2009 FAI FORD CUP FINAL
SLIGO ROVERS….....1-2    SPORTING FINGAL
Eoin Doyle 57                       Colm James 82 (pen)
                                                 Gary O’Neill 90+1

 

Sporting Fingal capped a wonderful season by clinching a late victory over Sligo Rovers in an absorbing FAI Ford Cup final at Tallaght Stadium on Sunday.

 

 

Eoin Doyle opened the scoring for Sligo early in the second half, but a penalty from Colm James and an injury-time header from Gary O'Neill sealed a magnificent turnaround for the North Dublin side.

 

 

Having won promotion only last Monday night, this triumph marks another highpoint in the short history of the club who entered the League of Ireland only last season.

 

 

The two teams defied harsh weather conditions to produce a memorable final and a fitting end to the League of Ireland season. But there had to be a winner and Sporting did enough to lift the trophy in dramatic fashion.

 

 

Liam Buckley’s side claimed their first piece silverware while also booking a place in the Europa League qualifiers as well as the Setanta Sports Cup.

 

 

There was very little between the sides in the first-half as both created their fair share of chances with Raffaele Cretaro the first to let rip with a half volley.

 

 

Conan Byrne and Gary O'Neill both aimed shots at the Sligo goal, but their efforts lacked the necessary venom to beat keeper Ciaran Kelly.

 

 

With Doyle proving to be instrumental in every attack, Paul Cook's men looked to play the ball out to his side of the pitch as often as possible. And it was from the left flank that Joe Kendrick crossed for Matthew Blinkhorn, but the striker headed wide.

 

 

Back up the other end, Byrne crashed the outside of the post with a curling free-kick from the edge of the box to register Sporting's best goal opportunity of the first-half.

 

 

Darren Quigley, who was superb in the promotion play-off victory over Bray Wanderers recently, was called on to make a number of fine saves as well as doing some defensive sweeping when rushing out of his goal to deny Cretaro.

 

 

Sporting linked play well with some slick passing sequences, although they were met with a wall of red bodies each time they reached the opposition's penalty area.

 

 

Sligo continued to push for the opening goal with Creatro blasting over and Brian Cash shooting wide from long-range, but they were given their just rewards early in the second-half.

 

 

Before the Connacht-based side took the lead, Lorcan Fitzgerald almost put Sporting in front when he stormed into the Sligo box, but Gavin Peers slid in with an excellent tackle to deny the full-back just as he was about to pull the trigger.

 

 

From that piece of inspired defending, the team wearing red jerseys started to build up some momentum with Cretaro testing the alertness of Quigley once more.

 

 

Then the goal arrived. A cross from Romauld Boco on the right picked out Cretaro, whose shot was saved but rebounded straight to him and he passed to Doyle to drill a low shot into the back of the net.

 

 

Rather than accept defeat Sporting stepped up a gear with Eamon Zayed heading wide and then failing to hit the target from close range, while he also had an effort cleared off the line by Boco.

 

 

Yet the former Drogheda United striker had a part to play in the goal that got them back into the game when he was fouled by the Sligo keeper on 82 minutes. Referee Alan Kelly pointed to the spot and James made no mistake from twelve yards out.

 

 

Then the killer blow arrived as O'Neill rose highest in the box from Robert Bayly’s cross to smash a superb header in and ensure that Sporting's name would be on the cup for the very first time.

 

 

Sligo Rovers: Kelly, Boco, Peers, Keane, Kendrick, Cash (Morrison 55), Ryan, Ventre, Doyle, Blinkhorn, Cretaro (Meenan 70).

Sporting Fingal: Quigley, James, Paisley, Maher, Fitzgerald, Byrne, McFaul, Bayly, Williams, O'Neill, Zayed.

Referee: Alan Kelly (Cork)

Att: 8,105.