NEVER WILL ROMAL Palmer feel this low after going sky high.
It was the St Patrick’s Athletic midfielder’s decisive spot kick in the penalty shootout that sailed over the bar and confirmed Bohemians’ place in the FAI Cup semi-final.
They triumphed 8-7 but it will not just be that miss that will haunt Palmer and the Saints. With the home side leading 1-0 in extra time thanks to Anto Breslin’s sublime strike Palmer was sent through one on one to double his side’s lead and kill off any hope Bohs had left.
He never looked settled as the ball bobbled in front and his strike flew into the air. Pat’s hopes didn’t quite go up with but this absorbing contest only reached a most compelling end with penalties after the gripping tension of the first 90 minutes gave away to a frenzy of calamity and quality in extra-time.
Breslin put Pat’s ahead on 101 minutes, Palmer missed on 108 and then Bohs got their equaliser on 112 when Ryan Edmondson turned Dawson Devoy’s corner into his own net. It must have been an instinctive form of muscle memory for the striker to flick on at the near post when he was unopposed.
Dawson Devoy of Bohs in acton against Chris Forrester of St Pat's. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
That own-goal sent us to penalties and when Colm Whelan missed first for Bohs the advantage went to Pat’s. Sean Hoare then had his effort saved by Paul Walters a few attempts later and the contest seesawed once more.
By the end it was Bohs celebrating, one game away from Aviva Stadium and a first piece of silverware since 2009.
Extra time had its share of controversy too, Darragh Nugent going down under the challenge of Sadou Diallo near the end and Bohs eventually benefitted from the decision to wave it away.
As the afternoon drifted towards evening the tension never wavered, and even in defeat Pat’s will be buoyed by the relentless display of 17-year-old Ryan Sheridan whose performance in midfield was breathless and also saw him keep the shootout alive with his own successful effort.
He is one for the future even if today will only feel painful. Amid a frenetic contest Bohs playmaker Harry Vaughan lost one of his red and white boots.
As play continued he scurried to grab it from the ground. Teammates and rivals fizzed around him. He clutched the boot in his hand waiting for the appropriate time to stop and put it back on.
“F***in’ stand on his f***in’ toes,” one Pat’s fan roared when Vaughan received a pass and was able to lay it off.
When the stakes were as high as this some of the most primitive instincts always tend to come out.
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Anto Breslin (left) celebrates his goal. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
Victory by any means necessary was required.
Only a hat-trick of top class saves by St Pat’s goalkeeper Joey Anang kept this tie alive for as long as it did, although Barry Baggley had one shot pushed onto the bar and Sheridan almost won it with an earlier header that smashed off the upright at the end of normal time.
Anang was third choice for Ghana at this summer’s World Cup and he showed every element of the calibre required to be in that kind of company.
Conversely, Bohemians’ work in the final third is what let them down and put them through so much agont.
Douglas James-Taylor will not enjoy the review of his key contributions. He dallied over the ball inside the box after Ross Tierney slipped him through one on one on 15 minutes and by the time he got his shot away Anang had smothered the angle and the shot.
Bohs were the side looking sharper with their exchanges from midfield and around the penalty area. On 44 minutes they carved Pat’s open, Darragh Power’s back heel for the overlap of Dawson Devoy down the right landing at the feet of Vaughan (who had both boots on by now) after Sean Hoare could only direct the ball to the six-yard box with his interception.
The Bohs fans before kick-off. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
The goal was gaping. Easier said than done when you’re not in the heat of battle but Vaughan just had to compose himself to pick his spot. Instead, he seemed to scramble and the lack of precision allowed Anang make the second of a goalkeeper’s hat-trick.
The third was perhaps the most important of all, and again he won the battle of wills with James-Taylor on 65 minutes.
At that point, a Bohs goal might well have sucked the life out of the home faithful. The striker was presented with another one-on-one about 12 yards out after Jason McClelland slipped on the ball while doing well to stop Connor Parsons’ pass on the counter.
His misfortune seemed to tee up the crucial moment but, once again, Anang came out on top. He would not have the last laugh, though.
Extra time was absorbing yet it did not sap the spirit and temperament too much as 18 penalties were required to find a winner. Bohs edged it and will feel anything is now possible.
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Bohemians come out on top in FAI Cup thriller as St Patrick's Athletic pay penalty
FAI Cup quarter-final
St Patrick’s Athletic 1
Bohemians 1
Bohemians 8-7 on penalties
NEVER WILL ROMAL Palmer feel this low after going sky high.
It was the St Patrick’s Athletic midfielder’s decisive spot kick in the penalty shootout that sailed over the bar and confirmed Bohemians’ place in the FAI Cup semi-final.
They triumphed 8-7 but it will not just be that miss that will haunt Palmer and the Saints. With the home side leading 1-0 in extra time thanks to Anto Breslin’s sublime strike Palmer was sent through one on one to double his side’s lead and kill off any hope Bohs had left.
He never looked settled as the ball bobbled in front and his strike flew into the air. Pat’s hopes didn’t quite go up with but this absorbing contest only reached a most compelling end with penalties after the gripping tension of the first 90 minutes gave away to a frenzy of calamity and quality in extra-time.
Breslin put Pat’s ahead on 101 minutes, Palmer missed on 108 and then Bohs got their equaliser on 112 when Ryan Edmondson turned Dawson Devoy’s corner into his own net. It must have been an instinctive form of muscle memory for the striker to flick on at the near post when he was unopposed.
That own-goal sent us to penalties and when Colm Whelan missed first for Bohs the advantage went to Pat’s. Sean Hoare then had his effort saved by Paul Walters a few attempts later and the contest seesawed once more.
By the end it was Bohs celebrating, one game away from Aviva Stadium and a first piece of silverware since 2009.
Extra time had its share of controversy too, Darragh Nugent going down under the challenge of Sadou Diallo near the end and Bohs eventually benefitted from the decision to wave it away.
As the afternoon drifted towards evening the tension never wavered, and even in defeat Pat’s will be buoyed by the relentless display of 17-year-old Ryan Sheridan whose performance in midfield was breathless and also saw him keep the shootout alive with his own successful effort.
He is one for the future even if today will only feel painful. Amid a frenetic contest Bohs playmaker Harry Vaughan lost one of his red and white boots.
As play continued he scurried to grab it from the ground. Teammates and rivals fizzed around him. He clutched the boot in his hand waiting for the appropriate time to stop and put it back on.
“F***in’ stand on his f***in’ toes,” one Pat’s fan roared when Vaughan received a pass and was able to lay it off.
When the stakes were as high as this some of the most primitive instincts always tend to come out.
Victory by any means necessary was required.
Only a hat-trick of top class saves by St Pat’s goalkeeper Joey Anang kept this tie alive for as long as it did, although Barry Baggley had one shot pushed onto the bar and Sheridan almost won it with an earlier header that smashed off the upright at the end of normal time.
Anang was third choice for Ghana at this summer’s World Cup and he showed every element of the calibre required to be in that kind of company.
Conversely, Bohemians’ work in the final third is what let them down and put them through so much agont.
Douglas James-Taylor will not enjoy the review of his key contributions. He dallied over the ball inside the box after Ross Tierney slipped him through one on one on 15 minutes and by the time he got his shot away Anang had smothered the angle and the shot.
Bohs were the side looking sharper with their exchanges from midfield and around the penalty area. On 44 minutes they carved Pat’s open, Darragh Power’s back heel for the overlap of Dawson Devoy down the right landing at the feet of Vaughan (who had both boots on by now) after Sean Hoare could only direct the ball to the six-yard box with his interception.
The goal was gaping. Easier said than done when you’re not in the heat of battle but Vaughan just had to compose himself to pick his spot. Instead, he seemed to scramble and the lack of precision allowed Anang make the second of a goalkeeper’s hat-trick.
The third was perhaps the most important of all, and again he won the battle of wills with James-Taylor on 65 minutes.
At that point, a Bohs goal might well have sucked the life out of the home faithful. The striker was presented with another one-on-one about 12 yards out after Jason McClelland slipped on the ball while doing well to stop Connor Parsons’ pass on the counter.
His misfortune seemed to tee up the crucial moment but, once again, Anang came out on top. He would not have the last laugh, though.
Extra time was absorbing yet it did not sap the spirit and temperament too much as 18 penalties were required to find a winner. Bohs edged it and will feel anything is now possible.
St Patrick’s Athletic: Anang; Redmond (captain), Hoare, Turner; Elbouzedi, Lennon (Nugent 90), Forrester (Baggley 55), Sheridan, McClelland (Breslin 87); Keena (Edmondson 55), Olusanya.
Bohemians: Walters; Power (Morahan 105), Byrne, Hickey, Mullen; Parsons (McDonnell 78), Devoy (captain), Flores (Diallo 78), Vaughan (Strods 63) (Madden 105), Tierney; James-Taylor (Whelan 78).
Referee: Norton.
Attendance: 4,888.
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all the way Bohemians FAI Cup League of Ireland LOI Soccer St. Patrick's Athletic