Fermanagh Juniors 2 FC America 1

Two goals in two minutes from Jay Ely gave Fermanagh Juniors their second win of the week, as they came from a goal down to finish the group stage with a win on day three against FC America. 

Fermanagh started brightly with Niall Goodwin winning an early corner.

The delivery to the edge of the penalty area was hooked into the box by Jay Ely, but captain Daniel McCarron could not get any power on his shot.

FC America came into the final group game on the back of two defeats, but they carved out two early sights of goal without troubling goal keeper Jake Agnew.

Fermanagh were looking the more threatening of the two sides and the FC America keeper had to be alert to grab Luca Hall’s header after a diagonal switch from Ely.

Goodwin then won possession on the corner of the penalty area and found Ely, with the striker twisting and turning to create space before firing straight at the keeper at the near post.

The pair combined again moments later when Goodwin retained possession on the edge of the area with a deft swivel, but Ely’s first time shot was superbly touched around the post by the keeper.

Luca Hall then showed good touch and composure on the edge of the penalty area before setting up Cathair Maguire, but the FC America keeper once again rescued his team.

On the stroke of half time the visitors threatened when Zachary Bush evaded two tackles before getting a shot away, but Agnew touched his effort over the crossbar.

FC America brought on Muhammad Sissay at half time, and within two minutes he had given his side the lead when he cut in from the left, held off a defender and fired a low shot into the corner of the net from the edge of the penalty area.

In a bid to salvage something from the game, manager Ciaran Black made a triple substitution with Alfie Jones, Nicky Milligan and Kimi Thompson all coming into the action, and within minutes the game was turned on its head.

Ely burst through the defence on the left side of the penalty area and the keeper did well to touch his effort over the bar.

From Jones’ corner Ely had another shot deflected wide, but they could not stop the striker on his third attempt, as he headed the corner past the keeper.

Two minutes later Fermanagh moved ahead when Nicky Milligan picked up an overhit cross and whipped the ball back into the area, and Ely took a touch and drilled the ball past the keeper to give his side the lead for the first time.

Ely and Maguire then exchanged passes on the edge of the penalty area, but a defensive challenge took the sting out of Maguire’s shot and the keeper gathered comfortably.

FC America were becoming less of an attacking force as the game progressed, but Collin Judkins came close to salvaging a point for his team when he surged through three tackles to get into the penalty area, but his shot across the keeper bounced wide of the far post.

Kimi Thompson had a late shot fly over the bar, but Fermanagh held on to take six points out of a possible nine in the group stage.