Liffey Wanderers 1-1 Sheriff YC (Liffey win 2-1 AET)
Liffey Wanderers claimed their first ever FAI Junior Cup when they beat 10-man Sheriff YC 2-1 after extra-time at Aviva Stadium.
Substitute Stephen O’Callaghan proved the hero for the side operating in the fifth tier of the Leinster Senior League when he placed his 20-yard shot past goalkeeper Lee Murphy and into the bottom corner eight minutes into extra-time.
Lee Roche opened the scoring for Liffey in the seventh minute and Sheriff’s hopes of forcing extra-time seemed doomed when John Rock was shown a straight red card in injury-time after arguing with referee Conor Byrne, who deemed him guilty of simulation.
However, Sheriff’s tenacity was rewarded when substitute Kevin Lynch crossed into the box and John Lester pounced to force extra-time.
Sheriff, aiming for their third FAI Junior Cup in four years, started brightly but were rocked by Roche’s breakthrough goal against the run of play.
Anthony O’Connor’s curling free-kick was delivered perfectly for the striker to head home past Murphy from eight yards.
Up against a Sheriff side armed with a potent strikeforce, Liffey were forced to defend stubbornly to protect their lead.
But they might well have added to their lead in the 15th minute, only for the crossbar to deny Gary Young’s shot following another well-worked set-piece.
It was Liffey’s rivals from north of the river who bossed the chances thereafter.
Rock’s 23rd-minute shot sailed just over the crossbar before Lester’s ferocious free-kick from 20 yards was bravely blocked by the head of Dean Young.
Their best chance of the half fell to left-back David Browne two minutes before the break, but he somehow blazed over when Rock had created an opening by outjumping goalkeeper Philip O’Connor.
On the hour, the Hoops went close to levelling after Joe O’Neill’s left-wing cross found the unmarked Joe Flood, but he couldn’t keep his header down.
Five minutes later, Darren Dunne’s shot clipped the outside of the post, but it was the superb reflexes of O’Connor that kept Liffey’s lead intact 14 minutes from the finish when he stuck out a leg to stop a close-range shot from Paul Murphy on the line.
When Sheriff had a penalty claim rejected in the 90th minute, Rock’s dissent prompted Byrne to brandish a red card.
However, it wasn’t fatal to their chances, as Lester followed up a parry by O’Connor from Kevin Lynch’s free-kick and volleyed the rebound home four minutes into stoppage-time.
Extra-time saw a number of chances exchanged, but Liffey regained the lead eight minutes in when Aidan Roche squared the ball to the onrushing O’Callaghan, who scored with a cool side-footed finish.
Sheriff YC: L Murphy; P Murphy, A Kavanagh, D Browne; D O’Brien (A McCabe 83), J Flood (S Murphy 63); J Lester, D Dunne, J O'Neill (K Lynch 63); K Dunne, J Rock.
Liffey Wanderers: P O’Connor; D Young (P Gannon 75), D Roche, D Andrews, W Keegan; C O’Brien, G Young, K Roche (S O’Callaghan 70), A O’Connor; A Roche, L Roche (P Mooney 86).
Referee: Conor Byrne
Attendance: 4,900
