Shamrock Rovers' FAI Cup hopes were dashed by St Pat's Athletic, who knocked the defending champions out of the competition with a 3-2 win in extra time. The match was played at Richmond Park, with St Pat's coming from behind to win after Shamrock Rovers took a 2-0 lead at halftime.
Shamrock Rovers were cruising into the quarter-final draw on Tuesday morning, but serious pressure was heaped on Stephen Kenny, the St Pat's manager, when his team pulled back to level the score. The turning point came when Sam Rooney, a 17-year-old teenager, was introduced to the game just before Aidan Keena's injury-time penalty forced extra time.
Rooney's cameo altered the narrative of the game, and he scored the goal that knocked Shamrock Rovers out of the FAI Cup. The Dublin derby was separated by accuracy in front of goal, with both sides fashioning two chances in the first half. Shamrock Rovers led 2-0 at the break, but St Pat's would have held plenty of regrets if they lost.
Shamrock Rovers struggled to find their flow following a 5-1 loss to Egnatia in Albania last Thursday. John O'Sullivan was tasked with replicating the calm influence of Matt Healy in midfield, while Stephen Bradley replaced Graham Burke and Aaron Greene with the less proven strike partnership of Jonathan Afolabi and Michael Noonan.
The changes prompted Jack Byrne to drop deep and demand more ball than usual. One of Byrne's swerving free-kicks almost led to a goal for St Pat's. Joey Anang dominated his area and flung the ball to Keena, who spotted Kian Leavy sprinting clear.
Leavy could have won a penalty when nudged by Adam Brennan, but he kept his feet only to miscue his shot. Shamrock Rovers took over for a period with Afolabi heading wide from a Brennan cross before claiming his second goal since signing for the Tallaght club last month.
The Inchicore crowd took issue with a non-call by referee Neil Doyle before Afolabi stooped to finish Danny Mandroiu's delivery. Keena was forced to the sideline after a head knock while tangling for possession with Tunmise Sobowale. When play resumed, with Keena was still off the pitch, St Pat's skipper Joe Redmond was outmuscled by Sobowale which allowed Mandroiu to find Afolabi.
Shamrock Rovers' second was less complicated as Noonan beat Sean Hoare to Byrne's inswinger after a foul by Jamie Lennon. Hoare appeared to get the final touch, but the teenager was credited with his seventh goal of the season.
St Pat's pulled one back nine minutes into the second half when Luke Turner held off Luke O'Regan to send a looping header over Ed McGinty from Keena's speculative ball to the back post. McGinty kept Shamrock Rovers in front with a one-handed save from Hoare after another dangerous ball by Keena into the Rovers area.
Inaccuracy came back to haunt Kenny's team as Chris Forrester flashed his shot wide after a clever back heel by Ryan Edmondson. Next, Simon Power went for the top corner, and missed, when a low ball across the box might have yielded the equaliser.
Shamrock Rovers looked set to hold on until Keena drew a foul from the otherwise flawless Lee Grace before walloping the penalty through McGinty. Extra-time was preceded by similar huddles as Kenny and Stephen Bradley held their players' attention with specific instructions.
But the momentum had taken a wild swing in St Pat's favour. In any other era in Irish football, Rooney would have been away to England by now. Media reports are already linking him to Sporting Lisbon and Nottingham.
Shamrock Rovers are currently 1st in the Premier Division, with 54 points from 27 games, and a +19 goal difference. They have scored 43 goals and conceded 24. They are 7 points clear of St Patrick's Athletic at the top of the table. Their recent form is 2 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in their last 4 matches. Their next fixture is against KuPS at home on August 20th.
