Late Fairview winner a real sucker-punch admits Fanad United boss Arthur Lynch

Arthur Lynch was left to rue what might have been for Fanad United as their FAI Junior Cup adventure angonisingly derailed at the last-eight stage.

The mighty Fairview Rangers are gunning for a tenth title but Lynch’s side really made the famous Limerick oufit battle for their semi-final spot. 

The hosts deservingly took the lead at Traigh-a-Loch through captain Paddy McGinley’s excellent first-half strike. 

However, Fanad shipped two early goals on the restart that put them on the backfoot. They’d rally late however and when Eddie O’Reilly rolled home three minutes into additional time, this one seemed destined for extra-time. 

But another one of those lapses in concentration at the back seen Habideen Gbadego power in behind the United rearguard, beating Mark McConigley to the ball over the top and, in the process, grabbing a last-gasp winner. 

“To get the equaliser in injury time and to still go on and lose it - that’s a real sucker punch,” Lynch explained after.  

“But the effort the lads put in all year, the effort there today, they have put the club back where it belongs. 

“The crowd, the atmosphere, the young ones out at half-time, it really was a spectacle. I know it’s hard to look past the actual result but I’m proud of the club today”.

After a nervy opening, Fanad took control of matters and piling on pressure, made the breakthrough through McGinley. 

But United were far too slow out of the blocks on the restart and their manager says that’s what ultimately cost them the game. 

“I thought it was there for us. We were happy to go in ahead. There weren’t a whole lot of chances in the first-half.  But Paddy’s goal was a great finish. 

“The real killer was the two goals conceded so soon after half-time. We were probably caught napping a little. 

“It wasn’t an individual thing, we were just off it at the start of the second-half and it cost us dearly”. 

15 minutes out from the end Darren McElwaine clipped the top of the crossbar with a curling free kick. 

However Lynch, and it was hard to disagree, felt his team should have had a penalty instead. 

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“We should have had a penalty before Eddie’s equaliser. We were given a free outside the box. 

“I don’t like giving out about officials but it was a yard inside the box. It was just one that went against us”. 

And as for the goal that decided matters, a full six minutes into the red, Lynch sais it’ll take some time for his players to come to terms with losing it in the late matter in which they did. 

“It was a ball down the middle; it is what is it. It’s a seriously disappointing result but we just have to regroup.

“We have some young lads in that squad and today is a steep learning curve. But they’ve showed what they can do at this level”.