The 1999 FAI Cup Final was the deciding match of the 1998–99

FAI Cup The Football Association of Ireland Senior Challenge Cup (FAI Cup), known as the Extra.ie FAI Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland (as well as Derry ...

Bray Wanderers Bray Wanderers Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Fánaithe Bhré) are an Irish association football club playing in the League of Ireland First Division. The club in its present form was founded in 1942 in Bray, and was known until 2010 as ''B ...

and

Finn Harps Finn Harps Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Chláirsigh na Finne) are an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. However, it was te ...

contested the final. Two replays were required before Bray Wanderers won the competition. The initial match finished 0–0. The first replay, which stood at 1–1 after 90 minutes, finished 2–2 after extra-time. Ahead of the second replay, the Football Association of Ireland announced that should the game again finish as a draw after extra-time, a penalty shoot-out would be played. However, this was not necessary as Bray won the second replay 2–1. It is said that Finn Harps would have won it the penalty had been played had Bray not been a goal up. Charlie McGeever was Finn Harps manager. On the second of the three games, he said during an interview with the '' Sunday Independent'' in 2012: "It was like

groundhog day Groundhog Day ( pdc, Grund'sau dåk, , , ; Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a popular North American tradition observed in the United States and Canada on February 2. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges from ...

. It was up to Dublin, play Bray, back home, up to Dublin again. Three times we came up to Dublin, and we left it behind us, especially the second day, when we were a goal up and 30 seconds left. Then we conceded a penalty, our 'keeper saved it, but they raygot to the rebound first".

References

{{Finn Harps F.C.

Fai Cup Final The FAI Cup Final, known recently as the FAI Ford Cup Final for sponsorship reasons, is an annual soccer match which is the last game in the Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup. It is the culmination of a knock-out competition among clubs ...

Fai Cup Final 1999 FAI Cup finals Fai Cup Final 1999