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~~FAI Intermediate Cup Semi-Final
Portmarnock AFC – 2
Crumlin United – 2
Portmarnock and Crumlin United played out a riveting 2-2 draw in the semi-finals of the FAI Intermediate Cup at Paddy’s Hill on Sunday afternoon.
An absolute screamer from Graham Rusk opened the scoring for the hosts before Thomas Hyland pulled the scores level midway through the first half. Philly Rusk then scored a belter of his own at the beginning of the second stanza to restore Portmarnock’s advantage only for Carl Forsythe to bring it level once again, this time from the penalty spot.
Crumlin could have won it late on with a number of clear-cut chances only to be denied by the heroics of Portmarnock stopper Robbie Byrne to ensure these two sides will do battle once more in a replay at Pearse Park later this month to decide who progresses to the Aviva Stadium.
Right from the first whistle you could sense that the large crowd in attendance were in for a tantalizing 90 minutes of football as the two sides went at each other from the very off.
The opening opportunity fell the way of the defending champions when Forsythe whipped a wicked ball from the corner spot into the danger area where Paddy Brophy rose above the rest to meet the ball high in the air, however, his downward header couldn’t find the target and bounced just wide.
Minutes later it was Portmarnock who struck the first blow. Darragh Coates received the ball on the left wing before cutting inside and taking a shot which was well-blocked, however, it fell to Graham Rusk who took a couple of touches before curling an absolute beauty beyond Shane Supple and into the top-right corner.
Martin Loughran’s side reacted well to going down, however, and Conor Murphy had a glorious chance for an equalizer five minutes later.
Forsythe broke down the left wing before passing it on to Luke Kelly. Kelly played a clever ball through to the oncoming Danny McGuinness who swept a ball onto a plate for Murphy to finish but he failed to make a solid connection and it flew above the target.
Up the other end, Coates once again was able to cut inside and get a shot away. This time it curled above the Crumlin backline and was inches from the target, skimming the crossbar on its way over.
On the 24 minute Crumlin were back on level terms. A Dean Hurley free-kick found the head of Noel Murray but his effort was blocked by Niall Kenny on the post only for it to drop to Hyland who made no mistake in rooting it into the bottom corner.
Crumlin were beginning to take control of proceedings with a number of chances falling their way before the break. Kelly somehow managed to spot a run from Hurley on the right wing and he hit a beautiful 40 yard pass across the pitch which Hurley took into his stride only to be blocked off by an excellent last-ditch challenge from Kenny .
Forsythe then took a Hyland pass into his feet before turning his man and smacking a decent effort towards the bottom corner but Byrne was on hand to dive low and tip it around the post.
Murray then stepped up to take a free-kick just outside the Portmarnock D but his powerful effort whizzed by the post.
A Crumlin corner then caused havoc in the Portmarnock box on the stroke of half-time. Hurley flew it into the centre where Hyland hit a decent strike towards goal but Kenny managed to get in the way. Greg Moorhouse was quickest to the rebound but this time Gareth Whelan got in the way of his effort to ensure Crumlin didn’t go into the break with the lead.
The action didn’t stop during the interval for the audience however with Matthew putting on a spectacular half-time performance as he put a number of fantastic shots beyond Crumlin’s ‘keeper as they warmed-up at the break to the delight of the crowd.
Portmarnock came back out of the dressing rooms racing and immediately went in search of their second goal. First, Graham Rusk linked up brilliantly with Chris Burgess who laid the ball off to Philly Rusk whose shot from distance forced Supple into an impressive stop at the bottom left corner.
Aaron Egan then found space on the right wing and his cross was deflected into the path of Philly Rusk who made no mistake this time around in firing it into the bottom corner.
10 minutes later the scores were level once again. Hyland’s free-kick from the right wing twisted in the air and forced Byrne to palm it away, however it fell to the feet of Kelly who Byrne bundled over in his attempt to retrieve the ball leading the ref to point straight to the penalty spot. Up stepped Forsythe who made no mistake in slotting it beneath Byrne to tie things up.
Going into the final ten minutes Crumlin had a flurry of chances to seal the win. Forsythe, who was certainly the standout man on the day, showed fantastic feet to beat Whelan before he rolled it across the six yard box but no Crumlin man could get their studs to it and it was cleared to safety.
A free-kick from McGuinness swung all the way across the box to Forsythe whose marker slipped allowing him clean through on goal only for Byrne to deny the former Greystones man with a fantastic stop with his legs.
The final chance fell to Moorhouse after a ball broke into his path. He hit a rocket shot which seemed destined for the bottom of the net only for Byrne to get a finger on it and knock it around the post.
Soon after, the referee brought the action to a halt meaning they will meet once again in what is sure to be another enthralling contest between two top class sides.
Report courtesy of http://thejuniorsoccerportal.info/crumlin-battle-back-twice-to-force-intermediate-cup-semi-final-replay-with-portmarnock/
