Bandon AFC knocked out of Munster Senior Cup by Waterford

Waterford FC 1 Bandon AFC 0

Bandon's Munster Senior Cup adventure ended with a defeat to defending champions Waterford FC in the Round of 16 at the RSC.

Sean Holland’s team were just getting going when a penalty was given to the hosts over a foul on Jan Wozniak and Calum Costello converted from the spot at the 17th minute.

This brings an end to a campaign that saw Bandon defeat Castleview and Carrigtwohill on their way to the meeting with Waterford, who are aiming to retain the trophy for the fifth time.

The Blues used last year’s approach to the tournament and that meant fielding a team featuring a blend of academy players and new signings looking for minutes on the pitch.

Amongst those on the pitch was Kyle White, who played for Fleetwood in EFL League One before moving to the RSC. Republic of Ireland U18 international Zak O’Sullivan was also given a place in the starting XI and so was Jesse Dempsey, a full-back that lined out with UCD in the League of Ireland Premier Division before going to Serie A outfit Lecce for a brief period.

Bandon were up against it from the moment the game kicked off, with the team looking to become just the fourth intermediate side to knock out a fully professional outfit of the Munster Senior Cup in five years.

The intermediate side coped with this challenge by keeping their shape, with a large part of this the back-line containing Jack O’Donoghue and Mark O’Driscoll. Kevin O’Brien stood behind them in between the sticks, and the goalkeeper made a string of saves on the night.

This worked at keeping Waterford at bay, with their only goal coming from the penalty converted by Costello in the 17th minute.

Bandon responded by bucking down by keeping their shape, and the team went into the break trailing 1-0.

The Blues used half-time to make changes, while the Munster Senior League side stuck to what caused problems for their hosts during the first period of play.

Eventually Bandon started rotating their team and that started with a double substitution at the 57th minute with Luke Harrington and Charlie Payne replacing Mark O’Driscoll and Adam Kelly.

The fresh legs worked as it meant energy, but an equaliser proved elusive as the clock ticked towards full-time.

Bandon now returns to domestic action, with the team in the mix for promotion alongside in the First Division.

That involves navigating a race involving at least five competitors, a group that includes table toppers Mayfield United and a recently relegated Carrigaline United.

Bandon will also return to knock-out football with the club set to play Mallow United later on this month in the Pop Keller Cup.

WATERFORD FC: Jason Healy; Fidel Pululu, Alan Zborowski, Sean Keane, Jesse Dempsey, Mikey Carroll, Jan Wozniak, Kyle White, Aaron Cass, Zak O’Sullivan, Calum Costello.

Subs: Shane O’Sullivan for White (HT); Alex Sheehan for Pululu (HT), Jack Garrett for Costello (55), Dylan Warren for Cass (55), Matt Barrett for Zborowski (84).

BANDON: Kevin O’Brien; Jack O’Donoghue, Mark O’Driscoll, Lee Holland, Adam Hunt, Dylan Wilmot, Brendan Cullen, Paul Junior Nnotum, Gerard Rice, Dean Harte Harrington, Adam Kelly.

Subs: Luke Harrington for O’Driscoll (57); Charlie Payne for Kelly (57), Cathal Dineen for Harte Harrington (69), Conor McKahey for Wilmot (76).

Referee: John Sconnie Walsh