Dream day for Dean as Town stun Shels!
George hits hat-trick as Athlone end 22-year wait for cup semi
VERY few anticipated this Extra.ie FAI Cup shock. Certainly not Dean George, a lean 22-year-old Dubliner who hadn’t scored a goal all season, yet floated away from Lissywollen grinning from ear to ear with the match ball under his oxter.
‘It’s mad,’ he smiled after firing Athlone Town into their first Cup semi-final in 22 years at the expense of sorry Shelbourne.
‘I’m over the moon. It’s my first senior hat-trick. I couldn’t buy a goal all season and now I’ve a Cup semi-final to look forward to.
‘I owe it to Cabsey (Adrian Carberry) who showed trust in me all season and I’m delighted to be able to repay him today.’
As for Shels, a Premier Division team bulging with FAI Cup winners, this was a Halloween nightmare for the ages.
They were comprehensively out-gunned by a youthful Athlone XI who scored four and were not in the slightest bit flattered for the winning margin, as they were denied a penalty, hit the post and appeared to have a legitimate goal ruled out.
While George played like Charlie George, the Arsenal FA Cup hero of 1971, there was much to admire in the cultured creativity of Ronan Manning, the club’s Player of the Year, while the set-piece accuracy of David Brookes was torture for Shels.
If the late Ollie Byrne was around, there would be one helluva fall-out to this shambolic Shelbourne display and manager Ian Morris didn’t flinch afterwards.
‘I’m on the floor. We didn’t show up. Our defending was amateur hour stuff. The goals we conceded were horrific. I can’t dress it up, no excuses,’ he said.
‘We were terrible against a team that was almost bottom of the First Division. I feel let down.
‘I came here thinking we’d put in a good performance, and bounce us into next week’s massive game against Rovers. I’ve told the players they’ve no time to feel sorry for themselves.’
As the tendrils of Storm Aiden reached across the Shannon to Lissywollen, there was a sense this grey, grim afternoon may witness a Cup fright.
Between the astroturf, gusting wind and the Reds’ undistinguished record as travellers, Carberry’s colts had much going for them. If only, they dared to believe.
Shels were out early before kickoff but on reflection they never left the dressing room as this was as poorly as they’ve played all season.
Players with big reputations and decent wages should take a long, hard look at themselves this morning for they short-changed the distinguished red jersey.
Inside four minutes, the tale of woe began as Shels were caught napping with a long ball over the top, giving George first run on goal.
After Jack Brady advanced to the edge of his area to block, the rebound fell to Taner Dogan who found Adam Lennon in space on the right of the box, with the Shels defence at sixes and sevens.
Lennon cooly picked out George at the near post and the right-foot finish arrowed past Brady into the net. Perhaps the excitement got the better of Athlone as they coughed up an equaliser within minutes, losing the ball from their own throw-in before failing to close down Ciaran Kilduff.
The experienced striker turned on to his right foot and angled a 20-yard daisy-cutter into nto the far corner. Little did d Shels suspect this would be the highlight of their afternoon.
With set-pieces likely to play a vital part, Shels were punished for giving away corners and d free-kicks on their left eft flank, which allowed deadeye Brookes to find the range.
From his 21st-minute corner, Shels were all at sea and skipper Scott Delaney bundled home from close range.
Soon after, Athlon ewe re convinced they’d scored a third, with Brookes again the provider as his inviting right-wing corner was headed goalwards by Ciaran Grogan. The ball caught the inside of the post and appeared to have crossed the line before Brady pawed it away, off the underside of the crossbar.
Replays indicated Brady’s boots were on the line when he stretched back for the ball and Athlone legend Michael O’Connor, close by, was adamant the ball had crossed the line. At the break, Shels had timet to clear the stars fromf their eyes and regroup but they had nothing in the tank. Even the half-time introduction of FAI Cup winner Karl Sheppard couldn’t lift them.
Their only moment of promise came in the 53rd minute when Kilduff found space but his rightfooter from point-blank range drew a strong right-hand from Aaron Myles in the ‘Town goal.
It was against the run of play as Reynolds smacked a free against the post on the hour before George stretched Athlone’s lead in the 66th minute when Aidan Friel gave the ball away sloppily, allowing George to pounce with a low left-foot strike to Brady’s right.
After a let-off when Lennon was tripped in the box, Shels’ misery was complete when George was slipped through by Manning and he rifled a right-footer high into the net.
A home semi-final, against either Bohemians or Dundalk, awaits Athlone. They deserve to be there.
Athlone town: Myles; Tiou, Delaney, Grogan, Brookes; Lennon (White 90+1), Manning, Birrane, Dogan (90+4), Reynolds; George (Nealon 90). Scorers: George 4, 66, 78, Delaney 20. Shelbourne: Brady; Friel (Dobbs 71), D Byrne, O Brennan, O’Hanlon (O’Reilly 71); Fernandes (Sheppard h/t), M Byrne, Deegan, R Brennan (Farrell 61), Rooney (Moore 61). Scorer: Kilduff 7. REFEREE: D McGraith (Mayo).