No filling the void left by absence of Shields

EXTRA.IE FAI SENIOR CUP FINAL

THE conclusion of the vast majority of the magnificent army of Dundalk fans leaving the Aviva Stadium on Sunday after their team’s failure to retain the FAI Cup for the first time in their long and illustrious history was that this final was not lost on the pitch but in the cock-up that deprived the team of their most influential player, Chris Shields, through suspension.

Those same fans never bought into the view of head coach Vinny Perth that the club had the players to cope with Shields’ loss, and that sense of foreboding was evident in the conversations before the game.

They also shared the suspicion that Perth also knew that Shields was the one player who was irreplaceable in his team, and while he could never admit that, he, and most who attended previous encounters with Shamrock Rovers this season, knew that the combative midfielder was the essential difference between the teams.

The head coach also knew that with Patrick McEleney unable to take his place even on the bench because of the calf injury he sustained in the semi-final, his midfield options to fill the void left by the missing pair were extremely limited.

He tried to improvise by playing central defender Sean Hoare in Shields’ holding role, a position in which he played on a few occasions in the past when Shields was absent, but against a midfield of Rovers’ combined skills and technique, it was a difficult, if not impossible, task for Hoare to bridge the gap. At times he looked like a fish out of water, unsure of his positioning, and the player should not be completely faulted for the lack of fluency or precision in Dundalk’s midfield play.

Naturally, supporters before and after the game had their opinions on the team selection to fill the considerable hole left by Shields’ absence, but many of these selections included the expectation that McEleney would play some role, for the word from the Dundalk camp all week long was that the Derry man would be fit to play.

With both Shields and McEleney out, the choices available were indeed limited, and those critical of Hoare’s inclusion in the holding role, and who voiced the view that too many changes to the team’s structure were made to accommodate the absence of Shields in particular, were not all that forthcoming on who they felt the replacements should be.

Some felt that Jamie McGrath should have started in the centre of midfield and not on the right flank where he never looks comfortable, while others argued that John Mountney should have been introduced a lot earlier than the extra-time period and that Daniel Kelly should have been included from the start.

These opinions are academic at this stage, for Rovers lifted the Cup for the 25th time courtesy of a penalty shootout and have not only deprived Dundalk of retaining the trophy for the first time in their history but also of registering their first treble - League, Cup and League Cup.

On the day Rovers shaded the disappointing contest, not because they created the game’s best chances for Dundalk had the better clear-cut opportunities, especially in the second half, but unquestionably the Tallaght side dominated the possession statistics, played the better football and had in Jack Byrne the game’s best player.

The most disappointing aspect from Dundalk’s viewpoint was that the leaders in the team, those who should have asserted themselves in the absence of their inspirational leader - players like Sean Gannon, Robbie Benson, Patrick Hoban and Michael Duffy - were never able to influence the game to any great extent and a number of them would have to delve deep into the memory chest to remember performances when they played so poorly.

Afterwards, the inevitable inquest searched for reasons why a number of players were unable to produce their best, and the conclusion of some was that the changes made to accommodate Shields’ absence disrupted the entire shape of the team, and confused the players about the roles they were asked to undertake.

There was also the suspicion that Duffy carried an injury into the game that Dundalk had to conceal, given the absence of Shields and McEleney, for although he scored a magnificent equaliser in the last minute of normal time, he was far from his best, and never presented the threat expected on the left flank.

Part of the reason for that was the attention that he got from the very experienced Joey O’Brien, and the help that the full-back got from the energetic Ronan Finn in protecting the left wing.

Allowance must also be given to the quality of the Rovers performance, for they were solid in defence in front of a competent goalkeeper, kept the ball well in midfield, passed better and always threatened when Byrne was in possession in the final third as he sought to prise openings for the ever willing Graham Burke.

That Dundalk held out for so long, and indeed protected their goal so well that Gary Rogers was not called upon to make a decent save during the entire 120 minutes, was due to the stubborn manner in which Dundalk defended, particularly veteran captain Brian Gartland - brought into the team because of the reshuffle - for he showed real leadership at the heart of the defence and almost gave his side the boost of a first-half goal from a set piece.

That reshuffle asked Daniel Cleary to play on the left side of the middle two, a position in which he is not comfortable, and early on he looked a little jittery, giving the ball away unnecessarily, but he settled to perform well in the second half, as did Dane Massey who was also under pressure in the early stages of the game but did well in the second half to drive his team forward.

Rovers undoubtedly pressed to make the most of Dundalk’s selection problems in the early stages and had by far the better of the opening quarter, while never really threatening the opening goal.

Dundalk’s best efforts in those early exchanges came when they were able to create space for Sean Murray on the right, and although he was able to get in a few attempts on goal, he never showed the conviction in his finishing that he displayed in his early games with the club.

When Dundalk did eventually settle, towards the end of the half, they had the two best attempts on goal from Gartland and Cleary headers from set pieces.

Again in the second half, when Rovers dominated possession, Dundalk were able to carve out a few clear-cut chances for Murray and McGrath which they should have taken, and Hoban, who got very poor service throughout, should have shown more conviction in shooting himself rather than trying to find the supporting McGrath.

Rovers’ best chance fell to Graham Burke, which he fired over the bar when he should have converted, and the goal that eventually broke the deadlock in the 85th minute was conceded when weary legs surrendered possession to allow Byrne to release

Burke for about the only time he got in behind the defence.

That forced Rogers to concede the penalty that Aaron McEneff converted with confidence.

An equaliser looked beyond Dundalk, but they showed great character that has been indicative of their season to create the opening on the left, and when the ball broke in the box to Michael Duffy he dispatched it to the back of the net with an outstanding finish worthy of any final.

Both teams struggled for the energy to create chances in extra time, with Dundalk coming nearest to breaking the deadlock when their Cup saviour on many occasions this season, and last-minute goal specialist, Georgie Kelly’s shot was parried by Alan Mannus, with the ball trickling agonisingly across the line and just round the post.

It was almost a replica of the Sean Maguire goal that deprived Dundalk of the Cup in 2016 against Cork.

The odds on penalties to decide the outcome were always short, given Dundalk’s record in recent finals, and for the second time in three years they came out on the wrong end of the shootout.

The records will show that Rovers won their 25th FAI Cup 4-2 on penalties after the sides finished 1-1 at the end of extra time, but hidden behind that bare statistic was the conclusion of many in the magnificent 33,100 crowd that this final was decided off the field of play.