SHELBOURNE F.C. - MATCH SUMMARIES FOR 2003
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Waterford United 0 – Shelbourne 4
League; 11 April 2003
The early omens look promising. Just as last season’s
opening day defeat seemed to haunt the Reds for weeks afterwards, this result
will surely settle the team down straight away. Just as symbolically, the last
time Shels played Waterford back in 2000, they secured their ninth league
title. That all said, the match itself was staple early season fare, with
Shelbourne’s more experienced players capitalising on lapses in a young Waterford
side’s defence. For the first goal, Jason Byrne was fouled turning inside the
area and David Crawley thumped home the penalty kick after twenty minutes. A
poor goalkeeping clearance was then charged down by Stephen Geoghegan on the
half-hour, who finished into an empty net. The killer third goal came on
half-time when a poorly conceded free kick was swung in by Thomas Morgan, which
Jason Byrne bundled over the line for a goal on his debut. Bravely, Waterford
went to three at the back to try and chase the game during the second half.
However, Richie Baker always threatened to make them pay on the counter and
eventually one of his surges cut them apart, with Stephen and another debutant,
Scott Oakes, combining to set up Jason for his second of the night with a shot
that he blasted into the roof of the net.
Team: Williams; Crawley; Gannon; Doherty; Heary; Cahill; Crawford;
Morgan (Oakes); R. Baker (D. Baker); J. Byrne; Geoghegan (G. McCarthy).
Scorers: Crawley (pen); Geoghegan; J. Byrne (2)
Shelbourne 1 – Derry City 0
League; 18 April 2003
While Shelbourne at times lacked a degree of midfield
control, they again had sufficient quality in defence and attack to earn this
win. A well-taken early goal by Jason Byrne from just inside the area set the
home side up for all three points and they enjoyed a good first half,
comfortably keeping Derry at bay, while looking dangerous at the other end. The
best of these was a raid down the left by Ollie Cahill, who then found Stephen
Geoghegan in the area, but his first-time shot was very well saved. Kevin
Doherty then almost celebrated his birthday by back-heeling the ball in from a
corner, while Stephen scuffed another shot after good work out on the right by
Jason. In the second half, Derry looked the better side in midfield, but there
was no way through the Reds’ back four, even after Owen Heary went off. In
fact, a powerful Peter Hutton drive across the area was the only really threatening
moment. On the counter, though, Shelbourne always looked likely to steal a
second goal. These attacks included Ollie cutting in off the left and forcing
the keeper to go down well at his near post and Jim Crawford thundering a
25-yard effort just wide Both Stephen and he also failed to latch properly onto
headed chances. In addition, Jason weakly hit a good volleyed opportunity and
also had a drive deflected just wide. Finally, in injury time, Ger McCarthy
almost curled one in when sent clean through. Despite all these chances,
though, Shelbourne did not manage a great deal of sustained pressure, but the
points were theirs nonetheless.
Team: Williams; Crawley; Gannon; Doherty; Heary (Houlihan); Cahill;
Crawford; Morgan (Oakes); R. Baker; J. Byrne; Geoghegan (G. McCarthy).
Scorer: J. Byrne
Shelbourne 3 – Longford Town 2
League; 22 April 2003
A real see-saw encounter with Shelbourne only securing
the win at the third attempt, having been pegged back within minutes of taking
the lead on the two previous occasions.
Again it was Jason Byrne who got the Reds off to an ideal early start,
when he collected a Jim Crawford pass on the edge of the area, turned quickly,
and rolled the ball unerringly past the advancing keeper. Two minutes later,
though, Ollie Cahill conceded a rash penalty on the corner of the area and
Steve Williams could do little about the hard and accurate conversion. While
the game livened up considerably for the benefit of these early goals, there
were not many more first-half chances. Nevertheless, Longford should have
scored from a corner, but the header went just the wrong side of the post. In
the second half, Sean Francis almost scored with a lob from a difficult angle,
but it again went just wide. Minutes later, Wes Houlihan surged forward with
the ball, pulling the Longford defence apart. When it broke to Stephen
Geoghegan, he took his chance to go past Alfie Hale as the sixth highest scorer
in the history of the league. Shelbourne’s lead lasted eight minutes this time,
but the very lively Francis acrobatically volleyed in a flick on from a corner
to square things up again. Both sides kept up the hectic pace of the game, with
Shelbourne going closest with two successive dead-ball deliveries into the area
that might easily have led to a goal. It was a harbinger of how the match was
to be won though. With just four minutes to go, Richie Baker’s header was saved
from a Thomas Morgan free kick, but Jim Gannon was on hand to knock in the
winner from the loose ball.
Team: Williams; Crawley; Gannon; Doherty; Heary; Cahill (Houlihan);
Crawford; Morgan; R. Baker; J. Byrne; Geoghegan (G. McCarthy).
Scorers: J. Byrne; Geoghegan; Gannon
Drogheda United 1 – Shelbourne 1
League; 25 April 2003
Another competitive encounter was played out tonight.
Shelbourne had the first real chance when a good passing move involving Jason
Byrne and Wes Houlihan ended in a Jim Crawford effort being knocked behind for
a corner. Drogheda then hit one wide, before Jason forced a save from the
keeper with a shot from an acute angle after a great pass from Wes. He was not
to be denied with his next serious effort, though, when Jim Crawford played a
lovely through ball and Jason dinked it over the keeper from the edge of the
area for the game’s opening goal. However, as on Tuesday, Shels struggled to
hold on to its lead, as, minutes later, its defence failed to pick up a run from
Drogheda’s right back and his effort had just enough on it to beat Steven
Williams. Shelbourne came flying out of the traps in the second half, with Owen
Heary firing one barely wide, Jason getting a free kick in on target, Richie
Baker failing to take either of two decent chances that came his way after some
good approach play, and then Stephen Geoghegan having an effort ruled out for
offside. The Reds’ intensity then slackened off until the last five minutes
when they once more pegged Drogheda back with some dangerous balls into the
area and even had a shout for a penalty turned down. Try as they might, though,
there was to be no late winner this time and Shels paid the full price for one
moment’s slackness in their defence. On the other hand, Drogheda’s efforts on
the night were deserving of a point.
Team: Williams; Crawley; Gannon; Doherty; Heary; Houlihan (Cahill);
Crawford; Morgan; R. Baker; J. Byrne; Geoghegan (G. McCarthy).
Scorer: J. Byrne
Shelbourne 2 – Dublin City 3
League Cup (Group Stage); 28 April 2003
With only three orthodox defensive players in
outfield, Shelbourne sent out a very attacking side. Unsurprisingly, therefore,
the game was an open affair. The Reds got the first goal in only the second
minute when Scott Oakes crossed first time from a short corner and Gerard
Rowe’s shot easily beat the keeper. Shels should have doubled their advantage
soon after, but Philip Byrne hooked his effort over from another corner and
Scott then wasted an opportunity having done well to burst through the middle
with the ball. Afterwards, Dublin City almost snatched an equaliser when a
panicky defensive header crashed down off Chris Bennion’s crossbar and the shot
from the rebound went narrowly wide. However, when Stephen Murtagh tackled late
inside the area, Barry Burke smashed the resultant penalty high into the net.
Ger McCarthy should have then restored Shels’ lead, but shot poorly when
one-on-one with the keeper. In the second half, Shelbourne continued to thread
great balls in through the heart of City’s defence and, eventually, it paid off
when Dessie Baker kept his feet after a late challenge, rounded the keeper, and
scored. Gerard and Alan Murphy both then had chances coming in off the left,
but neither effort had enough on it to beat the keeper. Minutes later, Ger
wasted another good chance, after being excellently set up by Alan Kinsella.
Although the Reds were well worth their lead, they were caught out when an
attack broke down and City broke brilliantly to equalise with a quarter of an
hour left. They then snatched a dramatic winner when no one picked up their
centre-forward from a set piece and he was able to tap the ball in from close
range.
Team: Bennion; Cahill (Whelahan); P. Byrne; Murtagh; Kinsella; Rowe;
Oakes; S. Murphy (Dunne); A. Murphy (Lee); G. McCarthy; D. Baker.
Scorers: Rowe; D. Baker
Shelbourne 2 – St. Patrick’s Athletic 2
League; 2 May 2003
Shels got off to a flyer when a first-minute move
ended with Jason Byrne amazingly volleying the ball past the keeper into the
far corner of the net from the right-hand angle of the area. Dangerously, Shels
seemed content to sit back on this lead and rarely threatened the away goal for
the rest of the half, with a Tommy Morgan drive being the closest effort, while
another goal-bound shot appeared to be stopped by a defender’s hand. At the
other end, Pats had three good chances – a Fahy free kick that hit the bar, a
Livingstone drive into the side-netting, and a great chance for Bird from a
set-piece delivery near half-time that was deflected just wide of the post.
Apart from these moments, though, the half was mostly dominated by breakages in
play, However, Shelbourne came out and played much more positively in the
second-half, producing some of its best passing moves of the season. The best
of these forays ended with Richie Baker driving just over the bar. Ironically,
though, Shels were then hit with two quick sucker punches before the hour-mark.
Firstly, when a Shels attack broke down, Pats countered quickly and, with the
defence under pressure, Kevin Doherty ended up netting into his own goal.
Minutes later, the far too regular a sight of Osam heading in a corner kick
occurred. It took Shels about ten minutes to get over this abrupt change in
fortune, but they then set about taking the game to the Inchicore club. With
Tony McCarthy covering well at the back and Jim Crawford and Tommy working hard
to keep the pressure on, good movement from Jason, Wes Houlihan and Stephen
Geoghegan threatened to fashion the equaliser. In the end, Richie popped up on
the left and swept over a fine cross for the predatory Jason to smash home with
ten minutes to go. Although Jason had a half-chance for his hat-trick, neither
side went truly close after that. Even then, it proved an exciting finish to a
good encounter.
Team: Williams; Crawley; Gannon (T. McCarthy); Doherty; Heary;
Cahill; Crawford; Morgan; R. Baker; J. Byrne; Geoghegan (G. McCarthy).
Scorer: J. Byrne (2)
UCD 0 - Shelbourne 2
League; 9 May 2003
Although it was a game that rarely sparkled, two fine
second-half deliveries to two players who do not grace the score sheet that
frequently, won this game for Shelbourne. The Reds had struggled, though, to
create much in the first-half, with only a Jason Byrne scissors-kick that was
comfortably gathered by Jennings underneath his crossbar even worth mentioning.
The problem was that nearly all the passes forward were hit high towards the
diminutive Wes Houlihan, who lost in an uneven competition every time. With the
ball bypassing midfield, Richie Baker and Ollie Cahill, on the wings, found
themselves hugely underemployed. On the other hand, UCD had less of the ball,
but used it better, producing two good chances – the first, which beat Steven
Williams, but not his crossbar, from 30 yards out and the second, just before
half-time, that Steven had to go down very smartly at his near post to save. Crucially,
the game swung in Shels’ favour minutes into the second half. Richie was, at
last, released down the right and his tricky cross came up off the first knot
of players and over to the unmarked Wes, who drilled the ball into the net. UCD
might have levelled the score within minutes, but missed a remarkably easy
headed chance. More scrappy play ensued, but, eventually, a lovely pass from
Wes sent Richie clear through the middle. His effort was almost saved by
Jennings, but the ball looped lazily up into the air and down into the net.
Both sides had two chances apiece in the closing stages. UCD drove one across
the goal and wide and had the second blocked by an excellent tackle by Ollie.
At the other end, Ger McCarthy drove a powerful ball across the goal, but
Jason, unusually, miscued with his shot. Ger then flew in off the right again,
but could only hit the keeper from a difficult angle.
Team: Williams; Crawley; T. McCarthy; Doherty (G. McCarthy); Heary;
Cahill; Crawford (Oakes); Morgan; R. Baker; J. Byrne; Houlihan.
Scorers: Houlihan; R. Baker
St Patrick’s Athletic
3 – Shelbourne 1
League Cup (Group Stage); 12 May 2003
A disappointing result, but there was much
inevitability about it given the difference in physical size between the two
sides and the lack of any strong defensive presence in midfield for Shelbourne.
The Reds still got off to a fast start when Gerard Rowe darted onto a
second-minute free kick from Scott Oakes and steered the ball in past the
keeper. Pats, though, soon gained control of the game and, eventually,
equalised when Holt got one-on-one with Chris Bennion and thumped the ball past
him. Minutes later, Freeman almost repeated the move, but Chris was able to
force him wide of goal. Chris then took
a nasty blow to the head when going for a long ball forward. Bravely, he made
sure to clear his lines before going down to receive treatment. Afterwards, the
best move of the game saw Pats burst down the right and when the ball flew over
to Holt on the left, he smashed a first-time shot in past Chris. In the second
half, Shelbourne looked a bit more composed, but were still lucky to survive
good efforts from Holt and the right-winger Dunne. Freeman also somehow missed
from 6 yards out. The closest the Reds came was a Ger McCarthy cross-shot that
went wide of the post. After a torrential downpour had spoiled the evening,
Pats made sure of their win when they scored a late soft third from a corner
kick. David Lee then almost scored when he dribbled past several challenges
before hitting an effort that lacked enough venom to beat the Pats goalkeeper.
However, the home side still had the last say when they crashed a final shot
off the foot of the post.
Team: Bennion (Cranley); Dunne; T. McCarthy; P. Byrne; Houlihan
(Whelehan); Rowe; Oakes; Kinsella; G. McCarthy; Murphy (Lee)
Scorer: Rowe
Shelbourne 2 – Bohemians 2
League; 16 May 2003
This was a pulsating game that ended with both sides
presumably feeling a little fortunate to have gained a result. In attack, Shels
showed all the flair, movement, and variation that had been sorely missing
against UCD. Early on, Jason Byrne headed onto the post and then drove another
at the keeper, while Richie Baker had a shot well blocked by Kelly after some
great approach work. In the end, the goal came from a high ball into the area
that was squared by Richie to Jim Crawford, who coolly buried the chance. Then,
on half-time, Stephen Geoghegan had a marvellous chance to score, but his
effort was deflected wide for a corner. Although they had moved the ball quite
well, Bohs’ two best chances of the half fell to Hawkins and Coughlan from
corner kicks. At half-time, Bohs replaced both wingers with Rutherford and
Ryan, who came on, hugely influential in their side’s revival. Things were made
easier for them by Shels being prepared to drop deep and hit long out of
defence. While their counter-attacking ability was evident, the Reds never
seemed truly comfortable with having to do so much defending. That said, both
James Gannon and Kevin Doherty had fine matches. After a decent spell, though,
Bohs equalised when Coughlan headed in a corner kick. Shels, stung by this
reversal, came flying back at the away side and Jason, almost inexplicably,
missed two golden chances to restore the club’s lead. In the final quarter of
the game, Shels seemed to fade a little and Bohs had several good chances to
score– for the first, Steve Williams made a fine block from Crowe, for the
second, no one got a touch on a dangerous cross, and, for the third, James had
to hack clear off his own goal line. It seemed a goal was coming, though, and
when a corner was half-cleared as far as Hunt, he thumped the ball into the net
from the edge of the area. It seemed like the winning goal, but a late triple
substitution breathed life once more into Shels and, in injury time, Ger
McCarthy soared 40 yards down the left with the ball, before cutting in and
finding Jason in the area. When Jason’s cheeky back-heel was blocked, Ger
pounced on the broken ball to grab his first goal for the club from four yards
out and one that ensured the first league draw between these two sides in three
years and the first at Tolka Park in an entire decade.
Team: Williams; Crawley; Gannon; Doherty; Heary; Houlihan (Cahill);
Crawford; Morgan; R. Baker (G. McCarthy); J. Byrne; Geoghegan (Rowe).
Scorers: Crawford; G. McCarthy
Cork City 0 – Shelbourne 0
League; 23 May 2003
That rarest of beasts – a scoreless draw between
Shelbourne and Cork – was witnessed tonight on a slippery Turner’s Cross pitch.
The game had been billed as a clash between two freely-scoring sides, which
guaranteed the game that followed, with both sides struggling to create
clear-cut opportunities. Over the ninety minutes, Cork had the better of the
possession and fashioned more of the half-chances with O’Callaghan, inevitably,
at the heart of most of his side’s better moves. Indeed, it was his free kick,
just before halftime, that picked out one of his defenders, but who then only
put an unchallenged header wide of the post. Shelbourne’s only first-half
chance fell to Jason Byrne, but his trademark turn and shot comfortably cleared
the bar. The second half was trundling along in similar fashion until Jim
Gannon was almost ridiculously sent off when he pulled down O’Callaghan. There
was no question that he had fouled the Cork player, but to consider it a professional
foul when there was doubt as to whether or not O’Callaghan had been denied a
clear shooting opportunity seemed harsh and strongly echoed the controversy of
last year’s sending off in the same fixture. However, even though Cork sensed a
late opportunity to win the game with a quarter of an hour to go, Shels seemed
to be holding on until the last minute of the game. Once more O’Callaghan was
fouled - this time inside the area - and Jim Crawford joined his namesake in
the dressing-room for a second bookable offence. O’Flynn stepped up to take the
spot kick, but Steve Williams proved to be the hero by making a fine save to
once more give the Reds a dramatic late share of the points.
Team: Williams; Crawley; T. McCarthy; Doherty (Gannon); Heary;
Houlihan; Crawford; Morgan; R. Baker (G. McCarthy); J. Byrne; Geoghegan
(Cahill).
Shelbourne 1 – Shamrock Rovers 0
League; 30 May 2003
This was a victory for spirit and determination as a Shelbourne
side that seemed stuck in a low gear all night battled to this single-goal win.
Rovers looked that bit more sharper and had the best opening chance when a
fiercely hit shot by Stephen Grant was deflected past the post by Ollie Cahill,
who then blocked another goal-bound shot from the subsequent corner kick. For
all their possession, Rovers were quite blunt in attack though, with two decent
efforts by Robinson from the edge of the box as close as they came. The game
then swung on three crucial events. Firstly, the referee seemed to award a
penalty to Rovers and then changed his mind when he saw that the linesman was
indicating that it should be a corner kick. David Crawley, who had made the
challenge, looked the most relieved man on the pitch, as he would surely have
been sent off otherwise. Shelbourne then took the lead. A clearance fell to
Owen Heary out on the right-hand side and his quick pass back into the area
found Stephen Geoghegan unmarked and he slipped the ball past the keeper into
the net. The Reds hardly had time to enjoy their lead when a fracas ended in
Jason Byrne being dismissed for butting. As the game then approached half-time,
Pat Fenlon was ordered from the bench for being overly vocal in his protests.
With the two Jims suspended and Jason back in the dressing-rooms, Shels seemed
to be in for a long second half. However, an heroic rearguard action secured
the points. While every player chipped in, Owen, Kevin Doherty and Tommy
Morgan, in particular, were outstanding, restricting Rovers to shots from
distance and some occasional threat from set pieces. At the other end, if Wes
Houlihan had been a bit quicker to react on two occasions, he might have given
Shels that extra bit of breathing space. Nevertheless, with Stuart Byrne making
his comeback from a lengthy lay-off, it proved a great night for the club when
its back was fully up against the wall.
Team: Williams; Crawley; T. McCarthy; Doherty; Heary; Houlihan;
Cahill; Morgan (S. Byrne); R. Baker (Rowe); J. Byrne; Geoghegan (G. McCarthy).
Scorer: Geoghegan
Shelbourne 1 –
Waterford United 1
League; 4 June 2003
The game was only minutes old when Shelbourne went 1-0
down for the first time this season. It came when Kevin miscontrolled inside
the area to give O’Neill a routine finish past Steven Williams. Shelbourne then
enjoyed a lengthy spell of pressure, but several chances went a begging.
Noticeably, Ollie Cahill was having a fine game down the left, continuously
beating his man, before putting in top notch crosses that no one could quite
take advantage of. Having weathered this storm, Waterford started to threaten
more themselves, with O’Neill, in particular, making life difficult for the
home defence. However, the half ended on a real low when an honest clash
between the Waterford keeper and Kevin, left the latter out cold and he had to
be taken off to hospital. Shelbourne did not have to wait long for an equaliser
in the second half. Ger collected the ball out on the right-hand channel, danced
his way past two defenders, before tucking the ball into the corner of the net
from just inside the area. The game then exploded into life with Wes Houlihan
showing some great close-ball skills for the Reds, while O’Neill, Murphy, and
Reilly were threatening to pull Shelbourne apart at the back. Indeed, Shels
were missing the sort of tackles that would have led to a try every time had
the game been rugby union. However, the defences were only creaking because of
the standard of attacking play. For Shels, Stephen Geoghegan almost placed the
ball into the net with a shot from a tight angle that he struck with the
outside of his boot, Jim Gannon planted a great headed chance wide, while
Stephen really should have then scored from another great cross in from Ollie.
At the other end, Murphy somehow skied a chance from six yards out. However,
Shels seemed to lose their momentum after they replaced Wes and then Ollie, who
was suffering from cramp, leaving Waterford to enjoy a powerful finish. Indeed,
they could easily have won the game near the end, had Steven not produced a
terrific reflex save low to his left to deny Murphy what looked a certain goal
from a few yards out.
Team: Williams; Crawley; T. McCarthy; Doherty (Gannon); Heary;
Cahill (S. Byrne); Crawford; Morgan; Houlihan (R. Baker); G. McCarthy;
Geoghegan.
Scorer: G. McCarthy
Derry City 2 –
Shelbourne 0
League; 12 June 2003
Shelbourne’s unbeaten opening to its league campaign came
to a shuddering halt tonight with a defeat the Reds can have few complaints
about having had a number of chances to score in the first half. Jim Crawford
drew a save from the keeper with an effort from distance, Ollie Cahill hit a
chance wide, while Jason Byrne forced the keeper into making a fine save with a
free kick. Derry had chances at the other end, putting headers wide, but Jason
should have given Shels the lead when, having been teed up by Stuart Byrne just
on halftime, his effort from 18 yards out crashed back off the crossbar. Derry
looked the better side after the break, with Jim Crawford having to almost
immediately block a goal-bound effort from Martyn. Both sides fashioned
half-chances from set-piece positions, before Derry scored the first of its
goals on 67 minutes when McGlynn blasted a shot past Steve Williams. Minutes
later, Martyn doubled the home team’s advantage when he coolly beat Steve,
having broken free of the Shelbourne defence. Despite throwing on Dessie Baker
to form a three-man forward line and the last desperate gamble of sacrificing a
defender for an attacking player, there was no way back into the game for
Shels. Indeed, Tony McCarthy came closest to getting the game’s next goal when
his sliced clearance almost went into his own net... Apart from this first
defeat, this match was also Stuart’s first start following his lengthy injury
and Dave Roger’s debut, having only signed the week before.
Team: Williams; Crawley; T. McCarthy (Houlihan); Rogers; Heary;
Cahill; Crawford; S. Byrne (Morgan); R. Baker (D. Baker); G. McCarthy; J.
Byrne.
Longford Town 0 –
Shelbourne 2
League; 1 July 2003
After enjoying a midsummer break, this first game back
after the resumption proved to be a win of dubious merits for Shelbourne,
ensuring that they took all three points home from the Midlands. Shels did have
the better of the first half chances, though. Firstly, Dave Rogers went close
with a header from a free kick delivered in by Ollie Cahill. Ollie then thumped
an effort into the side-netting from inside a crowded area. However, minutes
before halftime, Shelbourne took the lead when Dave volleyed in a freekick
delivery from Richie Baker. However, as the defence had run out as the freekick
was about to come in, Dave looked suspiciously offside and the protests of the
home side took some time to quell. Their feeling of frustration was aggravated
when the same linesman then ruled a goal for the home side as being offside,
although the player looked to have stayed at least level before following in a
shot that Steve Williams had done well to block, but which he was unable to
prevent deflecting back out off him. As often happens, minutes later,
Shelbourne fully exploited their fortunate when Ollie collected a sliced
clearance, played a one-two with Jason Byrne outside the area, before hammering
a rising shot past the Town keeper into the top corner of the net. Longford
threatened to pull a goal back, but Shels held on to continue their impressive
defensive record away from home. It was also the first time in five league
matches that the Reds succeeded in scoring two goals in a game.
Team: Williams; Crawley; Doherty; Rogers; Heary; Cahill; Crawford;
Morgan; R. Baker; Geoghegan (D. Baker); J. Byrne.
Scorers: Rogers; Cahill.
Shelbourne 3 – Drogheda United 0
League; 4 July 2003
Without breaking sweat, the Reds cantered to a routine
win over Drogheda tonight. It was almost a dramatic opening though when Richie
Baker raided down the right in the first minute and his cross really should
have been turned in by Jason Byrne, who screwed it wide instead. A decent
opening spell for Shels was rewarded though when Stephen Geoghegan found
himself unmarked outside the area, shaped to pass out wide, but then came
inside his man and scored. As is their wont, the Reds sat back a bit then, but
still created a couple of good chances, including a Kevin Doherty header that
hit the crossbar. Drogheda were trying, but seemed to lack the quality needed
to fashion an opening. However, the referee gifted them one when he deemed a
small shove by Kevin to be worthy of a penalty kick. Justice was probably done,
though, when Myler hit his effort wide, undoubtedly put off by Steve Williams’
movements on his line. The Reds came back out in more determined fashion for
the second half and severely tested the away side’s offside trap, which was
more than a little fortunate at times to see the linesman’s flag go up.
Nevertheless, Richie was getting in behind them and almost scored one and
created another with his efforts. Shels then survived another dangerous moment
when Myler pounced on a poor back pass by Dave Rogers, but Steve made yet
another fine reflex save to protect his goal. Into the last quarter of an hour,
Shelbourne were gifted a soft second goal when Owen Heary picked out the
unmarked Jim Crawford in the area and he had all the time in the world to head
the ball past the keeper. Minutes later, Ollie Cahill amazed even himself when
he collected a deep cross by Richie on the goal line, came back infield, turned
his marker, and then curled in a real beauty from just inside the edge of the
area to give Shelbourne its biggest home win so far this season.
Team: Williams; Crawley; Doherty; Rogers; Heary; Cahill (Houlihan);
Crawford (S. Byrne); Morgan; R. Baker; Geoghegan (D. Baker); J. Byrne.
Scorers: Geoghegan; Crawford; Cahill.
St. Patrick’s Athletic 0 - Shelbourne 0
League; 11 July 2003
Shelbourne have been a mean team on the road this
season and this contest proved no different, with neither side prepared to
throw enough caution to the wind in the hunt for all three points. As a result
the game was tight, competitive, and low on quality, with the four
centre-halves the only ones to really distinguish themselves. Chances were few
and none were clear-cut. In the first half, Jason Byrne tried a turn-and-shot
from a fairly acute angle, but could only hit the side-netting. At the other
end, Steve Williams had to make a decent stop from a driven effort. In the
second half, it was even tighter. Steve was forced to awkwardly palm a cross
away for a corner and watched a header drift just wide of his post. At the
other end, Richie Baker rattled a shot from distance just over and Ger McCarthy
almost latched onto a through ball, but only ended up injuring the goalkeeper,
who had come rushing off his line. Otherwise, the two sides hassled each other
continuously, the ball was often hit long to try and avoid a competitive
midfield, and the referee’s whistle was rarely far from his lips. As neither
truly went for the win, a scoreless draw was easily the correct result on the
night.
Team: Williams; Crawley; Doherty; Rogers; Heary; Cahill; Crawford;
Morgan; R. Baker; Geoghegan (G. McCarthy); J. Byrne.
Shelbourne 1 – UCD 1
League; 18 July 2003
UCD grabbed a shock lead after only 7 minutes when Robbie Griffin
got on the end of a right-wing cross to head home past Steven Williams.
However, Shelbourne responded ferociously with Jason Byrne involved in almost
all of the significant action. Firstly, he fired in a free-kick, just minutes
after UCD had scored, that forced the keeper into making a diving save and then
he almost turned in a mis-shot by Kevin Doherty, but again the keeper saved
well. Still inside the opening fifteen minutes of the game, Jason then played
Stephen Geoghegan in with a fine weighted pass, but Stephen could not get
enough contact on his effort and the ball went wide. The Reds eventually got on
level terms thanks to a fine piece of individual play from Ollie Cahill, who
stole the ball at a short corner routine by UCD, carried the ball the length of
the pitch, and then crossed for Jason Byrne to control and hammer in off the
post for a goal that ended a long barren spell for him. Shels remained the
better team for the rest of the half, especially as UCD were prepared to sit
back. However, a volley that Ollie put wide was the only other significant
chance of the half, even if David Crawley almost scored an own goal at the
other end. The second half was a tighter affair, with Pat Jennings again
thwarting Shelbourne when he saved from Richie Baker. Stuart Byrne then almost
joined his namesake on the score-sheet when he got on the end of a free-kick
sent in by Wes Houlihan in the dying minutes of the game, but his header only
found the crossbar, to leave the home side feeling very frustrated.
Team: Williams; Crawley; Doherty; Rogers; Heary; Cahill (Houlihan);
Crawford; Morgan (S. Byrne); R. Baker (Rowe); Geoghegan; J. Byrne.
Scorer: J. Byrne
Cork City 0 - Shelbourne 2
FAI Cup; 25 July 2003
The manager will no doubt see this as inspirational on
his part, but his decision to drop Richie Baker in favour of Stuart Byrne paid an
immediate dividend when the latter sent Ger McCarthy on his way in the opening
minutes of the game. Ger’s shot did not have enough on it to beat the Cork
keeper, but Jason Byrne gobbled up the bits and pieces for Shelbourne’s first
goal at the Cross under Pat Fenlon.
Jason almost doubled the Reds’ advantage minutes later, but his effort
was deflected just wide of the post. Cork then started to come back into the
game, with George O’Callaghan once more at the heart of their best moves. He
rattled one shot over the bar, drew a decent save from Steve Williams with
another, and then played in John O’Flynn, but Steve saved the latter’s shot
brilliantly. At the other end, Dave Rogers had an effort cleared off the line.
Cork enjoyed their best spell of the game straight after halftime, leaving
Shels just about hanging on. Fortunately, Steve was once more in fine form,
keeping a header out with a full-length dive and then denying John O’Flynn from
distance. Cork were to be punished though for not taking one of the chances
they had created, when a sloppy back pass was swooped on by the predatory
Jason, who’s shot dramatically rolled over the line for the winning goal and
Cork’s first home defeat of the season. Ollie Cahill almost rubbed salt in the
wounds by scoring in the dying minutes, but his side was comfortably in the
next round by then. The game also marked Stephen Geoghegan’s fortieth FAI Cup
appearance for Shels – breaking the record he held with Eric Barber of 39.
Team: Williams; Crawley; Doherty; Rogers; Heary; Cahill; Crawford;
Morgan; S. Byrne (R. Baker); G. McCarthy (Geoghegan); J. Byrne.
Scorer: J. Byrne (2)
Shelbourne 1 - Cork City 1
League; 7 August 2003
After some initial tussling, Cork took an early lead
from a quickly-taken free kick towards the far post that was knocked back
across for Doyle to poke home from close range. O’Brien, for Cork, then rattled
a decent volley just over the bar, before Jason Byrne put Shels back on level
terms when he hooked a good pass from Tommy Morgan into the corner of the net
from ten yards out. Both keepers had a
relatively untroubled half after that. Although Steve Williams needed David
Crawley to come to his aid with a timely clearance, while, on the stroke of
half-time, Devine had to flap away David’s free kick, which was going straight
into the top right-hand corner of the net. Cork then dominated the second half
in terms of possession. However, Shels showed solid resilience in defence,
restricting Cork mostly to efforts from well outside the area. In all, Cork’s
best chance of the second half was a header that flashed wide of the upright.
At the other end, Shels were very wasteful with possession and their only real
chance came to Ollie Cahill, but, from a good position, his shot on his weaker
foot went straight at the keeper.
Team: Williams; Crawley; T. McCarthy; Rogers; Heary; Cahill;
Crawford; Morgan; S. Byrne (Houlihan); D. Baker (Geoghegan); J. Byrne.
Scorer: J. Byrne
NK Olimpija Ljubljana
1 – Shelbourne 0
UEFA Cup; 14 August 2003
Pat Fenlon opted for a 4-5-1 formation for this game –
a choice presumably made to counter the difficulties the hitherto hot
conditions were likely to pose. However, a thunder storm a few hours before the
game caused the air to freshen up, the temperature to drop, and left a good
deal of surface water on the pitch. As a result, passing was very difficult and
an extra target-man upfront may have been the better option. That said,
Shelbourne enjoyed the best of the early chances, as Jason Byrne forced the
keeper into a fine save, with Ollie Cahill’s follow-up header coming back off
the crossbar. Sadly, Stuart Byrne was then taken off injured after just 10
minutes, following a pretty reckless challenge from Olimpija’s left fullback. The
game’s next big chance fell again to Jason, whose footwork and shot deserved
more than the effort that left the keeper beaten, but which flashed just past
the upright. Olimpija, however, were beginning to find their rhythm out wide
and one such cross was met with a powerful diving header, which forced Steve
Williams into making a brilliant reflex save. Olimpija continued to probe, but
solid defending kept them at bay for the rest of the half. The second half
began in similar fashion, with Shels looking to hit on the break – with either Ollie
or Wes Houlihan prominent in such moves. Indeed, Shels almost took the lead
when a Richie Baker freekick was headed back across by Kevin Doherty for Dave
Rogers to somehow put a free header over the bar. Despite this, Shels’ shape
was keeping them mostly pinned inside their own half and forcing them into some
last-ditch defending. The pressure eventually told, with fifteen minutes to go,
when a cross from the left was headed back across for one of the Green Dragons
to head in from close range – a goal which only made Dave’s miss all the worse.
Shels made two more substitutions and Ger McCarthy impressed with his spell on
the pitch. However, time was against the Reds and they were fortunate to keep
the difference down to just one goal when a good counter-attack for Ljubljana
ended with an effort that was blazed wildly over the bar.
Team: Williams; Crawley; Doherty; Rogers; Heary; Cahill; Crawford;
Morgan; S. Byrne (Houlihan); R. Baker (D. Baker); J. Byrne (G. McCarthy).
