Match Report: Booth Road 2-2 Seaford Rock United (aet)
*Booth Road win 4-3 on pens
Noel Ryan Cup
Only a few weeks after taking a thorough hiding against the same opposition in the FAI Junior Cup, Seaford showed their mettle with a brilliant display of grit, intelligence and defensive resilience to force their illustrious hosts all the way in a classic cup tie in Clondalkin.
Booth Road have elevated themselves to the elite ranks of junior soccer in recent years and it was easy to see why in the opening stages, such was their clever movement, incisive combinations and eye-catching individual skill. Seaford somehow avoided conceding on nine minutes when Brandon Payne's throughball found Jordan Payne, who lobbed Oisin Geoghegan only to see the ball bounce up and hit the crossbar before rebounding to safety.
But having rode their luck, Seaford offered a threat of their own when Christian Firth fizzed in a cross to the back post, but it arrived just too quick for Darragh Connolly, who was inches from converting. The visitors had an even better chance on 34 minutes when a miscued clearance from Martin McGuinness put Mike O'Neill clean through, but he couldn't get enough height on his attempted lob, and Gary Cleary saved comfortably.
If Booth had dominated the first half, the second period was a much more even affair for the most part. The hosts struggled to fashione chances, other than from a string of corner kicks around the hour mark, one of which led to a frantic goalmouth scramble, with Seaford centre backs Ian Nolan and Fionn Lawlor putting their bodies on the line to repel the greens' efforts.
Geoghegan made two superb saves in quick succession to deny the Booth strikers, first blocking a point-blank header from Payne after Phillip Sheppard;s flick-on, before the same pair combined again, with Geoghegan blocking Sheppard's effort with his legs in a one-on-one situation.
The breakthrough arrived on 78 minutes. A left-wing corner seemed to have looped out of play, only for James Kelly to keep the ball alive beyond the back-post, allowing Matthew Holland to nod home from mere inches to open the scoring. But Seaford grabbed the equaliser their courageous performance merited, as three substitutes combined. Sam Browne fed Ryan Scollard, whose deft flick allowed Collie Barrett to bury the ball past Cleary, forcing extra time.
Barrett ought to have had his second within moments of the restart, meeting a stunning cross from Paul Tansey at the back post, only to side-foot centimetres wide, but he wasn't to be denied for long, latching on to a fine through-ball from yet another sub, David Higgins, and coolly lifting the ball over Cleary and into the net.
Booth had the chance to level instantly when Payne was tripped in the box, but Sheppard saw his penalty saved by Geoghegan, and the big keeper kept Seaford in front with more fine stops in the second period of extra time, first denying Payne again before tipping Kelly's effort over.
It was cruel, then, that the home side's equaliser, with just three minutes left on the clock, was something of a fluke, as Brandon Payne's touchline free kick eluded friend and foe alike and bobbled inside the far post.
Even still, Seaford looked set to progress after taking a 3-1 lead on spot-kicks, before their luck finally ran out, as four consecutive misses handed the victory to Booth Road, who are surely amongst the favourites to go one better than last season and lift the Ryan Cup come May.
For Seaford, there is consolation in a gutsy display and the ability to focus on the league campaign for the rest of the season.
Seaford: Oisin Geoghegan; Steve Kane, Paul Tansey, Ian Nolan, Fionn Lawlor (Sam Browne, 81), Oli Wright, Gavin Walsh (Robbie Creevy, 60), Mike O'Neill (David Higgins, 73) Darragh Connolly, MJ Tierney (Ryan Scollard, 59), Christian Firth (Collie Barrett, 70) : Goals: Barrett, (84, 92)
Booth Road: Gary Cleary, Matthew Holland, Jordan Roe, Martin McGuinness, James Kelly, Brandon Payne, Ryan Rock, Daniel Whitefield (Aaron Connolly, 100), Jodan Payne, Phillip Sheppard, Mark Brogan (Jason Murphy, 107). Goals:Holland (78) B Payne, (107)
SDFL Astro, 11 January 2019
Booth Road have elevated themselves to the elite ranks of junior soccer in recent years and it was easy to see why in the opening stages, such was their clever movement, incisive combinations and eye-catching individual skill. Seaford somehow avoided conceding on nine minutes when Brandon Payne's throughball found Jordan Payne, who lobbed Oisin Geoghegan only to see the ball bounce up and hit the crossbar before rebounding to safety.
But having rode their luck, Seaford offered a threat of their own when Christian Firth fizzed in a cross to the back post, but it arrived just too quick for Darragh Connolly, who was inches from converting. The visitors had an even better chance on 34 minutes when a miscued clearance from Martin McGuinness put Mike O'Neill clean through, but he couldn't get enough height on his attempted lob, and Gary Cleary saved comfortably.
If Booth had dominated the first half, the second period was a much more even affair for the most part. The hosts struggled to fashione chances, other than from a string of corner kicks around the hour mark, one of which led to a frantic goalmouth scramble, with Seaford centre backs Ian Nolan and Fionn Lawlor putting their bodies on the line to repel the greens' efforts.
Geoghegan made two superb saves in quick succession to deny the Booth strikers, first blocking a point-blank header from Payne after Phillip Sheppard;s flick-on, before the same pair combined again, with Geoghegan blocking Sheppard's effort with his legs in a one-on-one situation.
The breakthrough arrived on 78 minutes. A left-wing corner seemed to have looped out of play, only for James Kelly to keep the ball alive beyond the back-post, allowing Matthew Holland to nod home from mere inches to open the scoring. But Seaford grabbed the equaliser their courageous performance merited, as three substitutes combined. Sam Browne fed Ryan Scollard, whose deft flick allowed Collie Barrett to bury the ball past Cleary, forcing extra time.
Barrett ought to have had his second within moments of the restart, meeting a stunning cross from Paul Tansey at the back post, only to side-foot centimetres wide, but he wasn't to be denied for long, latching on to a fine through-ball from yet another sub, David Higgins, and coolly lifting the ball over Cleary and into the net.
Booth had the chance to level instantly when Payne was tripped in the box, but Sheppard saw his penalty saved by Geoghegan, and the big keeper kept Seaford in front with more fine stops in the second period of extra time, first denying Payne again before tipping Kelly's effort over.
It was cruel, then, that the home side's equaliser, with just three minutes left on the clock, was something of a fluke, as Brandon Payne's touchline free kick eluded friend and foe alike and bobbled inside the far post.
Even still, Seaford looked set to progress after taking a 3-1 lead on spot-kicks, before their luck finally ran out, as four consecutive misses handed the victory to Booth Road, who are surely amongst the favourites to go one better than last season and lift the Ryan Cup come May.
For Seaford, there is consolation in a gutsy display and the ability to focus on the league campaign for the rest of the season.
Seaford: Oisin Geoghegan; Steve Kane, Paul Tansey, Ian Nolan, Fionn Lawlor (Sam Browne, 81), Oli Wright, Gavin Walsh (Robbie Creevy, 60), Mike O'Neill (David Higgins, 73) Darragh Connolly, MJ Tierney (Ryan Scollard, 59), Christian Firth (Collie Barrett, 70) : Goals: Barrett, (84, 92)
Booth Road: Gary Cleary, Matthew Holland, Jordan Roe, Martin McGuinness, James Kelly, Brandon Payne, Ryan Rock, Daniel Whitefield (Aaron Connolly, 100), Jodan Payne, Phillip Sheppard, Mark Brogan (Jason Murphy, 107). Goals:Holland (78) B Payne, (107)
SDFL Astro, 11 January 2019