Shelbourne 2
St Joseph’s 1
Paul Buttner reports from Tolka Park
WILL JARVIS PROVIDED an assist and a penalty goal as Shelbourne laboured to a frustratingly narrow victory on their long-awaited return to Europe.
Though dominant for long stretches of the game, manager Damien Duff will be displeased that his side failed to produce enough chances to have killed off the tie ahead of the second leg in Gibraltar next week.
With an apparent nod to the classic Dublin ballad ‘The Rare Ould Times’, a sea of red in the packed riverside stand in the 3,655 capacity attendance unfurled a banner proclaiming: ‘Raised on Shels and Glories’.
And with Liam Burt in for Evan Caffrey in their one change from their last outing, Shelbourne’s 18-year wait for a return to European action was sated after just 27 seconds with St Joseph’s having scarcely touched the ball.
Announced the day beforehand as June’s player of the month, Jarvis was the orchestrator when collecting skipper Mark Coyle’s pass out left before slaloming cleverly between two defenders.
The winger then laid the ball back across the area for Coyle who advanced to put his laces through it and drill his shot from 22 yards low into the bottom right-hand corner of goalkeeper Alejandro Navas Ruiz’s net.
The perfect start laid the foundation Shelbourne would have craved as they then dominated possession with St Joseph’s forced to pack everyone behind the ball.
Despite enjoying plenty of the play, it was the 31st minute before the visitors rearguard was seriously threatened again.
Once more it was Jarvis who created the opening, setting up Burt whose shot was inches over.
Two minutes earlier, St Joseph’s had got their first sight of goal, Liam walker rifling a low drive wide from distance.
Shelbourne’s first real set-piece routine then hinted at promise on 37 minutes. Coyle’s header from a tight angle failed to unduly trouble Navas Ruiz from Burt’s delivery.
Failure to properly defend St Joseph’s first corner of the game then proved costly for Shelbourne five minutes before half-time.
Walker’s floated cross struck Francisco Paul Curado in the stomach to bounce past Conor Kearns for a fortuitously soft equaliser.
With Sean Boyd on for the second half in place of Matty Smith, Shelbourne went with two up top.
And their more direct approach brought its reward on 58 minutes.
John Martin was tripped in a double challenge from Manuel Sanchez Lopez and Gabriel Cardozo Tomas in the area to concede a penalty. Jarvis duly stepped up to score emphatically from 12 yards, shooting to the roof of the net as Navas Ruiz went the other way.
Despite the introduction of further attacking players in Ali Coote, Harry Wood and Caffrey, Shelbourne continued to struggle in front of goal.
That looked set to change on 80 minutes. Sean Gannon, teed up by the impressive Jarvis, looked set to celebrate his 33rd birthday with a rare goal. Sanchez Lopes got across diligently to block the goal-bound shot.
Minutes earlier had brought a moment of worry for Shelbourne when Alvaro Rey’s free kick was not too far wide of a post following a rare foray forward.
On a night of frustration then for Shelbourne, St Joseph’s you sensed left Tolka Park happy enough to bring just a one goal deficit back home.
Shelbourne: Kearns; Gannon, Barrett, Ledwidge, Wilson; Coyle (Caffrey, 75), Lunney; Burt (Coote, 59), Smith (Boyd, h-t), Jarvis (Bone, 89); Martin (Wood, 59).
St Joseph’s: Navas Ruiz; Rey (Bautista, 85), Curado (Pons, 69), Jolley (Rosa, 85), Cardozo Tomas, Alvarez (Aznar, 63); Walker, Juanma, Sanchez Lopez, Olivero; Rodriguez Moreno (Pena, 63).
Referee: Luis Teixeira (Andorra).