Firhouse Clover 1
Maynooth University Town 4
Dave Donnelly reports from the Aviva Stadium
Substitute Tommy Illunga produced a game-changing performance as Maynooth University Town pulled off a stunning comeback win over Firhouse Clover to lift the FAI Intermediate Cup.
Firhouse led deep into injury time through Carl Forsyth before Darragh Reynor equalised, and Maynooth replacements Illunga, Yousef Belhout and Eoin Donnellan sealed the win in extra time.
Both sides were contesting their first finals at this level and Clover, who rank two divisions above Maynooth, looked to have justified their favourites tag in front of a large support from Tallaght.
Maynooth University Town are your 2018 FAI New Balance Intermediate Cup champions pic.twitter.com/0mqo2cjCf7
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) May 12, 2018
They were the more physical side, if less fluid in possession, and had the first serious chance when centre-half Luke Walsh curled a brilliant free kick off the crossbar.
A superb through ball from Maynooth’s Daniel Burke found striker Eoin McDermott on an angled run, but from a tight angle he couldn’t nick the ball past Clover goalkeeper Ian Molloy.
Cillian Duffy rippled the side-netting with a shot from a tight angle and McDermott shot straight at Molloy, as Maynooth continued to exploit the space in behind the Firhouse full backs.
It was the younger Forsyth who was to open the scoring, brilliantly nicking the ball around a robust Harte challenge before placing an unsaveable effort in off the far post.
Firhouse sat back and paid the price in the third minute of injury time, as a corner was flicked on and Darragh Reynor lashed home at the back post.
Things got even better from Maynooth 40 seconds into extra time when Illunga picked up the ball in the box, swivelled and shot in off the post.
Clover collapsed from there. Michael McLoughlin was given a yellow card for cynically cutting down Donnellan on the break, swiftly followed by a red for dissent.
Belhout sealed the victory seconds later as he fired low past the helpless Molloy, with Donnellan adding another following more good work from Illunga.
FIRHOUSE CLOVER: Molloy; O’Donnell, Brophy (Ray 98), Walsh, Farrelly (McGrath 93); McLoughlin, Doyle, Byrne (Bambrick 60); D Forsyth (Arevadze 78), C Forsyth, O’Connor (Rafferty 65).
MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY TOWN: Sterio; Harte (Illunga 76), Mooney, Dunne, Corrigan; Gannon, Reynor, Farahamad (Donnellan 62); Burke (Belhout 81), Duffy (Daly 65), McDermott (Kinsella 80).
Shocking challenge seen red cards for far less than that
without question it should have been red, the yellow card was a disgrace, distin should also had a straight red for his blatant elbow to skertels’ face
Didn’t hit him hard enough! ;-)
Here here !! He’s Sc€m
The words pot & kettle come to mind
for any other player id say absolutely red but considering its Suarez, he bloody deserved – what goes around
comes around … karma.
Exactly, how many players has he got booked for his dives in the past
2 derbies in a row Everton players are booked for diving but you claim Suarez is a cheat. Clueless.
That’s the only time they dived Suarez dives more times every match. Your the clueless one or are you blinded by the jersey??
Spoddgy, what slimey rock you crawl from?
The LFC supporters club?
Couldn’t have put it better myself haha!!!
Haha, ya know, we have one when we are bad too, not only when winning…
At least your not denying LFC fans come from under a slimey rock
No doubt about it. Red card all day long.
Considering it’s Suarez, he should win some kind of humanitarian award.
All your stupid moron comments doesn’t mean it wasn’t a red card, bunch of fools
It wasn’t a red… Moron!
No of course it wasn’t, even the majority of people who hate the man said it was a red, except someone called john john, who calls someone else a moron but who is in fact so stupid he needs to write his name twice so he doesn’t forget it. Ape
stop feeding the troll Peter !
Ur the guy who started calling others moron and fool!! Did he get a red r yellow card??
He didn’t get the right one
Could not think of a second name…. Hmmmm
Ur reply says it all peter…
Why don’t you crawl back in to the sh*t pile you came from JJ!! You never add anything of value! Honestly boy, show your parents what you writ (if you know them) and see how utterly embarrassed you will look!! Big man!!
Suarez injured Mirallas in the derby last season and didn’t even get a yellow for a deliberate stamp. So revenge for Mirallas was sweet. Should have been a red but a player like Suarez reaps what he sows.
Exactly
Drew blood from Henderson in the 2nd half as well.. Lucky boy
if I was Mirallas I’d get a tetanus straight after the game, just in case….
But when people respond to you, you try to be taken seriously, like you ahem, know what your talking about….
quit yo stalking dude :-(
Niall, why? Was he with your missus??
ah now David, only the loons in here use personal insults………..the rest of us discuss things and engage in whats known as banter :-)
It’s only Suarez
It’s a red card but in life sometimes you don’t get them. I’m sure the Everton fans would point to a similar incident in the derby last year when Suarez stayed on after a nailed on red that put Mirales out for 3 months.
Don’t forget when he got Rodwell sent off for nothing. Que Sera Sera.
Karma indeed, between biting and racial remarks he should expect nothing less then a few hard knocks in games
Deffo should have been sent off but I’d give Mirallas a medal for that wee taster of the karma Blacula has coming his way…
I guess that made keanos gbh assault on haaland ok right? Suarez got his punishments, but not enough for you guys…. Typical BS… Guys also whine about dives, but never mention Bale or Young… Destroys your mediocre credibility….
No sympathy for Suarez.
Yellow enough. A hard challenge. Only a scratch.
He should of hot a red card for not breaking the rats leg!!
You truly are a muppet!
Wow look at the big man!!
Only joking lads ..was a red card all day long!
It actually reminds me of a tackle by Carragher on Nani a few years ago, it also drew blood. He didn’t get red for that, so can’t see the difference really
He makes it hard because he would still get nothing if he was sucker punched right in front of ref anyway… You forget, he is not English… As for that crap you say about how many players he get booked? Only that Everton guy… Which was so wrong…. But remember noddgy, certain English players manage to get penalties, red cards and goals in 1 dive, mr A Young…. Ohhhh but he is Man U….. Lets not mention that… Biased right??
As a Liverpool I’m sick of fake fans talking Sh!te , this has nothing to do with Utd s€um so why bring it up , get a life ya spas
“As a Liverpool” as in a city? Your a city all by yourself! Mad ted that. And you have a spa in it!
Would love to be you.
Suarez dives & wins peno’s all the time. And as for the tackle, karma is a bit*h. It was Suarez who stamped on Mirallas last season and got away with it and don’t forget a couple of years ago Suarez pathetic rolling around faking injury incident to get Jack Rodwell sent off
Aye Ashley young is as bad as Suarez for it but Suarez has also bit an opponent so he is at least one up on young!
In sure you would love to be me going over to support my team a couple of times a year . How many matches do you go to clown !
Ah Terry aka Paul Johson, the posting is all the same.
Hello paul, I see you are “Terry” today, how are you feeling today Terry? As I’ve already said, my offer of professional help is an open one to you(them), all you have to do is ask….
It probably should have been a red but the Liverpool doctor was a disgrace. He clearly tried to tell the ref what to do. Once he had done that the ref couldn’t give a red or it would have looked like he was taking instructions from the Liverpool bench.
I normally don’t watch the premiership games but that was an absolute cracker.
Course it was a red but it was a beaut of a tackle. Suarez goes down too easily when he not touch now refs don’t know if he’s simulating or not which is prob why mirallas didn’t get a card. Ye will have to admit pool fans that he make it hard for the referee they can’t just give him every decision
The stud marks on his knee are a little hint that contact was made!!! How many red cards has he got in the past year for diving compared to players like Young and Bale? U might be surprised!
What comes around goes around