Non-league CIE Ranch gave UCD a massive fright before bravely bowing out of the Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup in extra-time at Greenogue. The Leinster Senior League side stunned the First Division leaders to run up a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes. They wer
Non-league CIE Ranch gave UCD a massive fright before bravely bowing out of the Irish Daily Mail FAI Cup in extra-time at Greenogue.
The Leinster Senior League side stunned the First Division leaders to run up a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes.
They were then within minutes of the greatest night in their history before Jason McClelland’s late equaliser brought extra-time.
Starting confidently Ranch were decent value for their eighth-minute lead.
Dean O’Brien, their match winner in the first round victory over Dublin Bus, sent Graham Griffiths away down the right flank.
His excellent low cross to the back post was turned into his own net by UCD right-back Daniel Tobin, under pressure from Lee O’Sullivan.
And it got better for the non-league Inchicore side as they doubled their lead on 15 minutes.
Right-Back Glenn McCabe whipped over the first corner of the game for central defender Edward Smith to score with a towering header.
College rallied to pull a goal back on 31 minutes. McClelland was got in behind down the left to cross. And though Conor Davis miscued the cross, the ball ran to give Yoyo Mahdy a simple tap in.
UCD owned the ball for the second half, but were struggling to make a further breakthrough even though Ranch lost skipper Gary Sullivan to a straight red card on 74 minutes for a lunging tackle on Davis.
UCD pressed to the death with McClelland rescuing them on 89 minutes, levelling with a fiercely struck low drive to force extra-time.
The drama in normal time didn’t end there as Ranch keeper Sean Brazil made a terrific save to push Neil Farrugia’s shot round a post.
Ranch then thought they’d won it on 93 minutes, but Smith’s header was saved on the line by UCD keeper Conor Kearns.
UCD dominated the ten men in extra-time, taking the lead on 99 minutes.
Neil Farrugia’s shot was blocked only to sit up kindly for fellow substitute Sean McDonald who hooked the ball home from close range.
Mahdy added a fourth goal on 107 minutes when drilling home from the edge of the area before McClelland also got his second of the night three minutes later with a well struck shot.
Skipper Gary O’Neill then waltzed through the jaded Ranch defence to get a sixth goal three minutes from the end.
CIE Ranch: Brazil; McCabe, Smith, Eagers, Bracken; G. Griffiths, O’Brien, Sullivan, O’Sullivan (Thomas, 98); Byrne (J. Griffiths, 79), Cummins (Uzell, 66).
UCD: Kearns; Tobin, Collins (McDonald, 86), Scales, Osam; Coffey (Farrugia, 64), Doyle (O’Connor, 72), O’Neill, McClelland; Davis, Mahdy.
Referee: Rob Rogers (Dublin).
