ARC Rovers win shootout to secure Jackie O’Driscoll cup

ARC Rovers (pens) 1 – 1 Cork Hospitals

Man of the Match: Gavin McCarthy

The Jackie O’Driscoll Cup final capped off this year’s CBL short season in spectacular fashion, as it took a penalty shootout to separate ARC Rovers and Cork Hospitals, a shootout that ARC Rovers managed to emerge victorious from in St Colman’s Park, writes Donncha Noonan.

The first big chance of the game came after eleven minutes, and it went the way of Cork Hospitals. Tadhg Whelan managed to capitalise on a mistake at the back from ARC and burst through on goal. He tried to guide the ball around Dean Cummins, but the keeper got a strong arm on the effort to keep the game level.

ARC got a chance of their own three minutes later. A wide free kick landed at the feet of Kane Murphy, who set up Conor Ryan for a shot at a tight angle, which keeper Eoin Kennedy was able to strongly push behind for a corner.

Cork Hospitals had the best chance of the half in the thirty eighth minute, but somehow weren’t able to convert. Dara Flanagan managed to dispossess keeper Dean Cummins on the byline and pulled it across goal. Wymin Sivakumar and Conor O’Halloran both went for it, which resulted in the ball being put over the bar from only a few yards out.

The second half started equally as back and forth as the first, and it was ARC Rovers who managed the first big chance of the second half. Kane Murphy won the ball and broke at the Hospitals defence. He played a one-two with Conor Ryan, before letting fly from an awkward angle, but the shot was good enough to where it forced Eoin Kennedy into a brilliant reaction save to keep the game scoreless.

It was almost a magical winner for ARC Rovers twelve minutes from time. Dylan Cruise O’Shea received the ball out on the right wing and floated an inviting ball into the box. It was met by Conor Ryan, who chested it up and went for an acrobatic effort, but his bicycle kick flew narrowly wide.

That meant this game was headed to extra time and, unlike normal time, it only took twenty seconds for a goal, and it went the way of Cork Hospitals. Jamie O’Neill dinked in a cross that was half cleared. The ball fell to the feet of Sivakumar, who managed to coolly slot the ball into the bottom left corner to give this game its first goal.

There’d be yet more drama as Hospitals conceded a penalty and went down to ten men with four minutes left to play in the game. Gavin McCarthy got down the left hand side towards the byline and pulled a ball across the box for Dylan Cruise O’Shea, but he was pulled down by Richard Bambury before he could latch onto the pass. The referee pointed to the spot and showed Bambury his second yellow card of the game to send Hospitals down to ten men. Kane Murphy stepped up to take it but his penalty was kept out by Eoin Kennedy. However the danger wasn’t gone. Faolan Linnane tried to clear the ball out, but in doing so turned it into his own net to send the match to a penalty shootout.

Hospitals’ Tadhg Whelan stepped up first, but he saw his well placed penalty palmed away by Dean Cummins. Kane Murphy then stepped up to redeem himself from his earlier miss, but he wrapped his penalty outside the left hand post.

Dara Flanagan then dispatched his penalty to give Hospitals the lead, and he was followed by a penalty from Brian Kelly, which was kept out by Eoin Kennedy. Hospitals up 1-0 after two pens each.

Faolan Linnane then somewhat made up for his own goal by blasting his penalty into the top right corner, but Adam Carroll matched it by tucking his away. They were followed by another two successful penalties from Vaibhav Naik and Padraig Cotter respectively to bring it to 3-2 to Hospitals after four pens each.

This gave Eoghan Heaney a chance to win it, but he blew his effort over the bar to turn the pressure onto ARC’s Gavin McCarthy, who made no mistake and tied the game up.

Goalscorer Sivakumar stepped up next and had his penalty saved by Dean Cummins, which gave Gregg Harrington the winning penalty which he dispatched to bring the Jackie O’Driscoll cup to ARC Rovers. Congratulations to everyone at ARC Rovers.

ARC Rovers: D. Cummins, C. Ryan, S. Herlihy, G. McCarthy, B. Kelly, D. McGuire, P. Cotter, D. Cruise O’Shea, K. Murphy, G. Harrington, T. Raheem, J. Moynihan, A. O’Connor, R. Martinez, A> Carroll, A. Maher, C. Roche, J. D’Arcy.

Cork Hospitals: E. Kennedy, S. Kent, M. Tiffany, F. Linnane, R. Bambury, D. Mullins, C. O’Halloran, D. Flanagan, W. Sivakumar, T. Whelan, J. O’Neill, C. Sheehan, E. Heaney, A. Chapman Yan, V. Naik, K. Lynch, L. Lucey.