Ice-cool O’Brien makes Moyne pay the penalty
EAMON O’BRIEN slotted home a 96th-minute penalty to send ten-man Moyne Rangers out and put Shamrock Rovers through to the Wexford Cup final at Ajax Athletic on Sunday.
After a goal-less first 90 minutes sent the game to extra-time, Mikey Dempsey was hacked down just inside the penalty area. O’Brien stepped up and left substitute ’keeper Anto Larkin rooted to his spot with a composed spot-kick to the bottom corner.
It was the only goal in a tight game between two sides that were intent on playing it coy and sparring for long spells. Neither team over-committed to attacking situations, with the juicy carrot of a cup final place proving too much to take big risks.
With just nine goals conceded in their 17 league games this season, Shamrock Rovers have built a title-challenging side on a solid bedrock.
They are probably going to come up short of a powerful North End in the title race, but now must be favourites heading into the cup final.
Rovers looked more likely to create in wide areas in the first-half. However, their best chance came on the counter-attack when Martin McKeown kept going after winning an initial header in midfield.
The ball came back to him off Marty Kelly but his attempted chip was superbly saved by Gary Murphy.
In first half added-time Ricky Fox cut across the penalty area and went down over a foot that was left hanging out.
The roars went up from the Rovers players but the referee ignored the shouts as the half came to an end.
The second-half was no more eventful than the quiet first.
James Peare and Ryan Mahon missed the target with strikes for Moyne, while a Johnny Flynn-O’Connor shot on the turn was comfortable for Lee Murphy.
At the other end Seán Miller headed over from close range and Marty Kelly couldn’t pick out the free man at the back post in the 76th minute.
The game seemed to be meandering to extra-time until Eamon O’Brien slipped Ricky Dwyer into the clear with six minutes remaining.
Bearing down on the advancing Gary Murphy, Dwyer knocked it past him and was hacked down, 25 yards from goal. Referee Derek Campion had no option but to produce the red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.
After wasting the free-kick, Rovers looked happy enough to head to extra-time with the man advantage.
That seemed like a prudent decision when Dempsey was thumped on the foot and won the penalty that O’Brien scored in the sixth minute of extra-time.
The game stayed in the melting pot as Moyne threw men forward in the closing stages.
They couldn’t create a clearcut chance but they were roaring for a penalty in the 110th minute when Seán Burke went down under pressure in the box from John Peare’s long throw. The Rangers calls fell on deaf ears and Rovers survived to advance to a final against Gorey Rangers.
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Lee Murphy; Alan Freeman, Seán Miller, Ian Sinnott (capt.), Mikey Dempsey; John O’Connor; Marty Kelly, Eamon O’Brien, Ricky Fox, Ricky Dwyer; Martin McKeown. Subs. - Jonny Dwyer for Fox (63), Dan Carroll for O’Connor (72), Eoin McDonald for Dempsey (110+1), also Podge Doyle, Tomás Hawkins, James Troy, Aaron O’Neill.
MOYNE RANGERS: Gary Murphy; Rory
O’Connor, Patrick O’Shea, Richard Farrell, Seán Burke; John Peare (capt.), Peter O’Rourke;
James Peare, Seán Kenny, Alan Tobin; Johnny Flynn-O’Connor. Subs. - Ryan Mahon for Kenny (59), Dillon Redmond for O’Rourke (72), Anto Larkin for Flynn-O’Connor (85), Peter Marsden for Tobin (90+1), Liam Evans for O’Connor (101), also Conor Bruce, Daithí O’Mahoney.
REFEREE: Derek Campion.