Enniskillen Town 7-2 Magheraveely 

Enniskillen Town recovered from a goal down to win the only all-Fermanagh and Western tie in round five of the Junior Cup and move into the last 64 of the competition.  

Lee Brennan netted a hat-trick with two apiece for Nick Collen and Darren Freman as they got the better of their division two opponents. 

“We played really well,” said Town manager Ryan Hanna.  

“We made a slow start and they scored, but we responded really quickly and then we kicked into gear and were brilliant right through the rest of the game.

"We scored some really good goals and put together some really good moves.  It was very pleasing and a good performance.

"We put seven away but to be honest we could have put more away. Looking at it critically maybe we conceded soft goals and could have done a bit more, but on the whole seven goals in what was on paper a really tricky tie is always good.

"We performed well and finished it off well.” 

Magheraveely were playing their first competitive game for almost a month after they had been touched by tragedies affecting their club, and manager Lewis Bennett felt that the result was secondary to getting the players back onto the pitch.  

“We have had three deaths in the club in the last month and we haven’t had any training or matches so it was always going to be a struggle,” he said.  

“It was all about getting the boys back out on the pitch after the month they have had. I was proud of all of them.” 

“They are a very good side and we were always going to struggle. We could play one hundred more games and not play a front three as good as that.

"It would have been hard enough if we had been training and at one hundred per cent, let alone without that.” 

Despite their lack of football, Magheraveely took the lead thirteen minutes into the match when Paul Elliott’s volley from the edge of the penalty area made its way into the corner of the net.  

Their lead only lasted seconds, however, as from the kick-off Ryan Hanna lofted a ball over the Magheraveely defence for James Harrigan, and his cutback was converted by Darren Freeman.  

Four minutes later, Town took the lead when Thomas Owens’ pass released Lee Brennan, and he cut inside the defender and fired low past the keeper.  

With half an hour gone, Town moved further ahead when Brennan’s ball put Harrigan through down the right wing.

His cross was diverted into the path of Freeman by Nick Collen, and Freeman fired in off the post.  

Collen then robbed the centre half of possession and converted, before Brennan made it 5-1 before halftime with a backheel flick from Brendan Lilley’s cross. 

Ben Smith’s header from a corner early in the second half pulled one goal back for the away side, but Town were soon back among the goals, Collen curling a shot in from 20 yards.

Brennan completed his hat-trick from the penalty spot as Town eased through to the next round.