Zayed and Williams put Sporting a step closer

Shelbourne 1 Sporting Fingal 2:SUPERBLY EXECUTED goals from Eamon Zayed and Shaun Williams saw Sporting Fingal's quality come to the fore as Shelbourne face a third season in the First Division.

FAI Cup finalists Sporting now host Bray Wanderers at Morton Stadium on Friday night before the return leg of the play-off final at the Carlisle Grounds on Monday.

Shelbourne took the game to Sporting with David McAllister heading Michael Synnott’s cross straight at goalkeeper Darren Quigley after just three minutes.

Sporting had both Brian Gannon and their captain Stephen Paisley booked early on as they struggled to contain Shelbourne’s direct approach. Richie Baker was narrowly off target from a free-kick on 17 minutes before Sporting gradually came into it, twice almost punishing Shelbourne with their pace on the counter-attack.

Having found their range, Sporting rocked Shelbourne with two superb goals shortly before half-time. The opener on 39 minutes was an absolute gem. Conan Byrne put Gary O’Neill away on the right and he crossed for Zayed to volley sublimely first time to the net.

It got worse for Shelbourne within two minutes when Williams punished further poor defending to advance unchallenged and drill a left-foot strike into Dean Delaney’s bottom left corner from 20 yards. It should have been 3-0 10 minutes into the second half when Shelbourne were all too easily carved open again. Shaun Maher linked with Zayed who put O’Neill in. Only the finish was lacking as the shot was wide across goal.

Shelbourne got a penalty on 72 minutes when David Cassidy went down under a challenge from Stephen Paisley that looked outside the box.

McAllister put the penalty under the body of Quigley to keep Shelbourne’s hopes alive but Anthony Flood was then sent off for pushing Quigley over in trying to retrieve the ball, his second booking in five minutes.

SHELBOURNE: Delaney; Synnott, Brennan, Keely (Quigley, 56 mins), Hedderman; Baker, Cassidy (C O’Brien, 85 mins), M O’Brien (Hynes, 56 mins), McAllister, Doyle; Flood.

SPORTING FINGAL: Quigley; Gannon, Maher, Paisley, Fitzgerald; James, McFaul, Williams; C Byrne, O’Neill (Corcoran, 90+3 mins), Zayed.

Referee: Tom Connolly (Dublin).