Our U17s had a tough morning at Murt Scott Park as they welcomed former Premier side and U16 Cup holders MEK.

The visitors may have lost a few players, but the ones they still have were very strong and well drilled. MEK started better and within 5 mins won a corner that was met by an attacking head but took a deflection giving Eoin O'Mahony in goals little chance. 0-1 Ballyhar struggled in the centre of midfield, but Conor Giles and Sean Brosnan did very well to keep the back line solid. The 2nd goal came from the penalty spot when the right winger got the better of Jamie Fleming and went to the ground fairly easy, giving the ref a simple decision. 0-2 Ballyhar eventually did start to put some passes together with Lee Cirillo, Ross Lally, and Davin Quilter, all trying to find a way through, but the final pass just kept eluding them. MEK got a 3rd just before halftime when O'Mahony palmed a shot into the path of 2 MEK players, and despite the lads best efforts, they swept it home to make it 0-3 at the break.

The 2nd half saw the introduction of Conor Edwards and Kaelan Riordan make an impact for Ballyhar, while Giles and O'Mahony, who made a fantastic double save at 1 stage, stood firm. Edwards had the best chance of the half following great play down the left from Cirillo & Riordan but didn't connect at the key moment. Debutant Jayen Muj also did very well to get clear of the MEK defence and nearly won a penalty getting pulled down just outside the box. Ballyhar failed to capitalise, and with 10 mins remaining, Sean Brosnan was extremely unlucky to stretch out a leg to an MEK cross and steer it into his own net. F/T 0-4

The lads came up against a very strong team and did well in periods of the game, but it was a day when everything needed to go right, and their efforts didn't get the rewards they deserved.
Best for Ballyhar were Sean Brosnan, Eoin O'Mahony, and the outstanding Conor Giles.