Saddler's Peaky Blinder Irish Cup Round One (AET)
St Oliver Plunkett FC 4 Rosemount Rec 3
CONOR Nolan headed home two minutes from the end of extra-time to finally see St Oliver Plunkett into the second round of the Irish Cup at the expense of Rosemount Rec at Lenadoon Park on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts will wonder just how it got to that point as they looked home and dry when leading 3-1 towards the end of normal time, but the Greyabbey side wouldn't give in and struck twice in three minutes to force the additional period.
This was an incident-packed game with Plunkett enjoying strong starts to both halves, only to be pegged back by Rosemount who seemed to find a way back in when things were beginning to look bleak.
It was a credit to both sets of players who were full of effort and endeavour having had little to no competitive action over the past 18 months due to the pandemic and indeed, missed out on last season's Irish Cup due to its condensed nature and therefore were keen to make up for lost time.
It was the hosts who made the better start and their energy was rewarded just five minutes in when a fire-kick off the training ground saw a great delivery from a deep free-kick with Nolan ghosting to meet the ball first-time and drive it high into the net.
The same routine 10 minutes later saw Eoghan Hamill's deep free-kick just evade everyone when it was asking to be turned home.
Plunkett captain Michael Healy challenges Curtis Giltrap
Rosemount were struggling to make any headway, but they gradually began to grow into proceedings with Matthew McAvoy seeing his effort fly over.
At the other end, Hamill's cross-cum-shot needed Rosemount goalkeeper Christopher Rice to be alert, but on 33 minutes, the visitors found themselves back on terms as Nicholas Eccles' free-kick from the left was floated into the box and Stephen Atcheson rose high at the back post to nod downwards into the net and leave it 1-1 at the break.
Just like the first-half, it was Plunkett who were quicker out of the traps and they made the most of it on 51 minutes as Ciaran Smyth slid an excellent ball through the right channel into Eamonn Hanna who produced a composed finish to fire low into the net.
It would get even better eight minutes later as a ball into the Rosemount box was nodded out with Gary Dunlop gathering to the left of goal outside the area and he turned onto his right boot to curl a beauty into the top-corner with Rice rooted to the spot.
They could have finished the game on 70 minutes when the ball broke to Dunlop, but his shot was straight at Rice who parried and Rosemount cleared.
The game did become a little disjointed, but the minutes were ticking by and it seemed Plunkett were comfortable until the 86th minute when a long ball was nodded down and Rosemount substitute Sam McCullough struck from the edge of the box with his low, left-footed shot beating Ryan Sewell to give his team a lifeline.
Two minutes later and the visitors completed the comeback when a Plunkett clearing header was nodded back into the area and Reece Ritchie got in at the back post to finish.
As the game entered eight minutes of injury-time, Plunkett had a big penalty shout waved away when Hamill weaved in on goal and went down under a challenge, but referee Kris Kerr wasn't interested despite furious protests from the hosts that led to the man in the middle flashing a red card at Sean Jackson who had already been substituted.
Rosemount were inches from a dramatic winner when Luke Adair's low shot from outside the box flashed just wide, but extra-time it was and both sides had big chances in the first period.
Rosemount were first to go close nine minutes in as the ball broke favourably to Ritchie on the right of goal and with time and space, looked certain to score, but his shot went outside the left post with just Sewell to beat.
At the other end, Ride made a stunning save from a Ciaran Smyth free-kick as the teams changed ends still level.
Adair could only find the side-netting when presented with an opportunity a minute into the second period, while at the other end, Michael McCusker shot straight at Rice.
The Rosemount goalkeeper then produced another incredible save when Bailey Carroll's half-volley through a ruck of players forced him to stretch and tip over for a corner, but from that set-piece, Nolan thundered home the winner off his head to send the Lenadoon men into the next round of the Cup.
SOPFC: R Sewell, M Mervyn, C Murtagh (M Webb 39), S Killyleagh, M Healy, C Nolan, C Smyth, E Hanna (M McCusker 90+2), G Dunlop, S Jackson (B Carroll 83), E Hamill.
Goals: C Nolan (5, 118), E Hanna (51), G Dunlop (59).
ROSEMOUNT: C Rice, N Melville (S Jest 118), N Eccles (D Turnbull 61), S Atcheson, M McAvoy, A Eccles, R Ennis, L Adair, R Ritchie, A Kenmore (S McCullough 61), C Giltrap.
Goals: S Atcheson (33), S McCullough (86), R Ritchie (88).
REFEREE: Kris Kerr
