he got on the end of a move involving Gerry McLoughlin and Vinny O’Malley but the Tralee goalkeeper Derek O’Shea saved well as both sides probed for the initiative.
The visitors, who haven’t been beaten in Kerry for the past two seasons were beginning to impress and with Mark Fitzgerald and Eoin Cassidy putting themselves about and Samir Benhoutein showing some fancy touches they were growing in confidence.
Then Diggins and Mulchrone tussled for possession near the sideline and within seconds the Kerry man was heading for the showers.
The visitors frustartion was doubled a few minutes later when Vinny O’Malley rose unchallenged to head home Gerry McLoughlin’s corner. The visitors had left the big striker unmarked at the near post and he made no mistake from close range. It seemed as if Westport would take control as Tralee were restricted to hopeful punts forward but on the stroke of halftime the home defence was almost caught out again.
A long ball released Benhoutein and as the Algerian danger-man closed in on the target he was upended by Alan Mulchrone just outside the penalty area. The Tralee camp pressed for another red card to be flashed but Damien McGrath ruled that Mulchrone wasn’t the last covering defender and a yellow one was produced instead.
The visitors went for broke after the interval and pushed forward at every opportunity only to be undone by another Westport Set-piece in the 56th minute. McLoughlin fired in a corner from the left, which caused panic in the box and when the ball dropped to Joe Lawless twenty-yards from goal he blasted it into the roof of the net.
That should have calmed any Westport nerves but Tralee weren’t finshed and when James White nodded home in the 76th minute it was back in the melting pot and Westport were rocking. Eoghan McHale produced a last-ditch block moments later from Fitzgerald but when Danny Scahill shot to the net in the 81st to retore the two-goal advantage it seemed all over once more but there was another twist in the tail.
A hopeful ball into the Westport goalmouth with four minutes left caused confusion and Edward Duggan blasted it home to ensure a frantic finish. Then as time ran out Maurice O’Rahilly received his second yellow and at the final whistle as Westport celebrated, Tralee surrounded the officials and James White was also red carded to bring to an end a colourful day in Westport.


Westport Utd: M. McGreal, J. Lawless, A. Mulchrone, E. McHale, M. Geraghty, D. Cameron, B. Kennedy, E. Gillen, D. O’Malley, V. O’Malley, G. McLoughlin.
Subs: D. Scahill for Gillen (59), K. Joyce for McLoughlin (77).

Tralee Dynamoes: D. O’Shea, R. Rogers, D. Crotty, E. Cassidy, M. O’Rahilly, B. Stack, M. Fitzgerald, A. McHugh, S. Benhutein, D. Diggins, T. Hennessy.
Subs: E. Duggan for Stack and J. White for Hennessy (58)

Referee: D. McGrath
Assistants: M. Roughneen, M. Walsh