Leahy penalty heroics send Swinford into cup final
Snugboro United defend a corner. Pictures: John Corless
A dive to the left by Swinford goalkeeper Jamie Leahy, as darkness approached, decided who will meet Straide and Foxford United in the Premier Cup Final next Sunday.
With the penalty shoot-out tied at 3-3, Leahy guessed the correct side to deny Odhran Donnelly, and when Joe Slevin stepped forward and calmly popped his penalty to the right of Snugboro goalkeeper Barry Redmond, Swinford were through and Snugboro were out.
Like all penalty shoot-outs, it was a harsh exit for a Snugboro side that had dominated much of the play and should have been out the gate at half-time in normal time. But cup football is a strange beast and neither side could make the breakthrough over the 110 minutes.
“Penalties are good craic,” Leahy told the after the game. “I was delighted to take one as well, if you miss you get a chance to make up for it afterwards with a save. We knew Snugboro would be decent and that it would be a good battle, and it’s good to come out the right side of it. Our backs were to the wall for some of it, and I thought Snugboro would sneak one. They were on top in the first half and we were on top in the second half, and it could have gone either way in extra time.” The opening ten minutes were severely lacking in quality as each team checked the other out. The first real chance fell to Snugboro striker Liam Morris, who shot wide after he was put through by his brother Eoin. He was unlucky not to score because it was a good chance and a let off for Swinford.
A few minutes later the home side had a chance to go in front, but when Ewan O’Grady put Niall Egan through, his shot was deflected for a corner in Swinford’s first attack.
Snugboro had a second really good chance when the Morris brothers combined a few minutes later, again to no avail. For Swinford, Joe Slevin had a shot blocked by man of the match Mossy Gibbons, and Egan sent a free kick wildly over the bar. Evan Rowley tried to get the home side in front, but he was denied by a Mark McGreal challenge, and for Snugboro, Liam Morris sent one wide before the half hour.
O’Grady came close from a Swinford corner, and a Jason Ormsby free kick was easily saved by Leahy in first-half stoppage time.
Swinford were better in the second-half but kept driving high balls into the box, where Gibbons was majestic. Clear chances were scarce for both sides, partly down to the kick and rush nature of the tie, and also due to solid performances by both sets of defenders.
Slevin sent one wide for Swinford ten minutes in, and then Andrew Gallagher for Snugboro had a free kick blocked by the defensive wall. Swinford’s best chance came in the 63rd minute when Slevin did good work wide before crossing low, but Egan couldn’t get a clean connection. Liam Morris came close, and then on 67 minutes, Aiden Dunleavy, visibly frustrated by the lack of opportunities, tried a different approach. After a good turn, he unleashed a powerful shot from 30mts out, that grazed the wrong side of the crossbar. A few minutes later, Slevin headed Dunleavy’s free kick wide from close range, as Swinford increased the heat on the Snugboro defence.
Rowley’s volley was saved by Redmond, after Zac Stone’s free kick. With less than ten minutes remaining, Donnelly had a great chance to settle it, but he fired over. At the other end, Swinford substitute, Cillian Goldrick created an opening, and Dunleavy set his powerful shot narrowly wide. Slevin, Dunleavy and Goldrick were all close as Swinford went in search of a winner before the whistle and Ryan McNamara came close twice for the visitors before referee Alan English blew for the end of regulation time.
Liam Morris and substitute Tom Murray had chances for Snugboro in extra time, and Rowley, Dylan Toner, Dunleavy and Egan came close for Swinford, but the match ended scoreless.
The standard of penalty taking was very high from both sides. Swinford went first and Leahy, Toner, Rowley and Dunleavy all scored. McNamara, Coyle and Gallagher put theirs away. Leahy’s was a brilliant save from Donnelly, stopping it right at the post. There was nothing more the Snugboro midfielder could have done. Slevin then stepped forward and played the captain’s part perfectly to settle matters.
“We’re absolutely gutted,” Snugboro manager Declan Lavelle said. “It was a really tough competitive game and penalties are a lottery and we came out the wrong side. I think that over the course of the ninety minutes we created the better chances we just weren’t able to take them. Then once you go into extra time, it is a case of who can hold their nerve.” His sentiments were echoed by Mossy Gibbons. “We’re sickened to lose that, to be honest,” he said. “We had a good game and there was nothing between the sides. We had a few chances, but we didn’t take them. We had two ding-dong matches with them in the league. Pure goal-fests and then we come down here this evening and no goal at all. They’re a good team. We’re happy enough with our season. Obviously, we’d have loved a day out in Milebush, but we just came up short in the end.” Swinford manager Aidan Dunleavy Snr acknowledged that it was a very tight game. “There weren’t many chances, he said. “I think we had three clear shots in the game. Snugboro should have got about three. The penalties could have gone either way but our ’keeper scored one and saved one. We’re delighted to win it.” Leahy, who had an excellent match, will have an opportunity to meet his former teammates in the final. He had a great match. Dunleavy was excellent too for Swinford, as was Toner at the back, but the night belonged to Gibbons. Liam Morris was in hard luck not to bag a hat-trick and Shea McAtamney put in a good shift too.
