Kelly penalty king again

SHELBOURNE’S Stephen Paisley might have been the man of the match but there was no doubt who was, in American football parlance, the Most Valuable Player in yesterday’s FAI Ford Cup final.

12 months on from his penalty shoot-out heroics against Shamrock Rovers, goalkeeper Ciaran Kelly came off the bench at the 11th hour for Sligo Rovers and, yet again, proved the difference in the contest of spot-kicks.

This time, unlike last year, the specialist stopper didn’t manage to keep a clean sheet but, with his manager Paul Cook once again unable to watch the final act, Kelly’s two saves, coupled with four successful spot-kicks – the decisive one coming from Raffaele Cretaro – meant the cup went back to Sligo for the second year in succession.