Greatest Comebacks

[Professor K]

After Limerick's heroics yesterday it reminded me to post this thread.

What's the best comeback you have ever seen from your club in a game?

Coming back from 4 goals down to win is rare in the LOI. Transport did it in the 1950s and I remember reading that Dundalk once did it to Waterford in the 1980s?

Also in the Irish News Cup final, Derry lost 3-0 away to Sligo in the first leg, went a goal down early in the second and won 5-1.

Recovering from a 4 goal deficit to draw examples: Shamrock Rovers at Waterford in 1931, Glenmore Celtic at Ashtown Villa in 1993 FAI Cup, Monaghan at Athlone in 2010.

Especially interested in tales of teams down to ten men...

[JC_GUFC]

Also in the Irish News Cup final, Derry lost 3-0 away to Sligo in the first leg, went a goal down early in the second and won 5-1.

All was not what it seems in that match if rumours are to be believed...

One of the best Galway United ones in my memory was in 2007 when Drogheda were Champions-elect. We were 2-0 down and down to 10 men and came back to draw 2-2 with goals in the 87th and 90th minutes.

Last year's playoff final 1st leg saw us equalise in the 89th minute and score in injury time to turn around a 1-0 defecit to UCD.

I think I remember in early Stephen Kenny Longford Town era that they had a pretty amazing comeback win in a League Cup game against Finn Harps.

[pineapple stu]

Surprised the 6-4 rovers v Bohs game didn't get a mention.

I think for us it has to be the league cup semi in 2005. 1-0 down in tolka entering injury time; won 2-1.

Coming from one goal down to win, even late on, isn't much of a comeback really, but this screwed Ollie over, so it gets included.

I think this season, they way we've come back from losing five of our first six competitive matches is seriously impressive

[Professor K]

Surprised the 6-4 rovers v Bohs game didn't get a mention.

"Only" 3 goals down at half-time and won I have several examples of that in my notes so I'll see how many others are mentioned.

[Comic Book Guy]

A couple of seasons ago we were 3-0 down at home to Longford and came back to win 4-3 with a brilliant Davin O'Neill volley the winning goal.

[El-Pietro]

I can't recall anything more than 2 goals but in 2008 we made a bit of a habit of giving teams a 2 goal lead.

Derry, Galway and Haka at home all took 2 goal leads against us. We came back to beat Derry and Galway and drew with Haka. Made us think at 2-0 down in Finland we were about to win. We were wrong.

[Nesta99]

Pats winning the 2015 league by going unbeaten til the end of the season...

Wasnt there a league cup game in Oriel where Dundalk came from behind to beat the famous old Derry City or something?

[littlebray]

All was not what it seems in that match if rumours are to be believed...

Don't be coy, come on, tell us all about it, there's no secrets here ...

[PartySaint]

Pats winning the 2015 league by going unbeaten til the end of the season...

Not just unbeaten, winning all the games as well

[seand]

Coming back from 4 goals down to win is rare in the LOI. Transport did it in the 1950s and I remember reading that Dundalk once did it to Waterford in the 1980s?

We haven't had a (really) high scoring game v waterford since a 7-4 win in 67-8 Shield. Not sure about scoring sequence though, will have to have a look. I think we had a 2 or 3 goal comeback against Waterford in the 1952 FAI Cup semi replay, to win 6-4. Again I'd have to check it out. We had quite a lot of ridiculous results in the 50s and 60s, including successive 7-4 and 7-5 wins in the Shield around the time we were playing Rangers in Europe.

I don't remember any massive comebacks involving Dundalk in recent times. The famous one was a 3-2 win over Derry from 2-0 down with 15 to go, when we went onto the double in 88.

There was a Blaxnit Cup game where Harps were 5-1 up on Linfield with 15 minutes to go and drew 5-5. Harps won on pens.

[outspoken]

A couple of seasons ago we were 3-0 down at home to Longford and came back to win 4-3 with a brilliant Davin O'Neill volley the winning goal.

A couple of seasons ago we were 3-1 down to Cobh away and came back to win 4-3 with a brilliant Daniel Judas Purdy strike the winning goal 😂

[stann]

We haven't had a (really) high scoring game v waterford since a 7-4 win in 67-8 Shield. Not sure about scoring sequence though, will have to have a look. I think we had a 2 or 3 goal comeback against Waterford in the 1952 FAI Cup semi replay, to win 6-4. Again I'd have to check it out. We had quite a lot of ridiculous results in the 50s and 60s, including successive 7-4 and 7-5 wins in the Shield around the time we were playing Rangers in Europe.

I think in that 7-4 game Dundalk lead, and lead well, from the start, and Waterford scored the last three goals, so no comeback with that one.

Big gap in your notes Prof K, as our best comeback surely has to be against Rovers in March 1959.
4-1 down at the break, the Blues scored five in twenty second-half minutes to go two ahead, with Rovers getting the last as it finished up 6-5.

[oriel]

Dundalk did it twice in 1988, and both at home, both were highly significant too. The first was 0-2 down at home in a cup replay v Sligo, almost sure it was 1-2 at HT, but we def won 3-2, and won the cup that year.

The other one as mentioned above was at home to Derry in the league, it was Easter Monday, 0-2 down with 13 mins to go, then 3 quick goals from Gino Lawless, Barry Kehoe, then Dessie Gorman with one min to go, we only won the league by a point that season, and I think the Derry game was the 2nd last home match too. We won the lge by drawing 1-1 v Pats in the last match.

[Comic Book Guy]

A couple of seasons ago we were 3-1 down to Cobh away and came back to win 4-3 with a brilliant Daniel Judas Purdy strike the winning goal 😂

I had forgotten about that. Mad season that was a lot of high scoring games for us that season.

[ped_ped]

in 67-8 Shield.

Given the context of the thread, I was disappointed when I realised you meant the year 1967-8.

[Longfordian]

A couple of seasons ago we were 3-1 down to Cobh away and came back to win 4-3 with a brilliant Daniel Judas Purdy strike the winning goal ��

We were 3-0 down to Mervue and won 5-4 a few years ago

[pineapple stu]

Not so much a great comeback as a fair headstart really.

[Dalymountrower]

"Only" 3 goals down at half-time and won I have several examples of that in my notes so I'll see how many others are mentioned.

Three goals up against your bitter rivals and then conceding five , must be the most humiliating turnaround though.
Did that make it into your notes?

[TonyD]

2-0 down at home to Shels coming back to win 3-2 in the "Marney" Season was particularly sweet.

3-0 down at home to Slovan Bratislava in the UEFA cup in 1996 and came back to 3-3. Unfortunately conceded another to lose 4-3, so technically probably not a comeback as such. Hell of an effort though.

[Mr A]

Back in the mid nineties Harps were 3-0 down in Longford in the D1 shield almost on full time but came back to draw.

Also, back in the days of Aertel Pg222 Harps were 2-0 down in Kilkenny a couple of hours after the game ended, before unexpectedly coming back to win 3-2.