Match Report: St John Bosco 2-1 Seaford (aet)

Seaford produced a lion-hearted performance but exited the FAI Junior Cup after being edged out in  extra time at Brickfield Park.

It was a dream start for the Penguins, who led inside three minutes through  Ryan Scollard, as the prolific striker pounced on Eoin Fitzpatrick’s undercooked backpass to skip around  Javier Zumárraga and finished with his left. 

2 almost redeemed himself when he arrived at the back post to attack Shane Jenkinson’s cross but headed just over. The visitors maintained a threat on the break. Midfield schemer Thomas Murphy started .many of the moves and almost finished ones his 20 yard piledriver was comfortably dealt with by Zumárraga   

Bosco’s dangerman Alex Taaffe almost leveled halfway through the opening period , but blazed over after cleverly working a yard. But the same man made no mistake on 31, smashing an unstoppable shot past Oisin Geoghegan after being put in by Michael Eustace’s clever scoop. 

If Seaford had spent much of the first balcony fhe back foot, it was a different story after the break as they showed more attacking threat. Scollard ought to have bagged his second of the night when Jamie Cogan diverted Murphy’s cross into his path, but the usually nerveless marksman smashed his shot wide with Zumárraga ​ out of this goal .  

Despite piling on late pressure , the visitors  couldn’t quite get the win in 90 and when the game resumed for extra time, Bosco flew out of the traps. In the first minute, Derek Lawlor cracked the underside of the crossbar with a ferocious strike , and shortly after they produced a moment of class to secure what proved to be the winner, as Ian O’Brian raced on to Lawlor’s throughball and slotted home via the far post. 

The Penguins surged foresee and were left wondering how ok earth they couldn’t force the ball in.  Ian Daly set MJ Tierney for a violent left-footed volley which would have burst the net but for a defender’s desperate lunch, and then Zumárraga somehow clawed  a Tierney corner out of by he top corner of his bet, before first Daly and then Brian Murphy had goalbound efforts blocked on the line. Even Sam Browne, surged forward from the back towrads the end and let go of a rasping striker off his left, but it was just off target.

A proud evening for the club but it just wasn’t Seaford’s day, Alan Burns’s men now focus on seeing out their remaining two league matches of what has been an energy-sapping season .

Seaford: Oisin Geoghegan, Darragh Roche (Fionn Geoghegan, 45+1) , Brian Murphy,, Sam Browne, Al Kennedy, Ben Kelly, (MJ Tierney, 78) Thomas Murphy, Ian Daly Jack Keegan (Greg Hughes, 90+1) Jamie McCaul, Ryan Scollard

St John Bosco: 1 Javier Zumárraga, 2 Eoin Fitzpatrick, 3 Shane Jenkinson, 4 Jamie Cogan, 5 Joseph Mc Glue, 6 Vicente Adrain Alferez Diaz, 7 Michael Eustace, 8 Daniel Cully Beakhurst, 9 Alex Taaffe,  10 Derek Lawlor, 11 Ian O'Brien. Subs: 12 Dean Blood, 13 Sean McGuigan, 14 Gareth Byrne, 15 Scott Taaffe, 18 Mark Sandford