ARE Avoca going to celebrate their centenary by at last winning the Irish Senior Cup? The proposal was delivered positively in Belfast on Saturday with the elimination of Holywood in a demanding semi-final, but again the real question is whether Lisnagarvey can be overcome at the ultimate hurdle at Belfield on April 13th.
While the 1-0 defeat of Holywood at Olympia may seem limited in contrast to Lisnagarvey's 3-1 dismissal of Cork C of I at Blaris, Avoca showed deep discipline to grind down gritty opponents and achieve a breakthrough in the second half. The first period was so tightly fought that only one short corner materialised, but after the interval the Holywood wall could sustain the bashing no longer. A two-pronged assault by Rory Kirwan and Robbie Ryan yielded a second corner. The initial drive from Mark Cullen was deflected to Colin Hade, who forced Billy McConnell to concede a penalty stroke on the line and Trevor Dagg converted responsibly.
The Avoca midfield of Nigel Kingston, Ryan and Hade was now crashing through irrepressibly, yet still the Holywood back four stood their ground. John McKee and Allan Irwin were especially tenacious, but the persistent Galahad Goulet eluded the cover, only to hit the posts twice. There remained the possibility that a counter thrust from Michael Irvine would produce an equaliser, but Dagg and Cullen always tackled formidably and, indeed, Holywood failed to deliver a shot in the entire match.
Cullen and Kingston now go into their fifth final in 13 seasons, so far without reward. Hade's father, Pat, was on the YMCA team which was the last non-Ulster side to win the cup in 1969. In contrast, Jimmy Kirkwood is in the running for a 10th medal as Lisnagarvey find themselves vying for the trophy for the eighth time in nine seasons. With their seven internationals, they remain hugely resourceful and were much stung to trail C of I at half-time in the other semi-final of the Nissan-sponsored competition.
The Cork side's exuberance enabled them to enjoy the first period as they defended defiantly through Mark O'Sullivan, Mark Fuller and Richard Dorman in particular and attacked with some elan via Alistair Dunne. The goal brought much delight just before the interval when Dorman, on an overlap, delivered a cross which was touched on by Bryan Welch, before taking a deflection off a defender and Darren Hanna dexterously volleyed the aerial ball to the net.
Lisnagarvey's mood was palpable as they emerged for the second half, yet they were fortunate to equalise as soon as the fourth minute, for Ger Burns does not give away short corners unnecessarily. He was adjudged, though, to have cleared deliberately over the line and Robbie Taylor executed a powerful drag-flick. Almost immediately, the C of I defence fell again when Peter Richardson broke through the cover on the right and John Gray, diving in on the left, made it 2-1. Subsequently, O'Sullivan kept out a barrage of shots - apart from a second set-piece missile from Taylor.
Both Lisnagarvey and Avoca can hone themselves for the final in the closing stages of their respective leagues. Lisnagarvey may retain the Ulster title, but probably all that Avoca can do now in Leinster is to spur Three Rock Rovers into aiming for a ticket to Europe.
