Match Report: Verona 0-0* Seaford Rock United
LFA Junior Cup
*Seaford win 5-3 on pens
With a patched-up team and a stand-in keeper, Seaford plundered a cup upset in the most unlikely of circumstances, eliminating Verona FC from the Leinster Junior Cup with a dramatic penalty shoot-out win.
Faced with an unprecedent injury crisis, particularly at centre half, manager Alan Burns decided to shore up a leaky defence by deploying rapid striker Mark Sullivan as a sweeper alongside Barry Kirwan and Stephen Kelly in a back five. The risky strategy was rewarded with the most defensively sound performance of the season so far, as all three centre back excelled.
And for all that Seaford focused on defensive organisation and solidity, it was they who went closest to opening the socring in the early stages, with Daz Connolly forcing a brilliant fingertip save from Verona's Stephen Daly, before Jim Nolan won the ball in midfield to burst forward and lay in Harry Crowe, whose powerful strike was parried away by Daly
The closest Verona came to breaking the deadlock was a fluke late in the half, when Sullivan headed Daniel Hockney's miscued cross onto his old crossbar.
And it was a similar story early the second half, as Stephen Kelly did well not to divert Kevin Darcy's drilled cross into his own net.
Seaford suffered a massive blow on 63 minutes when keeper Dylan O'Reilly injured his knee whilst making an astonishing block, and from the rebound Darragh Roche did equally well to block on the goalline. O'Reilly was unable to continue, so assistant manager Stephen Nolan donned the gloves for one last time.
After a lengthy delay for the injury, the visitors almost hit the front when Connolly ran at the blue defence, jinking left and right before unleashing a powerful strike from range that had Daly beaten but flashed just past the post.
At the other end, Nolan was forced straight into action, making a fine save to deny sub Aaron Glynn, before Connolly had a golden chance to put Seaford through when Nolan put him through on goal, but he fired straight at Daly.
There was still no separating the sides, as the rain pelted down on the sodden Coolmine pitch. Seaford striker Harry Crowe, having moments earlier been denied what seemed a clear penalty, thought he'd nicked the win on 87 minutes when he was put through by Connolly and rounded Daly to finish, but was adjudged offside.
Into extra time, and history repeated as Crowe was again denied a goal for offside, an even more contentious decision, but neither side could find the breakthrough, and for the second year in a row, Seaford's opener in this competition finished goalless and fell to be decided by a penalty shoot-out.
And again it was the Seaford keeper who was the hero of the hour.
Man of the match Neil Harrington fired home for the visitors, as did Crowe, Connolly and late sub Paidi O'Fatharta. And Nolan managed to parry David Colgan's kick, enabling Piers Shelton to slot home the winner and put Seaford into Round 2.
Seaford: Dylan O'Reilly (Stephen Nolan, 63); Jim Nolan (Paidi O'Fatharta, 118), Paul Tansey, Mark Sullivan, Barry Kirwan, Stephen Kelly; Neil Harrington, Tommy Crichlow (Piers Shelton, 70), Darragh Connolly, James O'Neill (Darragh Roche, 61); Harry Crowe
Verona: Stephen Daly, Kevin Darcy, Alan Kelly, Darragh Perdisatt, Jack Carroll, David Colgan, Daniel Hockney, Brendan Murphy, Stephen Pearson (Aaron Glynn, 54), Liam Tiernan (Alan Colgan, 57), Stephen Deegan (Gavom Healy, 63)
Faced with an unprecedent injury crisis, particularly at centre half, manager Alan Burns decided to shore up a leaky defence by deploying rapid striker Mark Sullivan as a sweeper alongside Barry Kirwan and Stephen Kelly in a back five. The risky strategy was rewarded with the most defensively sound performance of the season so far, as all three centre back excelled.
And for all that Seaford focused on defensive organisation and solidity, it was they who went closest to opening the socring in the early stages, with Daz Connolly forcing a brilliant fingertip save from Verona's Stephen Daly, before Jim Nolan won the ball in midfield to burst forward and lay in Harry Crowe, whose powerful strike was parried away by Daly
The closest Verona came to breaking the deadlock was a fluke late in the half, when Sullivan headed Daniel Hockney's miscued cross onto his old crossbar.
And it was a similar story early the second half, as Stephen Kelly did well not to divert Kevin Darcy's drilled cross into his own net.
Seaford suffered a massive blow on 63 minutes when keeper Dylan O'Reilly injured his knee whilst making an astonishing block, and from the rebound Darragh Roche did equally well to block on the goalline. O'Reilly was unable to continue, so assistant manager Stephen Nolan donned the gloves for one last time.
After a lengthy delay for the injury, the visitors almost hit the front when Connolly ran at the blue defence, jinking left and right before unleashing a powerful strike from range that had Daly beaten but flashed just past the post.
At the other end, Nolan was forced straight into action, making a fine save to deny sub Aaron Glynn, before Connolly had a golden chance to put Seaford through when Nolan put him through on goal, but he fired straight at Daly.
There was still no separating the sides, as the rain pelted down on the sodden Coolmine pitch. Seaford striker Harry Crowe, having moments earlier been denied what seemed a clear penalty, thought he'd nicked the win on 87 minutes when he was put through by Connolly and rounded Daly to finish, but was adjudged offside.
Into extra time, and history repeated as Crowe was again denied a goal for offside, an even more contentious decision, but neither side could find the breakthrough, and for the second year in a row, Seaford's opener in this competition finished goalless and fell to be decided by a penalty shoot-out.
And again it was the Seaford keeper who was the hero of the hour.
Man of the match Neil Harrington fired home for the visitors, as did Crowe, Connolly and late sub Paidi O'Fatharta. And Nolan managed to parry David Colgan's kick, enabling Piers Shelton to slot home the winner and put Seaford into Round 2.
Seaford: Dylan O'Reilly (Stephen Nolan, 63); Jim Nolan (Paidi O'Fatharta, 118), Paul Tansey, Mark Sullivan, Barry Kirwan, Stephen Kelly; Neil Harrington, Tommy Crichlow (Piers Shelton, 70), Darragh Connolly, James O'Neill (Darragh Roche, 61); Harry Crowe
Verona: Stephen Daly, Kevin Darcy, Alan Kelly, Darragh Perdisatt, Jack Carroll, David Colgan, Daniel Hockney, Brendan Murphy, Stephen Pearson (Aaron Glynn, 54), Liam Tiernan (Alan Colgan, 57), Stephen Deegan (Gavom Healy, 63)