Kilmore are kings of the comeback in Irish Cup win

Kilmore are kings of the comeback in Irish Cup win

17 September 2025

KILMORE Rec showcased their relentless spirit when they came from two behind to dump intermediate side Newtowne out of the Irish Cup.

The visitors made use of their early shooting boots to race into a two-goal lead after just 11 minutes, with captain Tony Mullan and Stephen Curry stunning the hosts.

Rec responded superbly however, displaying true grit and determination to turn the contest on its head and snatch progression to round three courtesy of a Christopher Magee header and a Philip Doran brace.

The Blues dominated the early encounters, forcing Newtowne on to the back foot, creating blockbuster chances and testing the resolve of goalkeeper Tom Hegan.

They only needed four minutes to threaten an opener, with Alex Burtney playing a perfectly executed through ball to Doran, who turned and curled an effort goalward.

Hegan covered ground to make an unlikely diving save and although he palmed into the path of Fionn Mulhern, in the centre of the box, the risk of Colin Mullan’s sliding challenge paid off.

Less than a minute later, Mulhern slipped Burtney through on goal. The winger managed to beat his man and take aim at the bottom corner from a title angle, but Hegan leapt to the rescue once more.

Kilmore’s early attacking efforts were left in vain, dispelled by a pair of impressive saves and a last-ditch tackle, and before long, they were left wondering whether they should have made better of their opportunities.

Newtowne’s Tony Mullan collected possession on the counter-attack, set himself on the edge of the box and curled a sensational shot into the top corner for a lead against the run of play.

It looked set to be a long afternoon for the Rec underdogs when, four minutes later, the Limavady side doubled their margin.

Jack Mullan’s lobbed pass sailed over the sleeping home defence and picked out Curry, who smashed a volley high into the net, giving ‘keeper Nevin Minard no chance. 

The home side, although taken aback by conceding two in a matter of minutes, showed no signs of licking their wounds and immediately reduced the arrears. 

Their attacking pressure finally paid dividends when Christopher Magee rose above the rest to meet a corner, directed a header through a sea of bodies and beat the unsighted Hegan.

Newtowne threatened to force the hosts right back to square one with a pair of free-kicks, but Zach McKenna’s free header was off the mark and Curry’s piledriver drifted narrowly over.

Still, Kilmore continued to play their own game, and they perhaps should have been level at the break. 

Caolan Conlon’s low, driven corner caused a pinball effect in the box and with his teammates having several stabs at it, they were adamant the ball had crossed the line, yet the referee ignored their claims and Newtowne took the upper hand into half-time.

Despite leading, the travelling side appeared to be a spent force when play resumed, failing to come to grips with Kilmore’s midfield control, rock-solid defence and troublesome attack. James Mahoney had a gilt-edged chance to square the game six minutes into the half, but he took a touch when he should have opted for the volley, allowing Newtowne to clear their lines.

Nonetheless, the home team did not have long to wait for a leveller. Conor Curran whipped a dangerous cross into the box and when Daibhaibd McIvor failed to clear, Doran reacted to slide the ball home.

The majority of the second half whittled away, without much action of note, however, Kilmore were in full control, searching for that one opening that would settle the game in their favour.

They were continually frustrated by the away side, who were laboured and seemingly aiming to hold out for extra-time, yet nothing could dampen their hunger. 

It looked as though the goal the Blues were crying out for had slipped from their grasp when Burtney somehow headed on to the crossbar from a mere two yards out, but the talismanic Doran was there to clean up for his brace and settle the contest.

Kilmore have experienced a shaky start to the new campaign, but they will be aiming to use the momentum from this spirited comeback to steady the ship in their Premier Division campaign.

Kilmore: N Minard, John Mahoney, C Curran, C Magee, Y Panfilov (captain), C Gemmell, F Mulhern, C Conlon, P Doran, James Mahoney, A Burtney.

Subs: C Nelson, H Smyth, S McGrattan.

Newtowne: T Hegan, M O’Brien, C Mullan, D McIvor, J Mullan, S Curry, T Mullan (captain), Z McKenna, C Logue, J Maley, B Baird.

Subs: P Boyle, C McAllister, E Kelly, S Rice, S Millar.