Renmore see off Portlaoise in extra time

Cian Garrett was the hero for Renmore’s u-15 soccer team which qualified for the last 16 of the FAI Evans Cup at the weekend.

The game, played in near perfect conditions on Saturday, saw Renmore come from behind to overcome a two-goal deficit against a strong and talented Portlaoise team, with hat-trick hero Cian Garrett scoring the winner in extra time. The 3-2 victory now sets them up for a joust away to Killarney Celtic in the next round.

Renmore were on top early on with the Portlaoise defence finding Ryan Forde in particular difficult to handle, but against the run of play Portlaoise capitalised on a defensive mix-up to take a one-goal lead after 15 minutes. Five minutes later the Portlaoise strike force broke swiftly to catch the Renmore defence on the back foot to double their advantage. Renmore’s predicament was compounded when they lost their captain and influential midfielder Adam Quirke to a serious hand injury shortly before half time.

However Renmore came out for the second half full of purpose, with Dara Mulgannon and Jack Coyne taking control in the middle. Forde’s pace and control continued to cause problems for the Portlaoise defence and, with Cian Garrett coming more and more into the game, it was not long before Renmore made the breakthrough. Forde, following a strong run up the left, slid across a perfectly weighted ball for Garrett to latch onto to claim one back on 50 minutes.

With five minutes remaining Renmore were rewarded again when Garrett was in the right place to pounce on a breaking ball before hitting the back of the net for the equaliser. Renmore were denied a winner in regulation time when some last ditch tackling on Forde by the Portlaoise defence was enough to deny him, but with two minutes left in extra time Forde broke again on the left hand side and in a mirror image of the first goal, he set up Garrett who struck a well deserved winner.

Renmore were solid across the back with Ryan Doherty particularly impressive and ably supported by Cian Gallagher and Daniel Walsh. Midfield produced a commanding performance with Quirke, until his departure, Coyne and Mulgannon dominating this area. Up front Forde and Garrett proved that they could be a handful for any defence with their pace and control.

Renmore: E Beirne, L Swan, C Gallagher, R Doherty, J Coyne, D Mulgannon, D Walshe, A Quirke (R Costello, 30m), R Forde, C Garrett, A Moran. Subs: R Costello, C Davey, R Greaney, R Breathnach, R Hennessey.