Sport

Shelbourne's high hopes are crushed by home hat-trick

Odense - 3 Shelbourne - 0: Shelbourne entered the fray with high hopes at Fionia Park yesterday, but by the end of an energy…

Mon Jul 03 2006 - 01:00

Odense - 3 Shelbourne - 0: Shelbourne entered the fray with high hopes at Fionia Park yesterday, but by the end of an energy-sapping afternoon their InterToto Cup hopes seem to be over after they were beaten by Danish side Odense.

A Morten Fevang hat-trick decided the affair, but the 3-0 scoreline didn't reflect the true nature of the game, as Shelbourne can count themselves unlucky not to have gotten something after missing a number of chances.

Jason Byrne's penalty miss was the clearest of those, the Irish striker looking on in horror as the ball rebounded across the goal-line off the post before being claimed by goalkeeper Arek Onyszko.

Shelbourne fielded an attacking side with both Jason Byrne and Glen Crowe beginning in the starting 11, with Byrne wide on the right. Alan Moore and Dave Rogers also came into the side.

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Moore was his assured self in the opening stages as the visitors began in confident fashion, with Joe Ndo and Stuart Byrne again being influential in a second successive away European fixture. It was Ollie Cahill, though, who had the first opportunity of the match when his stinging volley was dealt with by Onyszko after 18 minutes.

But for all Shelbourne's early promise it was the home side who took the lead just before the half-hour. A Jonas Borring corner was met with a powerful header from Fevang.

Shelbourne were two down three minutes before the break. Chris Sorensen beat Dave Rogers down the left and his cross found Fevang again.

The Reds came out fighting for the second half and were given a lifeline when the goalscorer handled the ball in the area, but Byrne's miss and Fevang's third compounded the misery for Pat Fenlon's men.

ODENSE: Onyszko; Christensen (Ophaug, 84), Aas, Laursen, Sorensen; Borre, Fevang (Jensen, 79), Hansen, Sturod; Timm, Borring.

SHELBOURNE: Delaney; Heary, Hawkins (Harris, 46), Dillon, Rogers; J Byrne (Ryan, 78), Ndo, Moore (O'Halloran, 58), S Byrne, Cahill; Crowe.

Referee: T Georgiev (Bulgaria).

Meanwhile, Drogheda United moved to second in the National League table after an 84th-minute goal by Paul Keegan gave them a 1-0 win over Bray Wanderers at the Carlisle Grounds yesterday.

Bray's Wes Charles was sent off in the 87th minute.