Kilcullen teenager helps turn FAI Cup tie in St Pats' favour
Ryan Sheridan (left) celebrates with winning goalscorer Sam Rooney after St Patrick's Athletic came from two goals down to beat Shamrock Rovers and qualify for the quarter-finals of the Club Orange FAI Cup Photo: ©INPHO/Will Morgan
Kilcullen teenager Ryan Sheridan climbed off the bench to help St Patrick’s Athletic come from behind to beat Shamrock Rovers in the third round of the Club Orange FAI Cup at Richmond Park this afternoon.
St Pats were trailing 2-1 when Sheridan was introduced in the 74th minute and he played a major part as his team equalised in injury-time before fellow 17-year-old Sam Rooney scored the winner in extra time.
After the game, manager Stephen Kenny said that the two young players ‘came in and did brilliantly’ and that they ‘made a big difference’ to the team.
RTÉ pundits Conan Byrne and Alan Cawley were also hugely impressed by the Irish Under 19s international’s display. Byrne labelled Sheridan’s performance as ‘phenomenal’, while Cawley predicted that ‘he has a big future in the game’.
Sheridan showed real composure and class with his involvement in the build-up to Rooney’s winning goal. He played the ball to Ryan Edmundson who crossed into the box and Rooney was able to wrongfoot Rovers goalkeeper Ed McGinty with a clever finish.
Until the dramatic comeback, it had looked like it would be another Kildare teenage striker grabbing the headlines. Ellistown’s Michael Noonan put Rovers 2-0 ahead with a 44th minute header from Jack Byrne’s left-wing free-kick and Shamrock Rovers looked on course for a place in the last eight of the Club Orange FAI Cup before St Pats produced a remarkable comeback.
The tie capped a mixed weekend for Kildare players in the Club Orange FAI Cup.
Another Kilcullen teenager, Egor Vassessin, featured for Dundalk in an 8-0 win over Castlebar Celtic. The cultured defender is at the Oriel Park club on-loan from Shamrock Rovers and played the full 90 minutes in the comfortable win.
Broadford’s Conan Noonan played for Waterford as they continued their excellent run of form with a 2-1 win over Athlone Town on Friday evening.
There wasn’t such good fortune elsewhere. Suncroft’s James Crawford was part of that Athlone Town team beaten by Waterford.
Kill’s Carl Lennox was at the heart of the UCD defence as they were beaten 2-1 by Derry City.
Clane’s Dean O’Shea and Kilcullen’s Jamie Duggan both played the full game for Bray Wanderers as they exited the cup after a heartbreaking penalty shoot-out defeat to Galway. They were joined on the pitch in extra-time by Newbridge youngster Ethan Cheese, who recently put pen to paper on a professional contract with the Carlisle Grounds outfit.
