Sherlock sends Peter"s into last four

ST PETER"S are through to the semi-finals of the prestigious FAI Junior Cup after Mark Sherlock"s 65th minute header separated the side"s in last Sunday"s tense and tight quarter-final clash at McCarthy Park. The Athlone side have now qualified for the last four of a competition entered at the outset by more than 700 teams from around the country. This famous victory for St Peter"s also secures them a place in the first round proper of the FAI Senior Cup, a competition entered by League of Ireland sides in the second round. After morale boosting victories over the 2005 champions Westport Utd and last year"s winners Carrick Utd, St Peter"s always fancied their chances of seeing off Lisselton Rovers from Kerry. And Mark Sherlock, who has now netted in the last three rounds, became the toast of the club when he powerfully headed home Adrian Carberry"s corner kick in the 65th minute. From then on, St Peter"s never looked in danger of squandering their slight advantage, with the likes of Rory McGowan and Tom Silke at the back, and the superb Stephen Mullan leading the way for the Connaught-side club. Lisselton had scored twelve times in the previous two rounds but you"d wonder how on the evidence of this fairly harmless performance. The visitors had the wind advantage in the opening period but didn"t use it too well and St Peter"s were marginally the better side throughout in what was always a captivating and tense affair, but never a very exciting or free flowing encounter. Indeed, it was eleven minutes into the tie before the first opening arrived. Mark Sherlock got into a fine attacking position and tried to pick out Stephen Mullan but his low cross was well intercepted and the chance had gone. Three minutes later, Keith Hynes seemed to leave a bit too much room for Brendan O"Driscoll to curl home a 25-yard free kick, but the home netminder just managed to claw the ball to safety after diving full length. Stephen Conway"s deep cross then posed difficulties for Hynes but Oura Moussirine"s snapshot, after Hynes failed to catch the cross, was well over the bar. Lisselton"s Liam Costello was the first player to be booked in a game which never threatened to get out of hand and was played in a competitive but very fair manner. At this stage, Lisselton were on top in midfield but Michael Collins, the St Peter"s player-manager, got the better of Conway before his low cross picked out Sherlock, however, his tame effort was straight at David Hennessy. Right winger Brendan O"Driscoll looked Lisselton"s biggest threat, cutting in from the wing onto his left foot, and he tested Hynes with a great effort in the 33rd minute but the St Peter"s "keeper did well to touch the ball around the post. Lisselton will feel they definitely should have netted just before the break. Firstly, Damien Wallace somehow headed over the crossbar from close range after Conway"s well delivered corner. Then Eoin Fox made a mistake in the St Peter"s defence but was fortunate to see Moussirine"s shot from 12 yards dribble the wrong side of the post. That was a huge let-off for St Peter"s but they were still alive and kicking at the break. The side"s traded half chances early in the second half, with Sherlock going close for St Peter"s and Wallace sending another header over the top. Joe Sheehy also saw his effort well blocked by the St Peter"s rearguard, who were generally defending extremely well. Pascal Dillon and Brian Caldwell were introduced to the fray for St Peter"s, and the former put in a notable shift on the right side of midfield. The moment St Peter"s had waited patiently for finally arrived on 65 minutes. Rory McGowan"s precise ball over the top forced Lisselton into conceding a corner kick on the right side of the field. Adrian Carberry delivered a fine cross and Sherlock swooped to head home with power and accuracy. Lisselton goalkeeper Hennessy got a touch to Sherlock"s effort but couldn"t prevent hitting the net. Lisselton seemed to become very frustrated following Sherlock"s goal and St Peter"s now had their fate very much in their own hands. On 75 minutes, Dillon worked the ball neatly to Sherlock but he was eventually crowded out by several Lisselton players. Up the other end, as things got more and more tense, McGowan produced a fantastic last gasp tackle to deny Sheehy a clear run at goal. McGowan has forged a good partnership with central defensive colleague Tom Silke and both have been integral to St Peter"s during this momentous cup adventure. Sherlock struck another effort well over the crossbar and Lisselton picked up three more yellow cards as the clock ticked by. In the end, the visitors didn"t really have the nous or creativity to carve open a solid St Peter"s side, who can now get even more excited about what this season holds. Much credit for this hard fought victory must go to St Peter"s tight defensive unit in which McGowan and Silke again excelled. But the finest player on the pitch was Stephen Mullan, who worked tirelessly whether up front or in midfield, and almost always used the ball effectively. ST PETER"S: Keith Hynes; Eoin Fox; Paul Murphy; Rory McGowan; Tom Silke; Patrick Craughwell; Adrian Carberry; Dave Donohoe; Stephen Mullan; Mark Sherlock; Michael Collins. Subs: Pascal Dillon for Donohoe (57 mins); Brian Caldwell for Collins (61). LISSELTON ROVERS: David Hennessy; Stephen Conway; Kyle Holland; Damien Wallace; Shane Brosnan; Shane Doolan; Brendan O"Driscoll; Liam Costello; Joe Sheehy; Anthony Glasheen; Oura Moussirine. Subs: Ben Sweeney for O"Driscoll (66 mins); Eoin O"Mahoney for Conway (86). REFEREE: Jim Wynne.