U-19s exit after shoot-out
WEXFORD F.C. 2 SHELBOURNE 2
SHELS WIN 4-2 ON PENS. WEXFORD F.C. ended their season with a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out loss against Shelbourne in the SSE Airtricity Under-19 League Shield at Ferrycarrig Park on Sunday.
The north Dublin side scored all four of their penalties in the shoot-out, while Ciarán Murphy and Ciarán Paige both netted for Wexford, but ‘keeper Jack Lydon repelled efforts from Cian Larkin and Craig O’Reilly to seal a spot in the quarter-finals for the visitors.
James Quinn’s side came into the game with just one league win all season long but put it up to the capital outfit in this encounter. The hosts took the lead right at the end of the firsthalf when Liam Evans found the net in the 43rd minute.
Shelbourne got back on level terms when towering striker Adeola Abass beat Colum Feeney in the 54th minute.
Both sides had chances to win it in normal time, with Yaw Aboagye breaking though late on only to dribble a shot wide.
The eventual victors started extra-time on the front foot and Feeney was forced into a smart save from an Abass header.
However, there was nothing the Wexford stopper could do to deny the striker when he flicked a left-wing cross to the net moments later.
Seán Murphy was sent-off for a second yellow card offence after the goal and Shelbourne missed a glorious chance to wrap up the game when Bogdan Baci picked James Cummins out, but he completely fluffed his lines with only Feeney to beat.
Still, Shelbourne looked safe deep into added time, only for Ciarán Paige to get to the byline on the right, whip one last, low cross into the box, and it fell to Aboagye to bundle home the equaliser with the last kick of the game.
However, it wasn’t to be in the penalty shoot-out. After this bitterly disappointing season, the club will have to tave a good look at why this team performed so badly, for the second season in a row, and attempt to make improvements ahead of next term.
Wexford F.C.: Colum Feeney, Seán Murphy, Danny Bruce, Shane Gibson, Kevin Murphy, Cian Larkin, Ciarán Murphy, Ciarán Paige, Liam Evans, Craig O’Reilly, Yaw Aboagye. Sub. - Ethan O’Neill for Evans (61).
Shelbourne: Jack Lydon; Michael McHugh, Niall McCarthy, Brandon Mulvey, Flavio Marku, Mark Murray, James Cummins, Brandon McCann, Adeola Abass, Ross Strong, Abdulrasaq Alamu-Tajudeen. Subs. - Amadeusz Tarnopowicz for Mulvey (66), Daragh Keating for Strong (66), Aaron Connolly for Alamu-Tajudeen (79), Bogdan Baci for Murray, inj. (107), also Andrew Duggan.
Referee: Brian Fenlon (Wexford).