KILLYLEAGH’S hopes of a Border Cup Christmas showpiece ended at Seaview in a thrilling semi-final contest against league rivals Derriaghy on Wednesday night.
Eight goals and a sending off ensured both sets of supporters, who travelled to the Crusaders venue on a bitterly cold night, got the full value of their admission fee.
Paul Sharvin’s men kicked off the match and there was a clear sense of excitement in the air as the atmosphere reached fever pitch from the first whistle.
Immediately the YC went on the attack, with tackles beginning to fly early from both sides.
Some supporters were still making their way to their seats when the ball first hit the back of the Derriaghy net, just three minutes in, courtesy of a 35 yard thunderbolt from Killyleagh’s Jack Sharvin.
However, this lead would be short-lived as Derriaghy sought to answer in lightening quick fashion.
Perhaps still living off the ecstasy from their opener, complacency struck the Killyleagh backline allowing Derriaghy defender Jordan Malone to level the tie on the seventh minute.
What ensued in the following passages of play was a high level of football from both sides, with some slick passing and smart runs behind the defence.
Sam Carson managed to slip away from his marker before playing a perfectly weighted pass into his goal-scoring strike partner
Sharvin, who forced a corner after another effort on goal.
Derriaghy replied with an attack of their own through their captain Jack Smith’s surge down the right flank before squaring the ball to team-mate Nathan Best.
The number seven got his shot off promptly but it did little to trouble Killyleagh ‘keeper Jack Coulter.
Derriaghy’s Best continued to make his presence known with 25 minutes gone on the clock, after he saw his pass fall into the feet of striker Jordan Baker, who attempted to round the ‘keeper for an open shot at goal.
However, Coulter made a fantastically timed footed tackle to thwart any danger of an easy tap-in and regained the possession for his side.
With a minute to go before the half hour mark, Derriaghy took the lead for the first time in the match.
Once again, Best was flourishing on the ball and after swivelling inside on his left foot, he managed to squeeze a lowly struck effort through a sea of Killyleagh bodies to find the bottom right corner of the net.
The YC’s reply was almost instant, as the local side refused to let their heads in this back and forth affair.
This time it was Declan McComiskey, whose lone strike in Killyleagh’s quarter-final clash saw them make the last four, who would make the difference again.
The speedy winger gathered the ball down the left side and dribbled past two Derriaghy players before thumping his effort into the stanchion to bring the tie level for the second time.
The high paced action continued with Derriaghy now forcing Killyleagh to retreat and soon the contest would swing back in the favour of the Antrim outfit.
A smart ball in behind caught the Killyleagh defence at sixes and sevens, as Jonathan Murray’s failed attempt to spring the offside trap left the dangerous Baker free to square a pass to skipper Smith for an easy finish.
As Killyleagh were still trying to regain their composure from conceding a third goal, Derriaghy hit their opponents with a sucker-punch just two minutes later.
A high ball over the Killyleagh defence left Baker in a one-on-one position. This time he successfully rounded custodian Coulter and finished into an empty net.
Bizarrely upon the restart, Derriaghy’s Martin McAvoy committed a silly foul on Killyleagh’s Carson which led to referee Peter Murray awarding a free-kick to the YC.
McAvoy then pushed Carson’s head as he was making his way to his feet, leaving the official with no option but to brandish his red card.
This injected life into the Killyleagh players as they made their way back to the dressing room at half time.
Despite Derriaghy being reduced to ten men, it was a nightmare start to the second half for the YC as their opponents extended their winning margin to three goals just five minutes after play had resumed.
Striker Smith made an attacking run down the wing before neatly cutting inside to strike low into the bottom left corner beyond the outstretched hands of Killyleagh ‘keeper Coulter.
It was beginning to look like an impossible task for Paul Sharvin’s side and they could have been punished further when Smith snuck in behind the defence to find himself with just Coulter to beat, although the forward dragged his effort wide of the post.
Killyleagh captain Niall Walsh picked up a yellow card for a trip on Baker, who was causing serious problems up top with his height and physique.
Still, Killyleagh would not be deterred and refused to roll over for their opponents.
A Jack Sharvin free-kick, just after the hour mark, struck the wall and fell to the feet of team-mate Keegan Rice, who took the rebound opportunity at the first time of
asking and unleashed an effort on goal.
Agonisingly, his strike crashed off the post and away to safety.
Derriaghy’s Baker was the latest to enter the referee’s book after he was perceived to have taken a dive, much to the dismay of his team’s management on the side line.
Killyleagh’s frustration grew as more and more of the opposition ran down the clock with the Derriaghy players falling to the floor for a significant number of minutes with cramp.
With 17 minutes to go, Killyleagh got their reward for repeatedly knocking at the door, after a goalmouth scramble ended in Sam Carson bundling the ball over the line to cut the deficit to two.
Four corners in quick succession followed soon after for Killyleagh, with Barry Walsh coming closest with a long range effort that forced Derriaghy ‘keeper Jason Craughwell to produce a diving save.
Derriaghy resorted to counter attacking football with Killyleagh committing almost all of their players forward.
Best broke away freely and passed the ball to team-mate Baker, who put the ball in the back of the net only for the linesman to raise his flag for offside.
However, this didn’t make a difference to the result as the referee’s whistle sounded soon after to signify the end of the road for Killyleagh in this year’s Border Cup.
Killyleagh: J Coulter, J Murray, Jonathan Sharvin, Jamie Sharvin, N Walsh (capt), B Walsh, K Rice, D McConnell, S Carson, Jack Sharvin, D McComiskey.
Subs: C McCarron, G Murray, E Davidson.
Yellow cards: N Walsh.
Derriaghy: J Craughwell, G Henderson, C Brown, J Malone, R Harland, M McAvoy, N Best, E Taggart, J Baker, J Smith (capt), R Leetch.
Subs: T Roscoe, C Patterson, N Beta.
Yellow cards: J Baker.
Red cards: M McAvoy.
Referee: Peter Murray.