A last gasp winner from Dean O’Brien proved just the ticket to book CIE Ranch a place in the second round of the Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup. Though a close game between the Leinster Senior League rivals at Coldcut, Ranch edged it on chances and were d
A last gasp winner from Dean O’Brien proved just the ticket to book CIE Ranch a place in the second round of the Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup.
Though a close game between the Leinster Senior League rivals at Coldcut, Ranch edged it on chances and were deserving winners over a side a division above them.
Ranch started well with Lee O’Sullivan finding space to fire off a shot that was ably dealt with by Kevin Kelly in the Bus goal just 10 seconds in.
O’Brien should have done better six minutes later when he planted a free header wide from a Glenn McCabe corner.
Bus enjoyed their first spell of pressure with Paul McMahon’s volley from a Ciaran Bisset corner bringing a terrific save from Ranch keeper Sean Brazil on 15 minutes.
But Ranch were proving to be the better side.
O’Sullivan crashed a shot off the crossbar on the half hour after home keeper Kevin Kelly flapped at a cross from McCabe.
Frantic defending was then required by Bus as they cleared a looping header from Peter Thomas from another McCabe corner off their line.
After Ranch defender Keith Eagers headed wide from a McCabe free kick early on, chances were scarce in a tight second half before the late drama prevented extra-time.
With the watch into the third minute of added time, O’Brien found time and space to crack home a left-footed shot from outside the area that screamed into the corner of Kelly’s net for what was literally the last kick of the game.
Dublin Bus: Kelly; Mahon, S. Byrne, Brazil, O’Dwyer; McMahon (Gleeson, 77), Doyle, O’Callaghan (Sibanda, 63), Maher; D. Byrne, Bisset.
CIE Ranch: Brazil; Dunne (Byrne,65), Eagers (Smith, 84), Sullivan, Bracken; O’Sullivan, McCabe, O’Brien, Griffiths; Thomas, Dunphy.
Referee: Johnny Glynn (Dublin).
