Ben O'Riordan scored the winning spot-kick as Cobh Ramblers edged out Wexford FC 8-7 in a tense shoot-out in Ferrycarrig Park. Goalkeeper Paul Hunt also played his part, saving from Aaron O'Connor and Liam McCartan from 12 yards. Wexford will feel
Ben O'Riordan scored the winning spot-kick as Cobh Ramblers edged out Wexford FC 8-7 in a tense shoot-out in Ferrycarrig Park.
Goalkeeper Paul Hunt also played his part, saving from Aaron O'Connor and Liam McCartan from 12 yards. Wexford will feel a little hard done by as they had the better of the chancesw throughout but they failed to find the back of the net.
They were marginally the better side in the first-half, with Liam McCartan going closest to opening the scoring on the half hour mark, but he was denied by the feet of Paul Hunt. T
he hosts continued to shade it after the turnaround and created a succession of chances early in the second-half, with Owen Wall curling over after being teed up by Dean George, Danny Doyle looping a header over the crossbar and Owen McCormack sending a strike narrowly off target. With extra-time looming large, Thomas Croke came close to making the breakthrough in the 84th minute.
McCartan did well on the right wing, before picking out the midfielder, but his shot drifted wide after a deflection. Cobh Ramblers twice warmed the hands of goalkeeper Kealen Gaffney in the first period of extra-time, with Pierce Phillips shooting straight at the netminder and Jaze Kabia seeing his effort blocked.
Midway through the second period of extra-time it was Wexford's turn to threaten, with Shane Barnes rifling in a strike from the left that cannoned off the bottom of the post and after some pinball in the area the ball just wouldn't fall for a Wexford attacker.
It was left to penalties to decide the outcome and Cobh prevailed as Ben O'Riordan scored the winning penalty in a dramatic 15 penalty shoot-out.
