Blast from the past. Dec 2003. Village pipped in FAI Cup by visitors Freebooters

Blast from the past. December 2003. Village pipped in FAI Cup by visitors Freebooters.

Kevin Dunn drives in the Village equaliser from the penalty spot

STATOIL FAI JUNIOR CUP, 13.12.03

Village United 2 Freebooters 2

(Freebooters won 5-4 on penalties)

Heartbreak for Village Utd as they went out of the Statoil FAI Junior Cup on penalties after coming from two down to draw 2-2 with Kilkenny visitors Freebooters in normal time.

Village Utd

Penalties were a talking point at Silverheights. Village, two down at the break after a nervous first half, pulled a goal back from the spot in the 63^rd minute and, with three minutes to go, should have had another spotter after the outstanding Eric Burns had had his heels clipped as he threatened in the box.

Village player Leslie Kepple makes progress on the wing.

Village started well enough, and both Johnny Cooney and Alan O’Brien had inviting opportunities before the Kilkenny side took the lead in the 13^th minute. Alan Dowling got in a good cross from the right, and Tim Clifford reacted well in the box to head home.

Village midfielder Terry Lotty gets his header away

The goal took the wind out of the Village's sails, and they exerted little pressure on the visitors for the next twenty-five minutes or so. Freebooters weren’t forcing the issue either but did get a second in the 36th minute. Then poor tackling in the centre of defence saw John O’Hara get in. He was eventually blocked, but Ian Cleary scored off the loose ball after keeper Jamie Donovan had parried his first effort.

Village keeper Jamie Donovan beats opposite number Graham Doyle during shootout.

Village showed a bit more bite as the half closed and unsettled the visitors occasionally. Eric Burns had a great run in the 41^st minute and passed to Conan Burns, but his shot was too high. Then Conan set up the lively Terry Lotty for a shot that drew a good save from Graham Doyle.

Village ace Jinty O'Sullivan is under pressure from a Freebooters defender (right).
Referee Sean Hegarty is well placed.

Jinty O’Sullivan enjoyed a good start to the second half and lifted Village. In the 54^th minute, he outfoxed two markers in the box but his cross eluded two colleagues. Lotty then had a shot deflected wide, and Freebooters somehow survived a major scramble following a 56^th minute corner.

Michael Falsey of Freebooters in a race with Terry Lotty (right)

It was all one-way now, and it was no surprise that Village scored in the 63rd minute. O'Sullivan was fouled in the box, and Kevin Dunn fired home.

And it was a Dunn shot that led to the 74th-minute equaliser. His shot, after a well-worked set piece, was helped on by Conor Jones, but the final touch was off a Kilkenny defender.

Freebooters

The big penalty shout came with three minutes to go as Eric Burns worked his way into the box. A defender tried a tackle from behind and caught him on the heel, but well-placed referee Hegarty was not impressed.

Village Utd

Village continued to dominate in the first period of extra time. Sub Leslie Kepple should have scored when clean through, but his strong shot hit the side netting. Later, a Kepple free found the head of O'Brien, but the effort was too high.

In between, Cleary hit a great cross for Freebooters from left to right but sub Jordan, coming in at the far post, had to settle for a corner.

Expressions. Jinty O'Sullivan (left), under pressure from Freebooters Eoghan Delaney.

Village again had the edge in the second period, but a Richard Burns cross was just too far ahead of Jinty. Kepple was held up by his marker after a multi-pass Village move, and Lotty went very close with a low drive as time ended.

Neither Eric Burns (left) nor Freebooter Ian Cleary seems to know where the ball is.

The shootout was a very even affair. Village keeper Donovan got in the scoring act when he netted in the third exchange, but it was Kilkenny keeper and captain Doyle who dived to his right to turn Kepple’s effort over and give Freebooters a 5-4 decision and a place in the 6^th round.

Freebooters Tim Clifford goes highest

Village United: Jamie Donovan, Clive Hurley, Kevin Dunn, David Quirke, Conor Jones (captain), Conan Burns, Terry Lotty, Eric Burns, Alan O’Brien, Jonathan O'Sullivan and Johnny Cooney. Subs used: Richard Burns for Cooney (49^th minute) and Leslie Kepple for C. Burns (80^th).

Freebooters: Graham Doyle (captain), David Kerwick, Michael Falsey, Eoghan Delaney, Niall Trelis, John O’Hara, Alan Dowling, Ian Cleary, Timothy Clifford, John Valentine and Aaron Broaders. Subs used: Mark Jordan for Dowling (30^th minute, injured) and Edward Culleton for Cleary (110^th).

Referee: Sean Hegarty.