Drogheda United 1-2 Shamrock Rovers (AET)
For the second time in three days, Andy Lyons furthered his reputation as Shamrock Rovers’ man for the big occasion with an extra-time winner to keep the 2019 FAI Cup winners interest in this year’s competition alive.
The goalscoring wing back was the match winner in the dying embers of Rovers’ midweek clash with Ferencváros at Tallaght Stadium. A 0-4 deficit from the first leg meant that goal counted for little in the grand scheme of things. However, Lyons’s 110th-minute goal at Head In The Game Park takes Stephen Bradley’s team one step closer to an Aviva stadium final appearance.
Sean Gannon’s lead goal arrived just four minutes into the contest. Jack Byrne’s searching ball found Rory Gaffney who controlled before volleying goalwards. Colin McCabe saved but with the United defence slow to react to the loose ball, Gaffney was alert and turned the ball back across goal for the defender to fire in.
It was Gannon’s second goal of the season, and both have come against Drogheda. A multiple league winner with United’s fierce rivals Dundalk, his goalscoring exploits are particularly tough to stomach on Boyneside.
McCabe endured a busy first half as he was forced to save from Dylan Watts and then use his legs to deny Byrne from close range. Gaffney blazed over wildly when set up by Aaron Greene and second before the half-time whistle, he flashed a low drive across goal after Greene dummied Byrne’s forward pass.
Drogheda, to their credit, had worked their way into a game that threatened to get away from them in the early stages. Darragh Markey headed over from a corner and Dayle Rooney’s cross almost found Dean Williams in the six-yard box.
Low delivery
United were level just prior to the hour mark. Rovers failed to properly clear a corner. Dylan Grimes’s low delivery from the right found Williams who flicked in past Leon Pohls. The German stopper saw the ball squirm under his body and should, in truth, have kept it out.
Gaffney was off-target at the other end and from the edge of the area, Dylan Watts forced a flying save from McCabe. A winner for either side never seemed an inevitability as extra-time loomed.
On a weekend bereft of anything resembling a cup shock, Drogheda were hoping to change that in the round’s final fixture. Dylan Grimes shot wide as they ended normal time strongly, but McCabe was called upon to stop teenage substitute Justin Ferizaj.
Neither side went particularly close to sealing progression to the next round during 30 minutes of extra time. The most presentable opportunity fell to Aidomo Emakhu but his header was easy for McCabe.
That was until Lyons’s winner. He stole in and after a fortunate bounce of ball, finished low past the goalkeeper.
On Saturday, the last remaining non-league teams saw their interest in the competition end as both suffered comprehensive defeats on home soil at the hands of First Division opposition. Treaty United beat Maynooth University Town 3-0 while Wassim Aouachria scored twice in promotion-chasing Waterford’s 6-0 victory over Malahide at Gannon Park.
DROGHEDA UNITED: McCabe; Poynton, Quinn, Cowan, Weir (Massey, 120+3); Deegan, Noone (Heeney, 93); Grimes, Markey, Rooney (Foley, 90+3); Williams (Lyons, 97).
SHAMROCK ROVERS: Pohls; Hoare (Towell, 97), Cleary, Grace; Gannon (Farrugia, 61), Watts (Kavanagh, 80), O’Neill, Byrne (Ferizaj, 66), Lyons; Greene (Emakhu, 61), Gaffney (Finn, 113).
Referee: Neil Doyle
