Steel Cup bid by Killyleagh finally ended at Seaview

Steel Cup bid by Killyleagh finally ended at Seaview

27 November 2024

IT was semi-final heartbreak for Killyleagh YC as they bid farewell to their Steel and Sons Cup hopes with defeat to Derriaghy at Seaview on Friday night.

The Whites were hoping to make it to the Christmas Day final for the first time since 2003 when they defeated Chimney corner to win the coveted trophy.

However, they were undone by a late goal in each half as Curtis Black and Lewis Higginson fired their Premier Division opponents into the Christmas cup climax.

The match got underway with Derriaghy taking early control of possession and looking to put Killyleagh under pressure at the earliest opportunity.

They created a golden opportunity after just five minutes as Barry Moore’s lofted ball evaded the defence to find Colin Crawford.

Crawford displayed a deft touch to take the ball in his stride, but dragged his shot well wide of the mark.

Derriaghy were not put off by their wasted chance and soon regained control, putting on an attractive passing display, and would have taken the lead was it not Killyleagh goalkeeper Aaron Carberry.

The YC captain pulled off an astonishing double save to deny Joseph Reid’s header and half-volley rebound to keep his side level.

Killyleagh began to grow into the game but despite Sam Carson and Conor Hamilton’s efforts to set forwards Andrew Carberry and Jack Davis away, they just could not find that defence-splitting pass.

Just as they began to find their stride, they found themselves having to go back to the drawing board as Derriaghy opened the scoring on the cusp of half-time.

Black was the first to react when their corner was cleared and having quickly controlled the ball, he cut it back onto his left foot and sent a rocket into the bottom corner.

There was an air of déjà vu in the second half as the Derriaghy men picked up where they had left off in the first period.

Just four minutes into play, Crawford beat three men and fired towards goal, only to be denied by a superb diving save from Aaron Carberry.

The YC needed to come up with some answers if they were going to play their way back into the contest and their attackers soon kicked into gear.

Davis caused trouble as he bulldozed his way into the box by beating several defenders, but was stopped in his tracks by tenacious tackling from Jordan Malone.

Andrew Carberry looked a certainty to score when the ball appeared to have been put on a plate for him from Kodi Carson’s cross, however, a last-ditch interception from Moore snatched it from under his nose.

They were left to rue these wasted passages of play as the pendulum began to swing back in Derriaghy’s favour.

The Blues would have doubled their lead were it not for the heroics of Kristopher Russell, who cleared the ball off the line to deny Black a brace.

Russell had become a brick wall at the back as the match progressed and saved yet another certain goal as he positioned himself to block Nick Beta’s volley.

The closing stages were proving to be a bit of a sticking point, with little to write home about.

However, Derriaghy sealed the tie in the 93rd minute when Higginson smashed the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-0.

Killyleagh will now be hoping for a similar run in the Intermediate Cup, but will invest their attention in the league campaign as they aim to make headway in their fight for survival.

Killyleagh: A Carberry (captain), L Murphy, K Russell, K Rice, F Keenan, D Carberry, C Hamilton, S Carson, J Davis, A Carberry, K Carson. Subs: A Ross, S Burns, D Johnston.

Derriaghy: J Nicholl, G Henderson (captain), T Clarke, B Moore, J Malone, C Crawford, L Higginson, S Shearer, C Black, M Fell, J Reid. Subs: N Graham, T Roscoe, M O’Hanlon, N Beta, M McAvoy.