Bann beat the odds to see off Carrick Twos in first round of Minor Cup

Bann were out to prove a point as their opponents sit two leagues above them. They knew it wasn’t going to be easy.

Bann started off very strong with a great press against the Carrick defence. A few minutes in, Punam McGookin took advantage of a mistake made by the Carrick defence to make it 1-0. Bann continued their attack against Carrick with some great play up the left hand side by Amy and Katie Carson.

As half time approached, Carrick started to breakdown the Bann midfield line and achieved two penalty corners. The first one was a lucky escape for Bann as the ball didn’t hit the back board. The second resulted in Bann’s captain Rachel Groves being caught in the line of the ball and having to be taken to the bench.

After an eventful first half, Bann were glad to hear the half time whistle.

Carrick came out strong in the second half which began to test Banns midfield and defensive line. However, Carrick were kept at bay with great tackles from Joanne Lyttle and Kate Cunningham. Jayne Scott was able to take the ball out of defence with ease and distribute into the midfield and forward line.

All of Bann’s players fought until the very end to keep the lead, nobody wanted extra time. As the final whistle blew Bann cheered as they now head into the second round.