Heartbreak as Tipperary representatives bow out of Munster League Champions Cup

Munster League Champions Cup semi final

Peake Villa 1 – 2 Villa FC (Waterford) 

There was heart break for TSDL champions Peake Villa on Sunday when they were knocked out of the Munster League Champions Cup at the semi final stage, to a late late goal at the Tower Grounds in Thurles. But when they look back on the game, they will probably conclude that they had a part in their own demise, conceding late goals both in normal time and extra time, and for not being as clinical in front of goal as this side normally are.

The game was played at a frenetic pace from the start, with both sides going at it, and the home side had a few early chances when Pippy Carroll came close and Sean Wade headed over from a corner. The Waterford side had some chances of their own, but on the rare occasions they managed to get a shot away, they came up against Willie Tierney, who was in fine form in the home goal.

The opening goal of the game came six minutes before the break, when sustained pressure from the hosts saw Ronan McGuire send over a cross to the back post, and Kieren Hennessy was on hand to score from close in. McGuire had a great chance just before the break to make it two, but his shot went straight at Craig Dunphy in the visitors goal, and the chance went abegging.

The second half was a cagey affair with Peake defending well and counter attacking in numbers. This was working well with McGuire and Carroll going close. The Tipperary side really should have doubled their lead before full-time but they just couldn't find that second goal.

REDUCED TO 10 MEN
Things got more difficult from them 20 minutes from time when they went down to ten players, but they still looked like they were going to get away by the skin of their teeth until they conceded in the 93rd minute when Conor Kilgannon scored to send the game to extra-time.

The home side continued to put in a great performance in extra time to keep Villa Fc at bay and came close to winning it themselves when McGuire almost scored. It looked eventually like the tie was going to have to be decided by penalty kicks, but just as they were preparing, the home side's heart was broken when Conor Whittle scored a minute into time added on in the second period of extra time, with an absolutely brilliant strike that Tierney could do nothing about. That meant heartbreak for a Villa side who left nothing out on the field and deserved at least a shot at penalties, but being down to ten men for the last 40 minutes of the game was probably their undoing.

There are some massive games ahead in the New Year, so there is plenty to play for in the second half of the season.