FOOTBALL: Letterkenny Rovers Youths have bowed out of the FAI Youth Cup following a brave display away to Ballincollig FC in Cork this morning.
Anthony Gorman’s side have performed superbly to reach the last eight of the prestigious youth competition.
The side was decimated earlier in the season with a raft of players joining Finn Harps and Derry City to play in the League of Ireland U17 and U19 leagues.
So, to reach the last eight of the competition with a very young side was a magnificent achievement.
Ballincollig were tipped as one of the favourites to win the competition right from the outset of the FAI Youth Cup.
The Cork side have consistently produced top-class young talent and regularly compete in the knockout stages at a national level.
So, an away trip to Ballincollig was a daunting task for Gorman’s young charges.
However, Rovers weren’t fazed and they stunned the hosts when they took the lead when Ruairi Friel fired home on 35 minutes.
Unfortunately that lead only lasted two minutes and Ballincollig struck back through Matthew Whelan.
That’s how it stayed until the interval, and the game was evenly posed for the second-half.
However, Whelan struck again on 63 minutes before O’Donovan made the game safe with twenty minutes to go.
A brave, brave effort from Letterkenny who gave an excellent account of themselves.
Ballincollig march onto the last four of the FAI Youth Cup.
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