Kelly’s brace fires Shels past brave Bandon

Dean Kelly put non-league Bandon to the sword at Tolka Park as Shelbourne eased into the third round of the cup.

Striker Kelly used his head to put the Premier Division side ahead on 21 minutes and killed off the west Cork side with a deftly taken side-footer on the hour. Substitute Mark Leech added a third late on.

Bandon can be proud of their display, though, as they weren’t overawed in the least early on and confidently created the game’s opening chance after six minutes.

Brendan Cullen, one of three sets of brothers in the west Cork side’s starting line-up, worked a neat one-two with Richard Holland to get in behind the flat Shelbourne rearguard. But the shot didn’t match the approach play as Cullen scuffed his effort tamely wide.

Shelbourne soon began to dominate possession, though, and Bandon had to show some defensive steel to keep them out on 16 minute as Brendan Lynch made a timely tackle to take the ball off the toe of Kelly from Adam Hanlon’s low cross from the right.

Kelly planted a downward header wide from full-back Robert Cornwall’s cross before the pressure told on the Bandon defence for the lead goal on 21 minutes.

Yet another ball in from the right, this time by Sean Brennan, saw Kelly make no mistake to find the net with a header.

Bandon had keeper Brendan Hurley to thank for not falling further behind on 28 minutes as he made a fine parry save after Hanlon cut in past two defender to hit a powerful left-foot shot.

The Bandon goal continued to live a charmed life before half-time as first Kelly headed over the top and then Brennan got under a volley from just outside the area to do likewise.

The woodwork then saved Bandon as Kelly’s looping header from another fine cross by Cornwall bounced over off the top of the crossbar three minutes before the interval.

A shocking miss on 58 minutes kept the score at 1-0 as Philly Hughes somehow blasted over the bar when it looked easier to score.

Hughes promptly made amends two minutes later, however, neatly setting up Kelly to side-foot home Shelbourne’s second and kill off the by now very tired looking Munster Senior League side.

Kelly might have got his hat-trick on 73 minutes but his thumping shot from distance was bravely deflected over the bar by Bandon skipper Sean Holland.

Bandon almost snatched a little glory on 79 minutes when Keith Holden’s angled drive brought the save of the game from Ger Hanley.

Richard Holland wasn’t too far off target when curling wide minutes later as Bandon got another sniff of goal.

But Shelbourne had the final say as Leech worked a one-two with man-of-the-match Kelly to dink home the third goal four minutes from time.

SHELBOURNE: Hanley; Cornwall, Ryan, Gartland, Flynn; Brennan (Tinnelly, 75), Hurley, Bayly, Hanlon; Hughes (Leech, 82), Kelly (Donnelly, 87).

BANDON: Hurley; J. Lynch, B. Lynch (Bradfield, 77), D. Cullen, Barry; Holden, S. Holland, O’Sullivan, Lordan (Shields, 63); R. Holland, B. Cullen (Andepu, 87).

Referee: Robert Harvey (Dublin).