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Greyfriars Bobby · 04-01-2019, 12:00 PM

15 October 2014
The Senior Challenge Cup

I've decided I'm not much of a fan of Shamrock Rovers. They are the biggest club in Ireland, according to the rankings. They have the biggest payroll. They have a B squad, something only three Irish teams have. They're located in the capital, Dublin. Their new manager, Paul Kelly, is a bit of a jerk.

A record crowd, 2,898 strong, turned up at Eamonn Deacy Park on the 4th to watch us face our new nemesis in the Semi Final. The teams circled each other like boxers, trying to find an opening, for nearly an hour. We struck the first blow when Billy Ryan, who'd come on for an injured Kieron Russell, took a pass from Glen Scully and fired home.

I had to make my second substitution a few minutes later, after Gary Joyce had to come off with an injury. Then came the decision that I'm still having second thoughts about.

Aaron O'Connor was on a yellow card and was getting tired. I subbed him off on 78', not thinking the injury bug could bite me three times.

I was wrong.

Not two minutes later, a young right back called Matt Cotton went in hard on a challenge against Gareth Kearney. Kearney went down, and he was injured too badly to continue. Cotton is a young lad, up from their B squad. Props to him for getting stuck in; he wasn't booked for his actions, and they didn't seem dirty to me. It was just a rotten piece of luck--but it came against Shamrock Rovers.

You know how this will end. We dropped back, defended in a compact shape, doing all the right things, but we finally conceded the equalizer in the last minute of regular time. Now we had to go to Dublin for the replay.

You probably know how this will end, too.

Tallaght Stadium is not a fun place to play, especially when there are 4000 Rovers fans there. I'm not sure if the crowd influenced the decision, but when Kenneth Díaz made contact with Rovers winger William Conway inside the box, the referee was very, very quick to award the penalty. Ger Merritt converted it to give Rovers the lead.

We equalized through Damion Watson on 67', but five minutes later, Alan Woods coughed up the ball in a very dangerous place and their veteran midfielder, James King, swept it in. I feel bad for Alan, who is usually as dependable as they come.

We couldn't find another goal, and just like that, we're out of the Cup. It would have been fun to win some silverware, but now we can give all our attentions to winning the league.

Unfortunately, we might have to do it without Kieron Russell. He twisted an ankle in the replay, and he'll certainly miss the trip to Cork City in two days.

I'd have some more things to say about Shamrock Rovers, but my kids read what Dad writes here.

04-01-2019, 12:00 PM	#39
Greyfriars Bobby College Prospect Join Date: Sep 2013	15 October 2014 The Senior Challenge Cup I've decided I'm not much of a fan of Shamrock Rovers. They are the biggest club in Ireland, according to the rankings. They have the biggest payroll. They have a B squad, something only three Irish teams have. They're located in the capital, Dublin. Their new manager, Paul Kelly, is a bit of a jerk. A record crowd, 2,898 strong, turned up at Eamonn Deacy Park on the 4th to watch us face our new nemesis in the Semi Final. The teams circled each other like boxers, trying to find an opening, for nearly an hour. We struck the first blow when Billy Ryan, who'd come on for an injured Kieron Russell, took a pass from Glen Scully and fired home. I had to make my second substitution a few minutes later, after Gary Joyce had to come off with an injury. Then came the decision that I'm still having second thoughts about. Aaron O'Connor was on a yellow card and was getting tired. I subbed him off on 78', not thinking the injury bug could bite me three times. I was wrong. Not two minutes later, a young right back called Matt Cotton went in hard on a challenge against Gareth Kearney. Kearney went down, and he was injured too badly to continue. Cotton is a young lad, up from their B squad. Props to him for getting stuck in; he wasn't booked for his actions, and they didn't seem dirty to me. It was just a rotten piece of luck--but it came against Shamrock Rovers. You know how this will end. We dropped back, defended in a compact shape, doing all the right things, but we finally conceded the equalizer in the last minute of regular time. Now we had to go to Dublin for the replay. You probably know how this will end, too. Tallaght Stadium is not a fun place to play, especially when there are 4000 Rovers fans there. I'm not sure if the crowd influenced the decision, but when Kenneth Díaz made contact with Rovers winger William Conway inside the box, the referee was very, very quick to award the penalty. Ger Merritt converted it to give Rovers the lead. We equalized through Damion Watson on 67', but five minutes later, Alan Woods coughed up the ball in a very dangerous place and their veteran midfielder, James King, swept it in. I feel bad for Alan, who is usually as dependable as they come. We couldn't find another goal, and just like that, we're out of the Cup. It would have been fun to win some silverware, but now we can give all our attentions to winning the league. Unfortunately, we might have to do it without Kieron Russell. He twisted an ankle in the replay, and he'll certainly miss the trip to Cork City in two days. I'd have some more things to say about Shamrock Rovers, but my kids read what Dad writes here.