Sport

Ndo strikes late to seal Shelbourne victory

League Cup - Shelbourne 1; Bohemians 0: Joseph Ndo's late winner at Tolka Park last night put Shelbourne into their first domestic…

Paul Buttner
Tue Aug 08 2006 - 01:00

League Cup - Shelbourne 1; Bohemians 0: Joseph Ndo's late winner at Tolka Park last night put Shelbourne into their first domestic cup final in six years as Bohemians played for over 80 minutes with 10 men before finishing with nine. The former Cameroon international decided a high-tempo match as Shelbourne's pressure told on 77 minutes.

Ndo initially played Glen Crowe through on goal and when the striker's miscued shot developed into a square pass, the Shelbourne midfielder arrived to stab the ball home.

Stephen O'Brien made the save of the night from Ollie Cahill minutes later before Ndo's surging run down the left set up Crowe whose shot trickled wide of the far post.

The game started with a red card for Bohemians' Vinny Arkins and finished with a second one for Jason McGuinness, dismissed for a second booking on 88 minutes.

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Bohemians, missing their injured player/manager Gareth Farrelly, started vigorously, though in more ways than one. Arkins knocked down Stephen Ward's cross for Paul Devlin's volley to win the first corner on four minutes only to be sent off four minutes later.

A tone had been set minutes earlier when Bohemians' midfielder Thomas Heary received the first booking of the night for a robust challenge on his half-brother, Shelbourne captain Owen Heary. Arkins was then shown a straight red card for catching Colin Hawkins in the face with his arm. Team-mate McGuinness might have joined Arkins shortly afterwards for a stamp on O'Neill.

Bohemians should have taken the lead on 20 minutes. Ward flicked on a cross and Devlin contrived to blast wide with the goal gaping.

The pressure on the Bohemians goal intensified throughout the second half. O'Neill was off target with an overhead kick before Byrne had to clear off the line following a run in from the left by Ollie Cahill.

SHELBOURNE: Delaney; Heary, Hawkins, Dillon, Rogers; Ryan (Baker, 62 mins.), S. Byrne (O'Halloran, 90 mins.), Ndo, Cahill; Crowe, O'Neill (Moore, 74).

BOHEMIANS: O'Brien; Rice, Ferguson, McGuinness, Byrne; Harkin (Caffrey, 77 mins.), Kelly (O'Keeffe, 85 mins.), Heary, Ward, Arkins, Devlin.

Referee: Ian Stokes (Dublin).