St Patrick's Athletic (3) - Shamrock Rovers (2)

St Patrick's Athletic 3 - Shamrock Rovers 2

Teenager Sam Rooney scored a glorious first senior goal for the club as St Patrick's Athletic produced a comeback for the ages to knock holders Shamrock Rovers out and book their place in Tuesday's Club Orange FAI Cup quarter-final draw.

Trailing 2-0 at half-time to goals from Jonathan Afolabi and Michael Noonan, Saints came very much alive in the second half to avenge three defeats to their rivals this season in a rip-roaring, rollercoaster Dublin derby.

Luke Turner pulled a goal back early on before Aidan Keena provided real drama to equalise from a 94th minute penalty.

Substitute Rooney, a Tallaght native, then provided the fairytale finish, the 17-year-old rifling home an extra-time winner to leave the Richmond Park faithful in raptures.

"It was down to the guts and determination of the players," said manager Stephen Kenny on how St Pat's turned it around.

"Credit to the players who came in from out academy, Ryan Sheridan and Sam Rooney. Sam got the winner which was great to see.

"It gets you into the quarter-finals, but that's all it gets you.

"It's a great night for the club and the league itself to see a 3-2 game like that between first and second in the league and a comeback win. We needed that. It was good."

With Kian Leavy returning to their attacking midfield, St Pat's made just once change from their win over Shelbourne last Sunday.

Doubtless with their Conference League play-off qualifier first leg with Finnish side KuPS in mind this Thursday, Rovers delved into the depth of their squad in making no fewer than eight changes to their starting XI from the side badly beaten in Albania last Thursday when exiting the Europa League qualifiers.

There was a tenacity about St Pat's from the off, Keena getting their first sight of goal on nine minutes when driving a shot wide from the edge of the area.

Rovers marshalled that early Saints press to get their passing game going and play their way into the contest.

But St Pat's continued to enjoy more possession as they troubled Rovers again on 24 minutes, Ed McGinty saving well from Keena.

Rovers lived dangerously once more two minutes later. The influential Keena again involved with a sublime through ball for the run of Leavy who poked wide having got inside Adam Brennan.

Brennan redeemed that error by skipping by James Brown for the first time on the left. Afolabi might have done better than power his header wide.

Striker Afolabi would quickly make amends when putting Rovers in front against the run of play on 39 minutes.

Tunmise Sobowale deserves huge credit for keeping the ball alive at the end line under pressure from Saints' skipper Joe Redmond. He slipped it back to Danny Mandriou whose dinked cross picked out Afolabi to find the bottom corner with a well-placed diving header.

Despite having dominated much of the ball, St Pat's found themselves 2-0 down on 44 minutes.

Jamie Lennon was booked in conceding a free kick. Jack Byrne exacted further punishment when sweeping the delivery into the area where Michael Noonan jumped in front of Sean Hoare to find the same corner of Anang's net with a flicked header to send St Pat's trooping off at half-time bewildered at finding themselves 2-0 down.

Kenny's side needed a prompt response on the resumption and got it within nine minutes.

Jay McClelland won a free kick which Keena floated to the far post. Turner arced his neck back to make the header which looped past McGinty into the far corner of his net.

We thus had ourselves a cup tie with the action frenetic from end to end.

McGinty maintained Rovers' lead with the save of the game on 76 minutes, tipping away one-handed Hoare's header.

Teed up by substitute Ryan Edmondson, Chris Forrester then looked set equalise but for terrific defending by Cory O'Sullivan who got across to deflect the shot out for a corner.

Pressing until the death, St Pat's got their reward in dramatic fashion in the fourth minute of added time. Hoops skipper Lee Grace tripped Keena as he latched onto Turner's ball into the area to concede a penalty.

And though McGinty looked to have saved Keena's spot kick, the ball spun up past him into the net to force extra-time.

Five minutes into that, Rooney's moment arrived. Fellow 17-year-old sub Ryan Sheridan worked the opening, playing an initial one-two with Keena. Edmondson then crossed for Rooney to show composure beyond his years to slot home a big first goal for the club to put them into the last eight of the cup.

© rte.ie

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St Patrick's Athletic 3 - Shamrock Rovers 2

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