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Zayed fires Drogs into Setanta final

Monday 23rd April 2007, 10:50 pm

Eamon Zayed hit the winner in extra-time.

Photo by Tom Carey.

Eamon Zayed volleyed home a dramatic extra-time winner to send holders Drogheda United in the 2007 final of the Setanta Sports Cup.

The Drogs triumphed 1-0 after extra-time over Saint Patrick's Athletic in Inchicore tonight. The Drogs had missed a penalty in the final minute of a score-less ninety.

The Saints started with a near full strength side - missing just Joseph Ndo and the ineligible Stephen Paisley. Drogheda illustrated the length of their injury list by naming just three outfield substitutes, when six would have been allowed.

Colm Foley gets past Drogs captain Stuart Byrne.

Photo by Tom Carey.

A tentative start saw both sides struggle to find their feet and it looked for a while that both sides were going to serve up a poor game. That idea was quickly banished as both created chances following the feeling out period.

Colm Foley blocked from Zayed as the Drogs man turned and tried to fire in a shot while at the other end Paul Keegan cleared off the line following a home corner.

Miko Vilmunnen got himself in a tangle after losing the ball in a crowded goal-mouth from Keith Fahey's free kick.

The Drogs keeper survived that incident and did better soon after to save from Anthony Murphy as the Pats man tried to squeeze the ball home at the near post.

Glen Fitzpatrick holds the ball up under pressure from Darragh Maguire.

Photo by Tom Carey.

Murphy again went close after a couple of Saints corners but just couldn't force the ball home.

Zayed also went close a couple of times before the break but Colm Foley broke dangerously on the visitors goal after some neat footwork on the edge of the box. The skipper chipped his effort over though.

Another goal-line clearance saw Gary O'Neill denied before Mark Quigley crashed a follow-up effort against the crossbar from the edge of the box.

Drogheda came out lively for the second half. Zayed just couldn't connect with Glen Fitzpatrick's cross as he went diving in.

Mark Quigley and Ollie Cahill tussle for possession.

Photo by Tom Carey.

Ollie Cahill was next up, only to see Barry Ryan save from an angled close range shot.

Vilmunnen again looked a little shaky as he punched clear when it had appeared straightforward to catch another Fahey free-kick. O'Neill almost got in as the Saints fired the ball back into the danger zone.

Fahey at times appeared to be trying too hard against his former club. Although a couple of his set-pieces caused problems, his direct shots were poor.

Dave Mulcahy got back brilliantly in the closing twenty minutes to flick the ball away from the marauding Zayed.

Keith Fahey gets the ball away from Paul Keegan.

Photo by Tom Carey.

Extra-time seemed inevitable as both sides created little in the last twenty minutes. However, Simon Webb's dangerous cut in from the wing produced an injury time penalty after he was taken down just inside the box by Murphy.

Up stepped Stuart Byrne halfway through the additional three minutes but he hammered the spot kick against the base of Ryan's right hand post. The fact that the rebounding ball fell to safety suggested that the Saints luck might be in after all.

Extra-time arrived with Drogheda again looking slightly brighter. Zayed flashed a header wide before Ryan saved from Tony Grant.

St. Pats Dave Mulcahy is sent flying by Stephen Gray's challenge.

Photo by Tom Carey.

After a scoreless first period, a penalty shoot-out loomed and with last season's UEFA Cup exit still smarting, the Drogs pushed for a winner.

It arrived midway through the second period of extra-time as Zayed volleyed home superbly after Byrne's cross came back off Darragh Maguire to finally break the deadlock.

Saints boss John McDonnell tried to sign Zayed a number of times before he eventually left Bray for County Louth.

The home side battled on valiantly but couldn't snatch the leveler despite a late Mark Rooney volley.

The Drogs fans obviously expect Linfield to overcome Cork City in next week's other semi-final, but it's not certain yet that the final will be in Windsor Park and City would like nothing more than a rematch of last year's final.

St. Patrick's Athletic : Ryan, Brennan, Frost, C Foley, Maguire, Mulcahy, Kirby (O'Connor 105), Fahey, Murphy (M Foley 96) (Rooney 116), M Quigley, O'Neill.
Drogheda United : Vilmunen, Shelley, Webb (Whelan 118), Gray, Byrne, Bradley, Robinson, Keegan, Cahill, Fitzpatrick (Grant 72), Zayed.