Benson strikes gold for St Pat’s in tense Cup final win over Bohemians
Robbie Benson etched his name in St Patrick’s Athletic folklore by striking the decisive penalty in a 4-3 shootout victory for the Inchicore men at the expense of Bohemians in a nerve-wracking FAI Cup decider at the Aviva Stadium this evening.
A winner of this competition with Dundalk in 2018, the Westmeath native showed nerves of steel to fire past Bohs netminder James Talbot and ensure an outcome was finally determined following 120 plus minutes of drama in the Ballsbridge venue.
This ends a seven-year wait for Pat’s to claim a fourth Cup crown and sees them lifting competitive silverware for the first time since 2016.
Having held off the claims of Shane Griffin – a Cup winner with Cork City in 2017 – to start the game at left-back, Ballyfermot’s Ian Bermingham had the honour of lifting the trophy.
Alongside goal-scorer Chris Forrester, he is a survivor from the Pat’s team that defeated Derry City in the 2014 final.
There was some local interest in the Bohs side as well, with Lucan native Ciarán Kelly named at the heart of the Gypsies defence.
He was one of three former Pat’s men selected in their match day squad, the others being star striker Georgie Kelly and substitute Rory Feely – both of whom were at the Inchicore club as recently as last season.
The Saints had the best chance of the opening period on 36 minutes, when Jamie Lennon linked up superbly with Benson and forced a brilliant save out of Talbot.
Though the tie remained scoreless at the interval, there was enough evidence in the first half to suggest that a breakthrough goal could arrive sooner rather than later.
A troublesome calf injury led to Georgie Kelly’s withdrawal in the 61st-minute and when his namesake Ciarán pulled up during the final-quarter, Feely was thrust into the action.
The tension around the Aviva increased as the full-time whistle approached, but for the sixth time in just seven years, extra-time was required on the biggest day in Irish soccer’s domestic calendar.
The deadlock looked set to remain unbroken at the end of the first additional period, until Forrester weaved through the heart of the Bohs defence and unleashed an unstoppable effort beyond the reach of Talbot.
This put the Saints within touching distance of a memorable triumph, but Feely came back to haunt his former side when he headed past Saints custodian Vítězslav Jaroš off a Keith Ward corner in the 107th-minute.
This was the Kildare man’s first goal for the Gypsies and it took a goal-line clearance from Jak Hickman to deny him a game-clinching second.
This set-up a battle of wits from 12 yards and Bohs appeared to hold the upper hand when Forrester had his penalty saved. However, a lifeline arrived in the form of Tyreke Wilson’s wayward strike.
Ronan Coughlan and Billy King had already rattled the net and with Jason McClelland and Benson doing likewise either side of Keith Ward hammering the crossbar, the St Pat’s faithful were able to celebrate a return to the promised land.