Salesian hold their nerve to win penalty shootout

Schools Soccer Leinster Senior Cup final: The dominant team failed to finish off their opponents in the Leinster Schools' Senior Cup at the AUL Grounds, Clonshaugh, yesterday.

It happens in football. The game was ruined as a spectacle by a cross-field gale and players had to adapt to the difficult conditions. Very few did.

Clonkeen College's Alan Judge had little problem. The lightweight striker was a menace all afternoon. Mark Langtry eventually picked up a yellow card for upending him in extra-time. However, nobody could stop his through ball for Darragh Robinson in the 39th minute. An assured left-foot finish looked to be the beginning of an academic victory.

A minute before the break, however, Salesian College drew level in the cruellest of fashion. Left-back Stephen Coghlan redirected an innocuous cross towards his goalkeeper Eoin Banahan - who was caught unawares. The ball ended up nestled in the corner of the net.

Up to that point, the south Dublin school controlled the tempo. After 12 minutes Ross Zambra put Robinson through on goal only for his shot to come off the post.

In the second half neither team really threatened to open the other up. In such games the defensively-minded deserve the plaudits. John Lavelle gave a solid performance at centre back for Clonkeen, as did Peter McGee. For Salesian, midfielder Robert Craig was workmanlike.

Tight games like this are normally decided in one or two crucial moments. Striker Kevin Daly replaced winger Jason Mulvaney after 55 minutes. This meant Robinson was switched to the flank. It was a strange decision, as the most dangerous attacker on the day was reduced to a peripheral role, while Daly got no change out of Salesian captain Mark Nolan. This also led to the Kildare school's only decent attacking period. Yet, their only reward was a string of corners.

Into extra-time and the game continued at its slumbering pace until a David Carey shot in the final seconds produced a magnificent finger-tip save from Banahan.

The penalty shoot-out meant at least one player must suffer the pain of missing. Craig was up first for Salesian. He made no mistake. Zambra was next and made good contact only to see the ball ricochet off the post. There was a hint that goalkeeper Domhnall Moore may have got a touch.

Every other penalty was excellently struck except for the deciding one, which was scuffed into the net by a relieved Nolan.

Cue the agony and the ecstasy.

SALESIAN COLLEGE: Moore; Dunne, McKay, Nolan, Langtry; McEvoy, Drew, Craig, Keating; Carey, Reilly (Falco Lorenzo, 74 mins).

CLONKEEN COLLEGE: Banahan; Potts, Lavelle, Agnew, Coghlan; McGee, Flynn (Dromley, 110 mins), Zambra, Mulvaney (Daly 55 mins); Robinson (O'Connor 90 mins), Judge.

Referee: A Foran (ISRS).