26.04.16 – Collinstown 2 – Bray Wanderers 1

Collinstown 2 (McKeever 8, McNeill 55) Bray Wanderers 1 (Lewis 69)

Leinster Senior Cup, john Hyland Park, Baldonnell, 26 Apr 2016

Leinster Junior Cup winners Collinstown are through to the Leinster Senior Cup Semi-Finals after shocking another League of Ireland team.

The Wanderers fielded a reserve side, giving many of their front-line players a night off – and possibly under-estimating the potential of the high-flying AUL side, who have had a rapid rise to silverware since their foundation a decade ago.

Having defeated the mighty Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght Stadium last time out the Clondalkin side beat the Seagulls to move within 90 minutes of the prestigious decider.

The victory was the result of a solid team display, but it also saw two of the club’s youth graduates find the net in a historic win.

Dylan McKeever and Ian McNeill hit goals in either half to ensure the journey continues.

Attacking talent McKeever got the Clondalkin side off to the perfect start at the home of the original cup shockers St Francis.

McKeever found the net after just eight minutes and within 12 minutes ‘Town had a goal and a man advantage.

Bray went down to ten men midway through the first half as captain Hugh Douglas saw red for a two-footed tackle the referee saw as dangerous.

Shortly after the break, a great clearance off the line from CFC’s Dean Carpenter kept the scoreline at 1-0.

And things went from good to great for Collinstown before the hour as McNeill produced a moment of magic to put them two to the good and in pole position for a win.

Bray, winners over Bluebell in the EA Sports cup last week, emptied their bench in a bid to overturn the deficit, and that set up an exciting finish.

Drew Lewis scored from a close-range header with 20 minutes to go, leaving the visitors only a single goal away from Extra Time.

But though Bray man of the match, 18-year-old Tommy Rowan, did wonders in defence, the amateur side also held firm, and recorded a historic win.

Bray Wanderers: 50 Aaron Shanahan (yc); 2 Hugh Douglas (c), 15 Daniel Blackbyrne (yc), 27 Tommy Rowan, 3 Curtis Murphy (yc); 15 Sean Noble, 22 Darragh Noone, 8 Mark Salmon, 11 Jason Marks; 23 Gareth McDonagh; 26 Shane Barnes
Subs: 4 Conor Kenna (for Salmon 69), 16 Dylan Connolly, 17 Gerard Pender (for Noble 59), 18 Andrew Lewis (for Barnes 59), 28 Nathan Brennan, 29 Sean Fogarty (gk), 30 Kieran Butler

 

Compiled by Mícheál Ó hUanacháin