Shelbourne’s Paddy Barrett scores an own goal late in the match
One lapse. That’s all it takes.
For Shelbourne on Thursday night in Skopje, Milan Mbeng was the guilty party. For much of the game he had the better of his personal battle with Ronaldo Webster down the visitors’ right flank.
Yet deep into injury time, maybe tired from his rampaging up and down the wing, he made a costly misjudgement, stretching to get his head onto a cross that was already drifting harmlessly clear of the danger zone.
Mbeng turned the ball behind, despite goalkeeper Wessel Speel’s best efforts to stop it from crossing the line.
Speel immediately turned to the Frenchman and threw his arms in the air, aware that 10-man Shels had gifted their hosts one more chance to do something they’d struggled with all evening – carve out a clear-cut opportunity.
Joey O’Brien’s men, down a player after Sean Boyd picked up an injury with all five substitutes already used, dealt with the initial ball.
But when Webster raced onto the loose ball and drilled the ball low into the six-yard box, all those losing battles with Mbeng were forgotten, as Paddy Barrett turned the cross into his own net.
There was little Barrett could do, as the ball came at him with pace and at an angle that made it almost impossible to steer to safety.
Disaster for Shels, who should have been ahead at that stage. They looked comfortable throughout and were millimetres from taking the lead when John Martin’s header cannoned off the foot of the Shkendija post.
Martin was introduced in the 60th minute along with Boyd, as manager O’Brien looked to shake up his attack and go with a more direct approach in search of a first league phase goal.
Only six minutes after their introduction and the tweak almost paid dividends.
A second point – this one away from home – would have been a decent return two games into the Conference League campaign. And it would have added another €133,000 to the prizemoney kitty.
Shels would have been good value for a draw, despite the fact that Shkendija edged the possession stats and carved out more opportunities, albeit both sides only managed one each on target, before Barrett’s late intervention.
It was Kerr McInroy’s free-kick that led to Martin’s chance that hit the post, and the Scot looked so comfortable once again at this level.
Shelbourne players after the game
Shkendija coach Jeton Bekjiri made a couple of changes at half-time, including midfielder Arbin Zejnullai, presumably as a result of his side’s struggle to control that area of the pitch.
If only McInroy’s composure didn’t let him down on the stroke of half-time when Mipo Odubeko found him on the edge of the area with a swivel and a pass.
A heavy touch gifted the ball back to the hosts and robbed the former Celtic prospect of the kind of shooting opportunity he relishes.
Mbeng, for much of the night, seemed to be on top of his brief, dribbling past Webster on a number of occasions and getting into crossing positions. However, his deliveries needed to be better.
Chances were few and far between, as both sides struggled with the final ball.
Shels goalkeeper Speel didn’t face a single shot on target in the opening 45 minutes, with Fabrice Tamba and Zejnullai both shooting high and wide from distance with the best of their first-half chances.
A blocked McInroy shot inside the first minute, an Mbeng shot that was hit with venom but not enough accuracy to beat Baboucarr Gaye and a Harry Wood strike that took a big deflection on its way through to the goalkeeper were the best of Shelbourne’s openings in that time.
The growing frustration among the hosts was encapsulated by a couple of wayward efforts by half-time substitute Sebastjan Spahiu and an overly-ambitious Aleksander Trumci shot from a poor angle.
It was Wood’s turn to be frustrated when, in the 54th minute, he played a one-two with Odubeko but fired over from 16 yards.
Then came O’Brien’s changes and Martin’s effort that rattled the foot of the post.
Fellow sub Boyd’s attempt to find the right-hand corner from 20 yards took a deflection that carried the ball wide of the upright.
Boyd then hurt himself as he challenged goalkeeper Gaye for an Ali Coote free-kick delivered dangerously from the left.
The striker’s night was done, and with all five substitutions used Shels had to play the remaining two minutes plus stoppage time with 10 men.
They looked set to comfortably see it out. Until, that is, Mbeng’s needless intervention and Barrett’s moment of misfortune.
Shels could have done with at least a point from this one to advance their prospects of qualification from the league phase, with games coming up against Drita of Kosovo, AZ Alkmaar, Crystal Palace and Celje.
Shkendja: Baboucarr Gaye 6; Aleksander Trumci 6, Imran Fetai 7, Klisman Cake 7, Ronaldo Webster 6; Arbin Zejnullai 6 (Sebastjan Spahiu 46, 7), Adamu Alhassan 6 (Kamer Qaka 70, 6); Fabrice Tamba 7 (Vane Krstevski 77), Endrit Krasniqi 6 (Fiton Ademi 88), Liridon Latifi 6 (Reshat Ramadani 46, 6); Besart Ibraimi 6.
Shelbourne: Wessel Speel 6; Mark Coyle 7, Paddy Barrett 7, Kameron Ledwidge 6; Milan Mbeng 6, JJ Lunney 7, Kerr McInroy 7 (Evan Caffrey 82), James Norris 6 (Daniel Kelly 74); Jack Henry Francis 6 (Ali Coote 82), Mipo Odubeko 6 (Sean Boyd 60, 6), Harry Wood 6 (John Martin 60, 7).
Referee: Stefan Ebner (Austria)