Fallon saves the day for St. John’s Athletic

St Johns Athletic ………. 1  Dysart ……………………… 1 St. John’s Athletic goalkeeper Aidan Fallon (right) saved the day for his side on Sunday last. Not alone did the St. John’s ‘keeper make the winning save, but he also slotted home penalty number five in a thrilling shoot-out at the close of the game. Dysart started attacking right from the kick off and won a corner with just two minutes on the clock. The corner was cleared by the St. John’s back four and St. John’s went on the attack, but Alan Craven saw his shot go just wide of Miskell in the Dysart goal. Dysart won their second corner of the game on six minutes. It was taken by Niall Corbett who picked out David Thompson at the far post and saw his header go over the St John’s cross bar. All the early football was coming from Dysart. Andy Higgins put in a cross  to Niall Corbett whose shot went just wide of the goal. Later, St. John’s won a free kick just outside the Dysart box, but Cormac O’Beirne shot well over the Dysart cross bar. The first yellow card of the game went to St. John’s Alan Craven for a late tackle on Dysart’s James Coyne. The game was turned on its head when St. John’s took a surprise lead. After some good build-up play, Alan Craven’s strike beat Miskell in the Dysart goal against the run of play. It was Dysart who were playing all the football in the first half, but they saw themselves go in at half time one nil down. Dysart manager Vinny Donughue made a change for the second half, when John Coyne came in for David Thompson. Dysart were still playing all the football. James Coyne saw his long-range shot go wide and Dysart’s first yellow card of the game went to James Coyle. St. John’s Alan Craven had a great chance to kill the game off, but his shot went wide. On 69 minutes Dysart won a free kick for a foul on Andy Higgins and Darragh Sheehy picked out sub John Coyne to beat Fallon in the St. John’s goal and put Dysart right back into the game. St John’s had a lot of chances to kill the game off, but the final ball into the box was poor. Dysart were applying all the pressure on the St. John’s goal, but could not break down the St. John’s defence. On 86 minutes James Coyne got his second yellow card of the game and was sent off. The final score at full time was St. John’s Athletic 1, Dysart 1. Dysart went looking for the winner in extra time and won a corner which saw John Coyne’s shot well saved by Fallon in the St. John’s goal. St. John’s had a good appeal for a hand ball turn down by the referee. Dysart won back-to-back corners and saw a header from John Coyne saved on the St. John’s goal line to end the action in extra time and force the game into penalties. A lot of Premiership clubs could learn from the art of penalties on display on Sunday. St. John’s scored all five penalties to send Dysart out the cup after a fine save from Fallon in the St. John’s goal. Fallon was not happy with just that, he stepped up to take penalty number five and scored the winning goal to end a good day for St. John’s Athletic.