St. Joseph's prove too strong for Tullamore Town in U-17 FAI Cup Semi-Final showdown

Dublin's St. Joseph's AFC emerged victorious with a 4-0 win against Tullamore Town FC in Leah Victoria Park on Saturday afternoon to reach the U-17 FAI Cup Final.

It was a cagey start as both teams struggled to gain a foothold in the game but St. Joseph's began to find an outlet with full-back Beau Duggan and winger Jack Carr linking up well to pose a threat down the right side in the early stages. 

However, it was Tullamore who had the early chances with Adam Malone calling St. Joseph's keeper Nate Long into action from distance with a low drive before Tullamore striker Feliksas Kryzevicius was played in down the right channel but could only direct his effort on the stretch straight at Long from a tight angle.

St. Joseph's first shot in target came from a free-kick from 25 yards after Ethan Foy was fouled following a solo run but Leon Collins could only direct the set-piece at Adam Hart in the Tullamore goal.

Tullamore continued to show strong attacking intent throughout the opening half hour but St. Joseph's defensive high line was proving difficult for Kryzevicius who was caught offside on multiple occasions during promising situations. 

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It was St. Joseph's though who broke the deadlock in the 36th minute with a flowing move as striker Wyatt Earls finished at the second attempt from a Jack Carr cut-back to put the visitors ahead. 

St. Joseph's almost doubled their advantage just moments later as a deep cross into the box by Leon Collins was met by Earls with a looping header only to see his effort come back off the crossbar.

Collins went into the book for kicking the ball away following a foul in the 44th minute and the attacker missed an immediate chance to redeem himself after his miscued effort was saved by Hart following good build up play from Jason Johnson Moore and Earls.   

The FAI Cup Semi-final was very much in the balance heading into the break with St. Joseph's only holding a slender lead but Tullamore Town were also struggling to create any meaningful chances of their own throughout the opening period. 

There were no changes at the break and Tullamore started the second half brighter with some early pressure but they couldn't convert it into any shots on target as St. Joseph's started to find another gear. 

Ethan Foy was dictating the play in the middle of the park with Earls, Collins and Carr all providing a constant threat in attack as the Dubliners looked to put the game out of sight.

Substitute Cian Earls nearly made an instant impact with an effort from the edge of the box after a neat one-two with Foy but the forward failed to get the curl required on his shot which sailed wide before Collins tested out Hart again with a shot as St. Joseph's continued to ramp up the pressure. 

In the 70th minute, Carr was played in down the right side by Foy and the tricky winger kept the ball in play at the byline before going down appealing for a penalty but referee Philip Warner waved the protests away booking him for simulation instead. 

However, the Sallynoggin side did get their second goal just a minute later as Foy played in Carr once again who laid the ball back for Collins and he cleverly let the ball run across him before firing a powerful low effort past Hart to double their advantage.

St. Joseph's put the game to bed just five minutes later with a third goal as a long throw-in down the left-hand side reached substitute Charlie Byrne, he knocked the ball into the onrushing Foy in the centre who cushioned a precise header back into Byrne's path who finished emphatically with his left foot low to the keeper's right. 

Tullamore pushed for a lifeline with Luke Gill and Adam Malone attempting efforts from distance but both saw their strikes end up wide of the goal.

As the game entered the final ten minutes, Tullamore's Thomas Carroll picked up a yellow for a foul on Foy during a breakaway down the field as the Offaly side looked for a consolation goal.

St. Joseph's squad depth proved to be a decisive factor in the second half with the fresh legs of Harry Grainger, Aaron Kelly Mladin, Charlie Byrne and Cian Earls all having an impact from the bench. 

This was evident when Kelly Mladin won a penalty in the 90th minute after being clipped following some nice footwork to draw the foul. Centre-back Rory O'Donovan stepped up and coolly dispatched the spot kick side-footing the ball just inside the right-hand post sending the keeper the wrong way to round off the victory. 

St Joseph's will now bid for FAI Cup glory following the win but Tullamore Town can certainly look back proudly on a magnificent cup run making the final four in the country to accompany their unbeaten league campaign where they were recently crowned champions.

Tullamore Town FC: Adam Hart, Odhran Gilmartin (Alex Lambe 75), Thomas Carroll, Luke Gill, Eoghan O'Connor (James McGinley 79), Adam Malone, Calan Kinnarney, Ronan Guinan, Feliksas Kryzevicius (Eli Meyer 68), Dean Hickey, Scott Halloran

Subs not used: Oisin Rigney (GK), Sean Murphy, Menzokuhle Hadebe, Adam Keegan

St. Joseph's AFC: Nate Long, Beau Duggan, Jake Tran, Rory O'Donovan, Jordan Sweeney, Ethan Foy, Jack Carr (Aaron Kelly Mladin 73), Oisin Kennedy, Wyatt Earls (Cian Earls 62), Leon Collins (Harry Grainger 73), Jason Johnson Moore (Charlie Byrne 62) 

Man of the Match: Jack Carr, Leon Collins and Wyatt Earls all had strong games in attack for St Joseph's but Ethan Foy in midfield was the standout player. He made the Dublin outfit tick putting in a huge shift at both ends of the pitch in a true box to box performance. Foy running from deep to join in on the attacks throughout the game along with his choice and execution of pass particularly in the second half proved decisive as he played a major part in the build up to the goals. 

Yellow Cards: Leon Collins, 44th min (St. Joseph's) Jack Carr, 70th min (St. Joseph's) Thomas Carroll 81st min (Tullamore Town)

Red Cards: None