FINN HARPS went down to an agonising penalty shoot-out loss to Cork City in the quarter-finals of the FAI National U-17 League competition at Finn Park.
Finn Harps 3-3 Cork City
(Cork won 3-2 on pens)
Photos by North West News Pix
The shoot-out, following an eventful 3-3 draw after extra-time, began curiously with Ryan Cunningham smashing the crossbar. However, match referee Marty McGarrigle ordered a retake as the kicker had proceeded to get underway before the whistle was blown.
Cunningham, probably never so happy to pick up a yellow card, scored when given the second chance – and yes, he did go lower – and when Joe Boyle in the Harps goal saved from Cian Murphy, Michael Gallagher put the home team 2-0 up.
But two well-taken Cork penalties – with Jack O’Sullivan and Dale Holland netting – and Corrie Lee Bogan seeing his attempt stopped by Alan Kelleher in the Cork goal it was 2-2 from three apiece taken.
Cork’s Liam Milner was on the money in-between saves from Kelleher from Jamie Brown and Jack Doherty and Cork were through.
So much had gone on beforehand after a scoreless first half.
Two goals from Cian Murphy gave Cork the lead twice in Ballybofey, only for the hosts to come back twice to level thanks to goals from Niall McGinley and Keenan Diver. That made it 2-2 but the teams still had more time to trade goals before the eventual penalty competition.
The Cork striker, Murphy, opened the scoring on 56 minutes as he steered home into the bottom as he was falling away when the ball fell his way after a cross from Conor Bowdren.
An equaliser came eight minutes later when a fine cross field delivery from a deadball by Bogan was headed in by McGinley.
Declan Boyle’s Harps had plenty of chances and for long spells but on 76 minutes Murphy was set free down the left wing and won the race with Harps goalkeeper Joe Boyle to score the winner from an angle.
Diver, though, made it 2-2 with just 12 minutes to go when he headed home from close range after another Bogan free was headed back into the danger area by Darragh Ellison.
Sub Brown then looked as though he headed Finn Harps into the last four when he planted Cunningham’s corner home three minutes into extra-time. Cork, though, showed their resolve and in a scramble some five minutes before the second period of time was to end, got back on terms at 3-3 when O’Sullivan looped a header home.
Moments later though, Ellison was dismissed for a second yellow card and Murphy almost won it with a delicate late lob over Joe Boyle in the latter stages, with the ball ending up on the roof of the net.
Harps started and finished the first half well, with Cork’s main threats coming in-between, with the closest either side came to scoring when the visitors’ Conor Bowdren spun into space on Harps’ inside left channel.
Bowdren went for power as Joe Boyle came his way and was unlucky to see the ball cannon off the near post and wide on 27 minutes.
Harps, who saw Adam Duffy miss a great chance in the opening minutes when he couldn’t keep an effort down in front of a yawning goal, did manage to get the ball in the net at the other end of Finn Park on 34 minutes when a free from Cunningham was glanced backwards and goalwards by Duffy.
However the ball clipped the base of the post and although Cunningham picked up the loose change to prod home from close range, he was flagged offside.
In the second half, Cian Bargary went on a great run down then Cork right and having made inroads from halfway and beat challengers from Odragh McGuinness and Diver, was unfortunate to hit the side-netting.
Then, like buses, came four goals and a match that had been simmering certainly came to the boil before the 90-minute mark.
The teams couldn’t be separated and it went to extra-time and although the 10 men looked as though they’d done enough both in that additional 20 minutes and then at the start of the shoot-out, it was Cork who did the necessary to squeeze into the last four.
Finn Harps: Joe Boyle; Lee McLaughlin, Odragh McGuinness (Jack Doherty extra-time), Keenan Diver, Darragh Ellison; Michael Gallagher, Conor O’Reilly, Corrie Lee Bogan, Ryan Cunningham; Adam Duffy (Jamie Brown 71), Niall McGinley.
Cork City: Alan Kelleher; Jack O’Sullivan, Thomas Collins, Dean Leahy (Jamie O’Sullivan 98), Colin O’Mahony; Conor Bowdren (Alex Minihane 75), Colin O’Mahony Daniel Djomo (Dale Holland 75), Douwe van Sinderen; Cian Bargary, Cian Murphy.
Referee: Marty McGarrigle.
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