15-year-old sensation makes history as Dundalk FC advance in Leinster Cup

PTSB Leinster Senior Cup

Dundalk 0-0 Bohemians

15-year-old Vincent Leonard became the youngest-ever player to play a competitive game for Dundalk FC as they advanced to the PTSB Leinster Senior Cup quarter-finals.

Leonard was named among a youthful starting 11, selected by U19s head coach Mark Griffin, that played out a 0-0 draw with Bohemians to secure second place in Group A.  

Just 15 days after Luke Mulligan took the record, coming on as a substitute in the same competition versus Malahide United away, Leonard produced a solid display at the back.

A further seven debutants were named in the starting XI for The Lilywhites, who had the game’s first opening inside four minutes when Aidan Russell placed an attempt wide.

Bohs had their first effort not long after that on nine minutes, but Dundalk goalkeeper Samuel Safaei showed great alertness to get off his line quickly and deny Hugh Smith. 

Latvia U17 international Markuss Strods, who was on the books of Dundalk last season, thereafter fired another Bohs shot over Safaei’s crossbar from outside the penalty area. 

At the opposite end, Eoin Kenny chased down a hopeless ball before getting in ahead of Callum Doyle-Travers and rounding goalkeeper Rian Hogan, only for the Bohs defender to make amends by getting back to clear off the line when it looked destined to be 1-0. 

Russell’s curling effort from outside the box was nothing more than catching practice for Hogan, but the Bohs netminder had to be alert to deny Kenny after the Dundalk forward, as a result of Leonard’s long ball over the top, found himself one-on-one with the keeper.

Just one of three starters to have played at senior level for Dundalk was Dualta Honney, who was in the thick of it towards the end of the opening half, first having a long-ranger tipped over by Hogan, before a set-piece delivery was turned wide by Kenny.

Seven minutes into the second period, Strods looked certain to open the scoring for Bohs, only for the intervention of a tremendous block by defender Benjamin Fagbemi.

Conor O’Gorman had a curling effort from distance tipped over by Hogan, but substitute Rhys Brennan-Black missed a sitter for Bohs, scuffing wide from a Smith left-field cross. 

The Gypsies knew a goal would have sent them through to the last-eight at the expense of Dundalk, and Doyle-Travers headed over from a Taylor Mooney free-kick delivery. 

Indeed, Bohs could have won it six minutes from time, only for Safaei to brilliantly deny Brennan-Black right before the subsequent effort from Nickson Okosun was cleared off the line by Fagbemi as The Lilywhites survived to advance to the quarter-final stage. 

Dundalk FC: Samuel Safaei; Luke Povall, Vincent Leonard, Benjamin Fagbemi, Adam Byrne; Scott Brady (Jack O’Flaherty HT), Aidan Russell; Samuel Case (Nico Lovrekovic 82), Conor O’Gorman (Graham Dooner 82), Dualta Honney (Fionn McNamara 89); Eoin Kenny (Rhys O’Hare HT)

Subs not used: Cian Spaight

Bohemians: Rian Hogan; Finn Cowper-Gray, Callum Doyle-Travers, Declan Osagie, Jake Hough; Sean Moore, Billy Gilmore; Viktors Ohvovoriole (Rhys Brennan-Black 61), Hugh Smith, Markuss Strods (Taylor Mooney 61); Onesime Tembe (Nickson Okosun 61)

Subs not used: Joseph Collins (gk), Shane Tracey, Sean McCarthy, Josh Lyons

Referee: Robert Harvey (Dublin)