Brave St Francis make cup exit after dramatic penalty shoot-out

There was heartbreak for St. Francis at Iona Park last Saturday afternoon as their valiant effort in this SFAI Cup tie against one of the country's top clubs fell agonisingly short. Having matched Belvedere blow for blow for most of the ninety minutes of the tie, it was a sixty-ninth minute Hughie Douglas goal that looked like sending Francis crashing out. But a dramatic injury-time equaliser from Mark Healy forced extra-time during which a winner couldn't be found. Penalties ensued and although St. Francis had the chance to win the tie from the spot it was Belvedere 'keeper Craig Hanlon who emerged the hero. In an even start to the game, Belvedere carved out the first opportunity. A quick corner taken from the left was swung in low across the goal where Bobo Nicanu tried but narrowly failed to make contact. On eleven minutes, the visiting side really should have taken the lead when Niall Boland, one of three Athlone natives on the Belvedere squad (along with Brian Gill and substitute Robbie Murray), nicked the ball from Robbie Henshaw and found himself with only Garth Higgins to beat. But Higgins did well to narrow Boland's angle before tipping his shot around the post. The resulting corner was flicked on at the near post by Bobo Nicanu and was met by the head of an unmarked Hughie Douglas. His header cannoned off the underside of the crossbar and down, before being frantically cleared off the line by a Francis defender. It looked like being a long afternoon for the home side but that's not how it worked out as they gradually worked their way back into the game. On 25 minutes, they had their first shot at goal - an Emmett Kenny volley that flew wide of the mark. Two minutes later, they had an even better chance. A long ball in behind the Belvedere defence to Dylan Jinks was headed away by Craig Hanlon, who had sprinted from his line and out of his box. The ball fell directly to the feet of Mark Healy who attempted the long-range lob. But with Hanlon desperately scrambling back to his line, he was relieved to see the ball fall wide of the post. On 29 minutes, and just as Francis were beginning get a hold on the game, Belvedere gave a sharp reminder of what they could do. A swift move down the left saw Bobo Nicanu curl the ball into the box where Graham Burke met it with a side-footed volley that flashed inches over the crossbar. Six minutes later, a Hughie Douglas knockdown was ran onto by Daniel Mahon who looked certain to score. But once again Garth Higgins was quick from his line to avert the danger - another fine save from the St. Francis 'keeper. The half ended with Nicanu striking a volley just wide of the mark for Belvedere, who thus far had been matched by an extremely game St. Francis side. The second-half began as the first did - with Belvedere on the front foot. The Dublin team dominated the opening ten minutes of play before Francis were dealt a major blow when 'keeper Higgins had to be replaced (by Cathal Tighe), having picked up a nasty hand injury in a brave attempt to claim a fifty-fifty ball. On 56 minutes, Brian Gill neatly skipped around two Francis defenders before curling the ball just wide of the top-corner. Belvedere were now well on top but, for all their possession, they were creating very little in the way of clear goalscoring opportunities. And that, coupled with the fine performances of the St Francis back four (with left-full Sean Mooney in particular to the fore) meant that there was little to suggest that the stalemate would be broken any time soon. But with just eleven minutes remaining, the opening goal finally did arrive. When a Belvedere attack wasn't dealt with adequately by the Francis defence, the ball fell kindly to Hughie Douglas on the edge of the penalty area. He took the ball on the turn and hit a low volley to the corner of the St. Francis net. No more than the visiting team deserved. Niall Boland squandered a chance to put the game beyond doubt on 74 minutes after sprinting the length of the pitch with the ball at his feet. Healy's equaliser Lesser teams would have given up by now, but credit to the St. Francis players and their never-say-die attitude. They kept going till the end and just when it looked as though all hope was gone, they got their reward. A late corner was swung to the back post by Sean Mooney and Mark Healy towered above everyone to power a header to the back of the net via the post, sparking wild celebrations among his team-mates. With both teams tiring quickly, extra-time brought about only one decent opportunity. It fell to Belvedere and it should have been the winning of the game. Substitute Chris Lyons broke down the right wing before crossing in o the box where the ball fell perfectly to Niall Boland. But from only six yards out he somehow fired his shot wide of the mark. A lucky escape for St. Francis and they would hold on for a penalty shoot-out. Graham Burke stepped up first for Belvedere and dispatched his penalty with ease, sending Cathal Tighe the wrong way. Ian Dempsey did likewise for Francis, drilling the ball straight down the middle. After both sides had scored their next penalty, Robbie Murray made it three from three for Belvedere. But things started to get interesting when Mark Healy, the Francis hero only 20 minutes previously, saw his kick saved by Craig Hanlon. The Dubliners now looked odds-on to advance but, amazingly, they missed their next two with Alex Gardiner finding the net for Francis in between. This now left Ollie Mullan with the chance to be a hero and send St. Francis through to the next round. He opted to drill the ball down the middle but cruelly saw his shot blocked by Hanlon. Belvedere goalkeeper Hanlon then stepped up and fired the next kick to the roof of the net before saving Cian Duffy's spot-kick to send Belvedere through. A brilliant shoot-out performance from the Belvedere 'keeper - saving, scoring and saving the final three penalties. ST. FRANCIS: Garth Higgins, Sean Mooney, Eoin Monaghan, Ian Dempsey, Robbie Henshaw, Cian Duffy, Emmett Kenny, David Ward, Ollie Mullan, Dylan Jinks, Mark Healy. SUBS: Cathal Tighe for G. Higgins (51'), Alex Gardiner for D. Jinks (78'), Darragh Egan for E. Monaghan (78'). BELVEDERE BOYS: Craig Hanlon, Brian Gill, Philly McCabe, Paddy Seery, Michael Barker, Mark Hughes, Niall Boland, Hughie Douglas, Daniel Mahon, Graham Burke, Bobo Nicanu. Subs used: Chris Lyons for D. Mahon (65'); Robbie Murray.