Shelbourne 3
Bohemians 0
Darryl Geraghty reports from Tolka Park
SHELS PICKED THE right time to get their first win of the season over the old enemy Bohemians to seal their place in the Extra.ie FAI CUP semi-final, with a comfortable 3-0 victory.
In the stunning sunshine in Drumcondra it was a case of fifth time lucky for Damien Duff’s impressive Reds as they dumped out last season’s finalists thanks to goals from Jack Moylan and a brace from Sean Boyd.
It was a massive season defining FAI Cup quarter final for both sides, who have little to play for in the league as both sit comfortably in mid-table, and it was the much more coherent and impressive home side who continued their adventure in this season’s competition.
As in all Dublin Derbies, form and friendship go out the window and despite recent games producing a red card in three of the four previous meetings, this afternoon’s Tolka Park tear up didn’t quite reach the same heights in terms of bad tempered clashes but was dangerously close to boiling point throughout.
The home side hadn’t tasted victory in the league since the away victory at UCD back in
July but started like a house on fire. Talismanic striker Sean Boyd signalled his sides intent, causing havoc amongst the Bohs backline to create the games first clear cut chance.
Matty Smith linked up well with Shane Farrell, operating in the left wing back, and the Finglas man delivered a dangerous inswinging cross towards Boyd. After some tussling in the box, the ball sat up nicely but the Shels top scorer blazed his volley over.
The visitors looked to silence the raucous home crowd just minutes later when Tyreke
Wislon, in a very similar position to the spot where he opened the scoring in August, missed the bottom corner by inches on this occasion.
The game’s first genuine moment of quality came with twenty minutes played and it was
ex-Gypsie Jack Moylan who broke the deadlock with his first real involvement. Having
picked up the ball from JR Wilson wide on the right, the talented front man cut inside Tyreke Wilson and played a slick one-two with Smith, before hammering home into the roof of the net right in front of the travelling Bohs fans.
In a bitter blow to the home side, and having just lit up the game, Moylan couldn’t shake off a knock and was replaced by Brian McManus. The incoming midfielder had an almost
immediate impact having a thunderous effort well tipped over by Jon McCracken.
From the resulting corner, Farrell picked up the ball wide on the left and put in yet another wonderful cross towards the back post and as the ball just wasn’t dealt with by the Bohs rearguard Boyd was more than happy to smash home on the stretch to double his side’s lead.
Just before the half things threatened to spill over when Farrell was caught late by James
Clarke. Both sets of players raced to get involved in the afters resulting in a spate of yellow cards – three for Bohs, one for Shels with Damien Duff going in the book too despite his protestations of being the one to “calm things down”.
Having seen his side put in a much below par first half, interim boss and club legend, Derek Pender rang the changes at half time introducing four off the bench. In came Jordan Flores, Max Murphy, Ali Coote and Kris Twardek as they desperately tried to salvage their season.
The overhaul failed to have any immediate impact as the visitors huffed and puffed but
failed to trouble Brendan Clarke who enjoyed a quiet afternoon.
It took until the 71st minute for Bohs to threaten and it was the classy Jordan Flores who
smashed the frame of the goal from 25 yards out. But just as Bohs began to gain some
momentum, Boyd struck again to seal their passage through to the semi final.
In an all too familiar situation for the Gypsies, it was another mistake at the back that cost them. Man of the match Boyd capitalised on a Ciaran Kelly mistake, but with a lot of work still to do, flicked the ball one side of Rory Feely and went the other and with space to run, galloped through on goal showing great composure to slot the ball under the onrushing McCracken.
The seven times winners Reds can now look forward to their first FAI Cup semi final in ten long years, and with 2 of the remaining three semi-final places being fulfilled by First
Division clubs and one of the two remaining big hitters exiting the competition later in the day, the sense of optimism for a big day out was through the roof at Tolka Park.
Shelbourne FC: Brendan Clarke, John Ross Wilson, Shane Griffin, Luke Byrne, Kameron Ledwidge, Gavin Molloy, JJ Lunney, Matty Smith (Aodh Dervin, 82’), Jack Moylan (Brain McManus, 33’), Shane Farrell, Sean Boyd (Dan Carr, 85’)
Bohemian FC: Jon McCracken, Jordan Doherty (Max Murphy, 45’), Rory Feely, Ciaran
Kelly, Tyreke Wilson (Ryan Burke, 64’), James Clarke (Jordan Flores, 45’), Conor
Levingston, John O’Sullivan (Ali Coote, 45’), Liam Burt, Declan McDaid (Kris Twardek, 45’), Ethon Varian
Referee: Rob Harvey
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!