Trim Celtic win FAI Cup thriller

What a game today at the MDL in Navan as Trim Celtic advanced to the sixth round of the FAI Junior Cup 9-8 on pens at the expense of Clare side Avenue Utd.

The sides finished 3-3 after extra-time and it was all down to a dramatic sudden death penalty shoot-out with the tie resolved after the goalkeepers - Aaron Ryan for Trim Celtic and James Tierney for Avenue Utd had to step up to the spot.

With the scores tied at 8-8 in the sho-out after 10 penalties apiece it was over to the netminders who were 
obliged to take a kick apice before we would start all over again.

Tierney was out of luck and failed to score and it was then left to Ryan - who had a memorable game - to rifle the ball past his counterpart and start the celebrations for the Meath side who will now meet Ferrybank in the sixth round.

And that was only the closing scene in what was an action-packed encounter during which Trim Celtic had a goal disallowed for offside, scored a penalty and missed a penalty and generally endured a torrid opening 45 minutes.

Two down in 10 minutes, Trim Celtic were reeling as Avenue surged into a merited lead with goals from Ronan Kerin in the fifth minute and Gavin Cooney four minutes later.

Sean Fitzgerald's rash and needless challenge in the fifth miute earned a yellow card and gifted Avenue a  free on the edge of the Trim penalty area - the free wasn't cleared and that paved the way to the opener.

There was nothing composed about Trim in those opening minutes with netminder Ryan particularly unsettled as Avenue increased the lead while Trim were all over the place and in the wrong place more often than not.

Eventually they got a bit of fluency and in the 25th minute Colm Carney converted a penalty, but Avenue countered and Mark Roach finished past Ryan for a 3-1 advantage.

TRIM CELTIC PENALTY GOAL 20 MINS

Trim then missed a penalty on the stroke of half-time.

TRIM CELTIC PENALTY MISS 45 MINS 

Trim applied lots of second-half pressure and deserved;ly got back on terms with a brilliant Cillien Corcoran goal and a superb effort from  Jack O'Keeffe.

The deadlock remained until the dramatic penalty shoot-out

See Meath Chronicle on Tuesday for reports, reaction and photos.