FAI Junior Cup match ends in penalty shoot-out in the dark

The FAI Cup Final had no shortage of excitement yesterday, but this FAI Junior Cup tie in Clare was not short of drama either.

Rineanna Rovers got the better of fellow Clare side Newmarket Celtic after a penalty shoot-out in the first round tie, but if that wasn’t enough excitement, the game itself ended in darkness. The game in Newmarket kicked off at 3.30pm and by the end of 90 minutes with the game level at 2-2, darkness had already descended in the Banner. The referee on the day decided that the teams should only play five minutes in each half of extra time instead of the ten minutes which is the correct rule in order to bring the game quickly to a conclusion. Fading light in Clare - pic credit: Ruairi Price The teams played the first half of five minutes in extra time and referee decided that it was too dark and they would go straight to penalties, with both team managers agreeing as rules stipulate that FAI Junior Cup games must finish on the day. Rineanna won 4-2 on spot-kicks and unconfirmed reports were that Bruce Springsteen was blaring on the sideline while the players celebrated by dancing in the dark. Hat-tip to Tommy Naughton for the story and picture