Penalty heartache for Gorey Rangers as Cockhill Celtic claim FAI Junior Cup

The Wexford club came into the decider on the back of two spot-kick wins in a row, but it was third time unlucky as the Buncrana boys scored three of their spot-kicks to one in reply to take the crown.

It was a disappointing end to a remarkable run by Rangers, who have continued to get better and better over the last few years to the point that they are now mixing it with the very best in the country.

Gorey will go back, regroup and attack the end of the season, with the destination of the Wexford Premier Division still very much up in the air with just a few games left to be played.

There was a bit of an edgy start to this game with the sides, understandably, looking somewhat nervous. Gorey were trying to get the long ball to the flanks to stick, but Cockhill were defending it well.

As matters settled down, good work by Paul Brennan won a Gorey corner on the left. Stephen Kinsella swung in the set-piece that Ryan Cullen met on the run, but the defender’s powerful header flew wide of the far post.

However, there was no real sign of what was about to come in the 15th minute when Kinsella stepped up to a free-kick 45 yards from goal.

He saw Cockhill ‘keeper Harry Doherty edging off his line to attack the delivery and he whipped the ball into the near post, past a desperate dive to the net.

Cockhill hadn’t done much to worry Gorey until they almost equalised in the 20th minute. Corey McBride swung a dangerous cross to the back post where Garbhan Friel was waiting. The attacker headed towards goal but into the side-netting and Rangers survived.

The pressure was amping up a bit in front of the Gorey goal as the first quarter moved into the second, with a couple of set-pieces defended well by Rangers.

Luke Rudden had an effort from the edge of the area but a deflection took the pace off the ball and Cian Browne picked it up.

The football wasn’t exactly fluid at this stage, which wasn’t helped from Gorey’s point of view by the loss of Adam Territt through injury.

Cockhill continued to dominate possession through to the interval but were struggling to break through a resilient Rangers rearguard.

That was until mayhem ensued in the 45th minute. An inswinging corner from the right pinballed around the area before falling to Oisín McColgan six yards out.

His shot moved towards the line before being hooked away but there was no signal from the linesman and play continued.

When the game resumed after the interval, Gorey were on the back foot. Cockhill came close to equalising in the 48th minute when a Luke Rudden cross fell for Corey McBride on the penalty spot, but he fired over the crossbar.

After being camped in their half for six minutes, Gorey countered and almost went two up. Paul Brennan burst from midfield and linked up with Michael Molloy.

The Rangers substitute played it back into the path of Brennan but, under pressure, the winger dragged his shot across goal and wide.

Cockhill went back on the offensive and had several set-pieces around the goalmouth that they couldn’t take advantage of.

With 58 minutes on the clock, Garbhan Friel dragged a shot wide from outside of the area with a man over on his left.

Gorey had settled and were starting to look more comfortable as the final quarter started, and Cockhill frustration might have been setting in as a weak Rudden effort flew harmlessly off target.

When the equaliser did come, 15 minutes from time, it was a little out of the blue, with Oisín McColgan nipping between defenders to poke it in.

The goal gave Cockhill new life and they almost took the lead when Jay Bradley flicked towards Corey McBride. The Celtic attacker got a strong shot away but Cian Browne was there to save.

The game was now open, with Gavin O’Brien’s header forcing Harry Doherty into a save in the 79th minute.

At the other end Friel glanced a near-post header wide from a right wing corner. After Territt succumbed to injury earlier, Gorey could ill afford to lose Conor Casserly too, but that’s just what happened when he took a foot to the face late on.

With the 90 minutes unable to separate the sides, extra-time was the first port of call to find a winner.

The game reverted back to a period of relative dominance from the Donegal lads, until Cockhill captain James Brennan was sent-off for a poor tackle on Luke Greene.

Immediately after the dismissal Gorey almost poked home a lead goal when Ethan Vickers got two shots away. The offside flag was incorrectly up but it made no difference as the Celtic ‘keeper had a firm grasp of the ball at the end of the pinball.

Vickers flashed a shot wide in the 100th minute as Gorey went looking for the winner. Into the second period of overtime, Cockhill had adjusted to being a man down and began to push on again without looking likely to net a winner as the game went to penalties.

It’s hard to keep winning penalty shoot-outs, as each one gets tougher, and this time it proved a bridge too far for Rangers. Both sides missed their openers before Conor Graham and Ryan Cullen scored.

The next spot-kick for each side was missed to make it 1-1 after three kicks apiece. It meant that goals from Jay Bradley and Garbhan Friel were enough to win the trophy when Gorey missed their fourth penalty.

Gorey Rangers: Cian Browne; Glen O’Brien, Nathan Brennan, Ryan Cullen, Conor Casserly, Stephen Kinsella, Adam Territt, Gavin O’Brien (capt.), Mark Woods, Ethan Vickers, Paul Brennan. Subs. - Michael Molloy for Territt (31), Luke Greene for Kinsella (75), Niall Keys for Woods (87), Seán Murphy for Casserly (88), also Dylan Vickers, Rian Fitzpatrick.

Cockhill Celtic: Harry Doherty; Lee McLaughlin, Lee McColgan, Peter Doherty, Jack Doherty, Luke Rudden, James Brennan (capt.), Garbhan Friel, Corey McBride, Brendan McLaughlin, Oisín McColgan. Subs. - Jay Bradley for Rudden (72), Jack Mullen for B. McLaughlin (93), Conor Graham for McBride (98), also Gavin Cullen, Liam Grant, Odhran O’Brien-Daly, Jamie McKinney.

Referee: Tom McCarthy (Cork).