Ballinamallard Youth made their third trip to the Belfast area in three weeks as they travelled to face Immaculata in the NIBFA Cup.
The Mallards were on an impressive run of form and had not been defeated since early December.
It was obvious to all those in attendance that the conditions were going to play a major part in the outcome of the tie as a gale force wind swirled around the Grovsenor Road venue.
The Mallards, playing with the wind at their backs, dominated the early stages and were rewarded with a goal.
Irvine, returning from injury, calmly lobbed the goalkeeper to give the Mallards the lead.
However, the conditions were wreaking havoc on what had promised to be an exciting cup tie.
Immaculata were struggling to clear their lines and the Mallards were seeing their passes miss their intended targets due to the ferocious wind.
The away side were unable to add to their tally in the first half. Their closest opportunity to grab a second was when Jones rifled in a stunning corner and Toal thundered a header off the bar.
At half time the Mallards were told to stick to their task of defending resolutely and passing the ball on the ground whenever possible.
The early stages of the second half saw an onslaught from the home side as they tried to get back into the tie.
Keeper Joshua Brownlee made a number of impressive stops to keep the Mallards in the lead.
However, the home side soon grabbed an equaliser. The tricky McGinley worked space on the left and cut inside and unleashed an effort into the bottom corner. Brownlee made a superb stop but an Immaculata forward was quick to pounce and levelled the scores.
This goal seemed to inspire the young Mallards as straight from the kick off they put pressure on the home side.
With ten minutes remaining the Mallards scored one of the goals of the season. Irvine took control of possession in the centre of the park. He passed with precision to McGrath who took on the home defence and slotted through Alex Holder.
Holder still had plenty of work to do but he cut inside onto his left foot and rifled a stunning effort into the top corner. 2-1 to the Mallards.
At this stage the home side went route one and began to launch long balls into the Mallards box. Toal, Smyth and Jones were repelling everything Immaculata threw at them.
However, with only seconds left the referee blew for a free kick as Holder slid through and won the ball.
With a gale at their backs, Immaculata rifled a free kick past the helpless Brownlee to leave it 2-2 and put the tie into extra time.
The Mallards backroom staff provided words of encouragement for the Mallards and stated that this tie was there for the taking.
With minutes remaining the first period of extra time the away side were awarded a free kick. Jones stepped up from about forty yards out. The home keeper parried his effort and Jake Browne pounced to put the Mallards ahead.
In the second period of the extra time the Mallards once again had to play against a strong gale and they defended superbly.
Lead by skipper Oisin Smyth, the Mallards dealt with anything the home side could throw at them.
In fact playing against the wind the Mallards grabbed a crucial fourth goal. Niall Owens worked space on the left and played through Ryan Keaney. Keaney bamboozled the home defence and nutmegged the onrushing keeper and slid the ball into an empty net. 4-2 to the Mallards.
With minutes remaining the home side grabbed a third goal to leave a nervous couple of minutes for the away side.
However, the young Mallards held on and remain Ballinamallards sole representative in the NIBFA Cup.
This was a stunning performance and every member of the panel played their part. Playing in tricky conditions the Mallards played with real passion and desire. This win leaves the Mallards in the last sixteen of the competition and they will be hoping for a home draw in the next round.
The Mallards were on an impressive run of form and had not been defeated since early December.
It was obvious to all those in attendance that the conditions were going to play a major part in the outcome of the tie as a gale force wind swirled around the Grovsenor Road venue.
The Mallards, playing with the wind at their backs, dominated the early stages and were rewarded with a goal.
Irvine, returning from injury, calmly lobbed the goalkeeper to give the Mallards the lead.
However, the conditions were wreaking havoc on what had promised to be an exciting cup tie.
Immaculata were struggling to clear their lines and the Mallards were seeing their passes miss their intended targets due to the ferocious wind.
The away side were unable to add to their tally in the first half. Their closest opportunity to grab a second was when Jones rifled in a stunning corner and Toal thundered a header off the bar.
At half time the Mallards were told to stick to their task of defending resolutely and passing the ball on the ground whenever possible.
The early stages of the second half saw an onslaught from the home side as they tried to get back into the tie.
Keeper Joshua Brownlee made a number of impressive stops to keep the Mallards in the lead.
However, the home side soon grabbed an equaliser. The tricky McGinley worked space on the left and cut inside and unleashed an effort into the bottom corner. Brownlee made a superb stop but an Immaculata forward was quick to pounce and levelled the scores.
This goal seemed to inspire the young Mallards as straight from the kick off they put pressure on the home side.
With ten minutes remaining the Mallards scored one of the goals of the season. Irvine took control of possession in the centre of the park. He passed with precision to McGrath who took on the home defence and slotted through Alex Holder.
Holder still had plenty of work to do but he cut inside onto his left foot and rifled a stunning effort into the top corner. 2-1 to the Mallards.
At this stage the home side went route one and began to launch long balls into the Mallards box. Toal, Smyth and Jones were repelling everything Immaculata threw at them.
However, with only seconds left the referee blew for a free kick as Holder slid through and won the ball.
With a gale at their backs, Immaculata rifled a free kick past the helpless Brownlee to leave it 2-2 and put the tie into extra time.
The Mallards backroom staff provided words of encouragement for the Mallards and stated that this tie was there for the taking.
With minutes remaining the first period of extra time the away side were awarded a free kick. Jones stepped up from about forty yards out. The home keeper parried his effort and Jake Browne pounced to put the Mallards ahead.
In the second period of the extra time the Mallards once again had to play against a strong gale and they defended superbly.
Lead by skipper Oisin Smyth, the Mallards dealt with anything the home side could throw at them.
In fact playing against the wind the Mallards grabbed a crucial fourth goal. Niall Owens worked space on the left and played through Ryan Keaney. Keaney bamboozled the home defence and nutmegged the onrushing keeper and slid the ball into an empty net. 4-2 to the Mallards.
With minutes remaining the home side grabbed a third goal to leave a nervous couple of minutes for the away side.
However, the young Mallards held on and remain Ballinamallards sole representative in the NIBFA Cup.
This was a stunning performance and every member of the panel played their part. Playing in tricky conditions the Mallards played with real passion and desire. This win leaves the Mallards in the last sixteen of the competition and they will be hoping for a home draw in the next round.
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