Roscrea United 'B'3 - Rearcross 'B' 2 (aet)
A change of venue saw this Fast Food Cup tie switched to Rearcross FC Grounds on Sunday morning as the home side suffered a heart-breaking 3-2 extra time defeat to high flying Roscrea United 'B'. The opening exchanges were evenly contested with Rearcross taking the game to the League leaders for long spells with James Deegan coming closest for the hosts in the opening half with a long range effort which drifted over and then Rearcross keeper Sean Sheehy had to be alert to push the ball away to leave the sides scoreless at the break. The game burst in to life in the second half with the home side coming close four minutes in when James Deeegan got behind the visitors rear-guard to send a low pass across the face of the goal, however Stephen Glynn saved at the feet of Liam Ryan. Roscrea counter attacked seconds later and opened their account when a defensive mix up gifted Paul Brussells who slid the ball to the corner of the net from a tight angle. Worse was to follow for the green & whites as Roscrea went in to a two lead in the 54th minute after Paul Brussels was on the mark again with a good effort from the edge of the box. The Rea boys showed outstanding resolve to come storming back and responded two minutes later with a Darren Quigley pile driver which was turned over the bar thanks to a one handed save from the visiting custodian. James Deegan's shot was on target on 62 minutes, however Stephen Glynn was able to save. Rearcross kept pressing as PJ McLoughlin's bicycle kick effort was over the bar a minute later. Sean Sheehy came to the rescue for the green & whites with a one handed block to deny Niall O'Lone. Rearcross got it back to the minimum with twelve minutes remaining after Darren Quigley was taken down on the left flank before Liam Nolan stepped up to send a smashing effort to the net clipping the inside of the upright in the process. Rearcross might have levelled minutes later when Liam Ryan got on the end of Liam Nolan's free kick, however the headed effort was wide of the mark. A gallant effort saw the Rearcross peg it back level when Liam Ryan made no mistake after getting on the end of Liam Nolan's free kick to nestle the ball in the corner of the net with a headed finish. Indeed, Rearcross might have snatched it in the dying moments, however Darragh Kennedy's deflected header was inches over. The first period of extra time saw Sean Sheehy save at point blank range while at the other end James Deegan's low drive forced a good block from stand in goalkeeper John Paul Graham. Rearcross had claims for a penalty waved on before the referee brought a halt to the first period of extra time. Roscrea then had shouts for a penalty ignored shortly after the restart before Rearcross were denied when Darragh Kennedy broke on the left to fire on target, however John Paul Graham made the block before William Mackey followed through but was again denied by the Roscrea net minder. It looked as if the game was heading for a penalty shootout, however Roscrea snatched a devastating winner in the 106th minute when the ball broke to Gavin Loughnane from a corner kick who finished the ball past Sean Sheehy from just outside the six yard box. Rearcross fought bravely to get back on par, however time ran out for Thomas Kennedy and his charges. This was a cruel end for the Rea boys who all turned in excellent performances on the day in what was an enthralling Cup tie with the home side more than deserving their place in the last eight but it wasn't to be on this occasion. A speedy recovery to Stephen Glynn who went off injured late in the game, best of luck to Roscrea Utd in the remainder of the competition.
Rearcross 'B': Sean Sheehy, Theo English, William Mackey, John Ryan Luke, James Deegan (Capt), Liam Nolan(B), Darren Quigley, Paul Murphy, PJ McLoughlin, Joey Nolan, Liam Ryan
Subs Used: Darragh Kennedy for Paul Murphy (Injured), John Fanning for Darren Quigley
Sub Not Used: Shane Quigley
Roscrea Utd 'B': Stephen Glynn, Barry Loughnane, Stephen Delaney, Shane Lee, JohnPaul Graham, Martin Loughnane, Chris Conlon, Aidan Moloney, Niall O'Lone, Thomas O Brien, Paul Brussells
Subs: Gavin Loughnane, Joachim Feehan, Paddy Murphy(All Used)
Referee: Darren Mitchell