Late goals seal extra-time victory for Stradbally Town over Longford Shamrocks in CCFL Div 3 Cup

Stradbally Town produced a dramatic performance to progress to the semi-finals of the CCFL Division 3 Cup, getting the better of Longford Shamrocks after extra time at the new Astro pitch in Gainstown, the home of Mullingar Athletic.

The home side started strongly, putting Stradbally under early pressure, but the visitors grew into the game and looked dangerous on the break. Anto Skelly was called into action early, dealing comfortably with long-range efforts from Shamrocks, while Stradbally thought they were ahead on 36 minutes after a scramble from a corner seemed to have crossed the line, but the referee waved it away. Jody Dillon also had a clear chance on the stroke of half-time, but was flagged offside when put through by Benny Lawlor. The teams went in level at 0-0.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with Shamrocks’ physical approach limiting Stradbally’s chances, while Cillian Maher marshalled the defence with authority, winning numerous aerial duels. Shamrocks eventually broke the deadlock in the 67th minute when a long punt from the Shamrocks defence to attack saw the Longford striker and Anto Skelly come together at the edge of the area, and while the Stradbally stopper got there first with a sliding tackle, it cruelly rebounded off the attacker and into the Stradbally net.

The Laois side responded without panic, introducing fresh legs and continuing to dominate possession, with Justin Lalor central to many attacking moves. Dillon had a chance in the 81st minute, only for his effort to be cleared off the line and clip the crossbar.

The breakthrough came in the 88th minute when Benny Lawlor was fouled by the onrushing goalkeeper. Lalor confidently converted the resulting penalty to send the game into extra-time.

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Extra-time saw Stradbally in the ascendancy. Dillon nearly put them ahead in the first period, while Podge Fitzpatrick was denied by the bounce of the ball. With just minutes remaining, Dillon produced a moment of individual brilliance, curling a shot past the Shamrocks goalkeeper from 22 yards to give Stradbally the lead. The visitors then struck again on the break, with Tadgh Mullen’s run down the right culminating in a pass to Dillon, who squared for Lawlor to slot home and seal a remarkable 3-1 victory away from home.

Stradbally’s performance was built on collective effort, with standout displays from Man of the Match Cillian Maher, as well as Justin Lalor and Jody Dillon. The win sees Stradbally Town into the CCFL Division 3 Cup semi-finals.

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FINAL SCORE

CCFL Div 3 Cup 1/4 Final (AET)
Stradbally Town 3

Longford Shamrocks 1

TEAM: Anto Skelly, Noah Delaney, Cillian Maher, John Hayden, Colin Beale, Liam Clancy, John Clancy, Justin Lalor, Podge Fitzpatrick, Benny Lawlor and Jody Dillon. SUBS: Charlie O’Brien for Beale, Tadgh Mullen for L Clancy, Gavin Langton and Cailium Kelly.