Shelburne’s brave effort falls short against Skryne Tara
THERE WAS disappointment for hosts Shelburne United in the LFA Junior Shield semi-final on Saturday, as Meath outfit Skryne advanced to the decider with a hard-earned victory over the Ballywilliam boys.
The locals side took an early lead when Patrick Barron headed home Paddy Murphy’s right wing corner in the 13th minute, but their opponents chipped away at Shelburne, equalised before halftime, and were clinical when their chances came after the break.
It might not be much consolation for Shelburne, but they gave as good as they got throughout this encounter. Both sides looked to get the ball on the deck and play football in cold, windy conditions, so it wasn’t always smooth.
It meant set-pieces and balls into the box were of particular importance. Ciarán O’Connor was a willing runner up top for the hosts but was often a little isolated against two defenders, and it was tough to create clearcut chances.
Both sides pinged low crosses into the box, which either ‘keeper dealt well with as the early probing started. The visitors had the first half-chance, a Conor O’Brien shot that ended up harmlessly whizzing across the face of goal.
Then, from Shelburne’s first corner, Paddy Murphy whipped a dangerous ball into the centre of goal, eight yards out, and Barron ploughed the header past Darragh Keegan to open the scoring.
Mark Jordan powered a half-volley wide in the 18th minute as Skryne looked to respond. At the other end Murphy poked a ball across the face of goal, and
Conor Lyng came onto it at pace but flashed his strike wide of the right post.
Skryne equalised in the 29th minute. Shelburne had managed to clear their initial corner, but the ball found its way back out to O’Brien on the right. His cross swung on the breeze and airmailed everyone, settling in the back of the hosts’ net.
Kieran Kelly saw a strike deflected wide from the edge of the area late in the half, while at the other end the hosts’ defence scrambled away a couple of dangerous crosses as the sides went in deadlocked at the interval.
The first 15 minutes of the second-half produced nothing. It was cagey, with neither team wanting to make the mistake and give the other the advantage.
However, the lead goal came in the 63rd minute when O’Brien’s corner was powered home by David Lynch.
Shelburne barely had time to mount their response, as six minutes later Dermot Brennan forced the ball into Paddy Carpenter’s path and his low shot was deflected past James Rossiter to make it 3-1. The hosts threw everything their legs had left at their opponents in the last 20 minutes.
Pádraig Lynch headed a corner wide, Paddy Murphy saw his shot blocked away, and Brian Lynch nodded inches past the post as Skryne held on to book their spot in the final.
Despite the result, it was a fantastic afternoon for the club. They really embraced the fixture and had set up their grounds perfectly for the occasion, with everything running smoothly off the field.
While the disappointment might linger for a few days, it will be back to the grind of league Division 3 action in the coming weeks, where Shelburne sit just eight points off leaders Ajax with two games in hand.
SHELBURNE: James Rossiter; Conor Lyng, Patrick Barron, Pádraig Lynch (capt.), Kevin Collins; Kieran Kelly, Barry Kelly, Brian Minogue, Paddy Murphy; Brian Lynch, Ciarán O’Connor. Subs. - John Murphy for Kelly (46), Seán Moran for Collins (60), Bryan Cody for O’Connor (72), also David O’Leary, Eoin Burke, Jack Murphy, Conor Redmond.
SKRYNE: Darragh Keegan; Colin Doyle, David Lynch, Darren Fox, Allan Carty; Ciarán Croke; Luke Thorpe, Timmy Lennon, Mark Jordan (capt.), Jason Fox; Conor O’Brien. Subs. - Paddy Carpenter for Thorpe (61), Dermot Brennan for Croke (67), Frank Carty for Fox (73), Stephen O’Brien for C. O’Brien (82), Niall Cleary for A. Carty (90+1), also Jamie Jordan, Tommy Carpenter, Chris Matthews.
REFEREE: Chris Maher (Waterford).