Sam Bone is Shelbourne's rock of Gibraltar as they win to set up second round date with FC Zurich
Shels rock Gibraltar and are now set for Swiss role after stormy tie.
St Joseph's (Gibraltar) 1-1 Shelbourne
(Shelbourne win 3-2 on aggregate)
Sam Bone tonight bagged a goal worth €375,000 for Shelbourne FC who knocked out Gibraltar side St Joseph’s to advance to the second round of the Europa Conference League.
And after proving to be a defensive rock in Gibraltar, Bone is hoping to get a Swiss role in next week’s second round clash against Switzerland giants FC Zurich.
In a tense second leg, Shels had to come from behind to equalise via Bone and then defend with spirit and organisation to seal the deal and advance.
READ MORE: John Caulfeld hails arrival of Ireland international as 'significant moment'
Their cause was made even tougher in the dying moments when Sean Gannon was sent off in the 90th minute, Shels furious that no St Joseph's player was punished after sub, Sean Boyd, was caught by a terrible challenge which left him with a busted nose.
He had to leave the pitch with that injury - yet they survived this inconvenience to register a superb victory.
Key to their win was Conor Kearns, their goalkeeper, who made fine saves from Javi Paul, Liam Walker and Rey.
Yet he was not the only hero. Ali Coote made his first start for the club and delivered the 35th minute cross that was bundled in by another starting debutant, Bone, to restore Shelbourne’s aggregate lead.
Then when the game was in the melting pot, there were huge contributions from JJ Lunney, Sean Gannon and Paddy Barrett.
Plus there were scares. Javi Paul, Manuel Sanchez and Alvarez all had shots that were either saved or blocked by a combination of Kearns and his steely defence before disaster arrived via Walker, who scored for St Joseph’s on 25 minutes.
Rey was the creator of the goal, midfielder Walker the finisher, as he struck a low half-volley beyond Kearns to make it 1-0 on the night and 2-2 on aggregate.
There and then, the momentum was with the home side. The heat was a factor favouring them, Shelbourne unable to play at the intensity they normally do given the 26-degree conditions.
And yet still they managed to dig deep into their reserves of energy, showing the character to equalise on 34 minutes, when Bone scrambled in Ali Coote’s free kick to send the visiting supporters into dreamland.
Now level on the night, but ahead on aggregate, Shelbourne adopted a what-we-have-we-hold philosophy until half-time. And it paid off, even if there were two chances within a minute for St Josephs, Rodriguez Moreno and Manuel Sanchez with them.
Then just before the break, Walker nearly had his second of the game - Kearns denying him.
That save is now worth €375,000 to Shelbourne’s coffers because had they lost tonight then they would have exited Europe with a prize fund of €325,000. Instead they are guaranteed to take home €700,000 from this summer adventure.
Other factors also contributed to the win, boss Damien Duff countering St Joseph’s triple substitution on 56 minutes by changing the focal point of his attack just three minutes later, replacing John Martin with Boyd.
Targetman Boyd made an immediate impact, using his giant frame to skilfully divert a long ball into winger Will Jarvis’ path. From the left, Jarvis then crossed for Evan Caffrey, whose header came close to putting Shels ahead on the night.
Boyd too had a decent effort on 75 minutes when his shot was saved by Navas Ruiz.
The target-man was then targeted when he was caught with a dangerous challenge that left him with a busted nose.
He had to go off with that injury; Gannon then had to go off after being shown a red card for Shels.
But in the end, Shels didn't care. They survive and advance.
Teams
St Joseph’s
Navas Ruiz; Barnett (Bautista 56), Gabri Cardozo, Javi Paul, Pons (Olivero 56); Walker, Juanma (Aznar 81), Manuel Sanchez; Alvarez (Pena 46), Rodriguez Moreno (Gaucho 56), Rey
Shelbourne
Kearns; Gannon, Bone, Barrett, Ledwidge (Wood 46); Lunney, Coyle (Smith 78), Wilson; Coote (Caffrey 46), Martin (Boyd 59 -O'Sullivan 90), Jarvis
Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
