Brave Willow fall in last eight

Brave Willow Park were eventually overcome by a strong, skilful and highly organised Shelbourne side last Saturday afternoon. But although the Dublin side were full value for their win, the score-line doesn"t tell the entire tale as Willow may well feel as though they might have gotten something from the game. The home side went close on numerous occasions throughout an evenly-contested first-half and with a bit of luck they could have taken a lead into the second. In the end they were undone by two goals in quick succession from Shelbourne captain Aaron Shaw after which the result was never in doubt. Substitute Shaw added a third and, despite a late rally from Willow, Shelbourne weren"t to be denied their place in the semi-final - a fully-merited berth. Willow"s top performer on the day was undoubtedly Aidan Byrne who tormented the Shelbourne defence and was a constant threat. The striker capped off his performance with a slightly fortuitous goal but one that his performance certainly warranted. At the back Jack Quinn was very solid both in the air and in the tackle, thwarting numerous Shelbourne attacks in the process. With the sun beaming down on the Kilmacuagh Avenue venue, a decent-sized crowd turned up to support the local team. Shels too brought a few travelling supporters along with them and they saw their side make a confident start with Craig English the first to fire a warning shot on three minutes with a volley that cleared the crossbar. Aaron Ashe was proving to be a handful for the Willow defence but on 11 minutes it was Willow who very nearly took the lead from a long range Aidan Byrne free-kick that brought a spectacular save from Shels "keeper Mattie Hewelt. The resulting corner was almost turned into the net by one of the Shels defenders but Hewelt was alert to the danger once again. 13 minutes in and Willow were on the attack again. This time Gio Russo met the ball with a sweetly-struck half-volley that beat the "keeper but unfortunately just beat the post as well. A minute later Shels showed their class. From the right wing Craig English whipped in a cross with purpose. Gareth McCaffrey cushioned it down to Aaron Ashe who volleyed toward goal but too close to Jason McHugh. The warning signs were there. Five minutes later a near identical volley from David Peckenham was similarly dealt with by McHugh. Then, on 23 minutes came the game"s best chance so far. And it fell to the home side. When Byrne swung in a corner, Mike Aka amazingly found himself on the six-yard box with no Shelbourne player within yards of him. But perhaps not expecting to receive such lenient marking by the Shels defence, Aka failed to make any decent contact with the ball and Hewelt was yet again able to smother the danger. It really ought to have been a goal and Willow should have had the lead. But Willow now had their tails up and would finish the half strongly. Just before the break, Jamie Fahy cut in from the right and played the ball to the on-form Aidan Byrne. Byrne cleverly skipped by a Shelbourne challenge before releasing a rasping strike that left Hewelt motionless on his goal-line. But again Shels escaped as the ball flew just inches wide of the mark. As the players headed for the dressing-room at half-time, the Willow camp would have been quite content in knowing that, despite the opposition holding the majority of possession, it was they that had been closest to opening the scoring. But Shels emerged for the second half with a renewed urgency, perhaps sensing that Willow could well grab a victory if they weren"t careful. And nine minutes into the half, the opening goal finally arrived. And it was a simple one with Oisin Lynch crossing low in from the left. McHugh came to collect but the lively Aaron Ashe nipped in to nick the ball from the advancing "keeper and finish easily to an open goal. A blow for Willow having played so well. Two minutes later the lead was doubled. And again it was no classic. This time the ball was swung in from the right wing. And again Aaron Ashe was on hand but, far from being a clinical finish, Ashe made awkward contact with the ball which looped cruelly over the helpless McHugh and into the net. On 44 minutes Shelbourne"s Alex O"Hanlon clipped a free-kick off the crossbar with McHugh beaten. Mike Aka went close for the home side on 47 minutes but with 10 to go Shels struck the killer blow. This time it was Ashe"s turn to provide the cross in from the right. He found substitute Aaron Shaw in space and he lobbed the ball neatly over the advancing McHugh. 3-0 and game over. But Willow kept plugging away. On 54 minutes a powerful header from substitute Eric Kearney forced a terrific save from Hewelt. With just a minute to go, Willow finally got the goal their performance deserved. A free-kick from wide left was dispatched into the area by Byrne. But no-one managed to make contact with the ball which rolled into the far corner with Mattie Hewelt wrong-footed. Although merely a consolation, it was no more than Willow deserved. And with time nearly up, Willow almost grabbed another after an almighty goalmouth scramble during which they had numerous opportunities to score. But with time all but up, it was unlikely to have made a difference anyway. So Shelbourne held out for a victory that few could argue with. But perhaps with some better finishing Willow could well have come away with a win. Willow Park: Jason McHugh, Cian Hayden, Damien Freyne, Jack Quinn, Matt Darling, Gio Russo, Sam Omukoro, Chris Reid, Aidan Byrne, Jamie Fahy, Mike Aka. Subs Used: Kenny Dolan for Gio Russo (53 mins), Eric Kearney for Jamie Fahy (53 mins), Brendan Campbell for Mike Aka (55 mins), Darragh Joyce for Chris Reid (55 mins). Shelbourne: Mattie Hewelt, Luke Duff, Craig Rafferty, Lloyd Buckley, Regan Donnellan, Craig English, Alex O"Hanlon, David Peckenham, Gareth McCaffrey, Aaron Ashe, Oisin Lynch. SUB USED: Aaron Shaw for Gareth McCaffrey (HT)