Fermanagh Premiers 0 Shoshi High School 4

The Fermanagh Premiers’ long wait for a victory at this year's SuperCupNI will continue into the final day of the tournament, after they suffered a fourth consecutive defeat in Thursday’s Salver semi-final.

The confidence of the squad had been boosted ahead of the game against Shoshi High School by Wednesday’s near miss against Skouted FC, but hopes of an appearance in the Salver final evaporated when they conceded twice in the opening four minutes of the second half.

The slick Japanese side had started in confident fashion, stroking the ball around and showing no hangover after a winless group phase.

They forced several early corners with Yuma Terada heading over their best chance.

Fermanagh’s first foray into Shoshi’s final third came on the break, with Fionn Stroud seeing his shot deflected wide of the post.

The Japanese side continued to dominate, their passing and movement cutting Fermanagh open time after time.

They were eventually rewarded after 14 minutes when a through ball breached the home defence and Kei Urakawa ran onto the pass and slotted past Patrick O’Sullivan.

The Fermanagh keeper then stopped a blistering shot from 20 yards and grabbed the ball at the second attempt before it could cross the line.

Urakawa then showed neat footwork to slip through two tackles, but his shot towards the near post was saved. Urakawa was denied by the keeper again two minutes later after a rapid Shoshi break.

A rare Fermanagh breakaway almost yielded an equaliser after 26 minutes.

Callum St. Ledger battled for possession in midfield and his pass released Aaron Ellis down the right wing. The striker cut the ball back for Bruce Lennox and his deflected shot wrong footed the keeper, but the Japanese number one was able to readjust and dive on the ball before it crossed the line.

Fermanagh started to come back into the game as the half time whistle approached and Ellis had a right wing cross claimed by the keeper, before Eoghan McArdle’s through ball allowed Ellis another sight of goal, but the defender got enough on his block to take all the pace off his shot.

Fermanagh came out in the second half keen to make a fast start, but Shoshi quickly took the game out of their grasp.

With just one minute on the clock Shoon Gunji cut inside from the left and drilled a low shot across the keeper into the far corner.

Four minutes later Urakawa made it three, collecting a throw-in and rolling the defender before firing low past the keeper from a tight angle.

Gunji then headed off target from six yards out, before Urakawa completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot after he was adjudged to have been pulled back by Oisin Keenan.

With time running out Lennox shot over the bar from long range, but a comeback never looked likely, and with all the substitutes on the pitch the Fermanagh side were forced to play the final five minutes with 10 men after Keenan hobbled off with an injury.

The county have one final chance to record a win at this year’s tournament, with today's third/fourth place Salver play off against Barca Academy Dubai at Broughshane at 3pm.