Sunday 20 March
KCLR 30th Anniversary Cup Final
New Oak Boys 5
Parkville United 1
By Darragh Bermingham
New Oak Boys captured the KCLR 30th Anniversary Cup in style beating Parkville United by 5 goals to 1 in Graiguecullen on St Patrick’s day. The men in green and white set the pace early on with Conaill Dunne and Maxwell Mattos causing the Parkville defence problems as the music from the Graiguecullen St Patrick’s day parade faded. Meanwhile, Parkville had a slow start to the game and were inviting pressure by giving the ball away cheaply. With just minutes gone, Phillip Smithers was relieved of possession on the edge of his own box and the ball was slipped into Dunne who finished calmly to give New Oak the lead. Parkville hit back with a fantastic move down the right hand side but Will Doran headed wide from Conor McCarney’s cross. Parkville were beginning to show some form and McCarney went close himself but his shot was well saved by the New Oak ‘keeper. New Oak regained the upper hand and were not giving Parkville an inch and this told when a chipped pass found Dunne out wide. With no one to aim for in the box, Dunne dinked his shot over the ‘keeper from what seemed like an impossible angle to make it 2-0 with just over 20 minutes played. Parkville tried to hit back but New Oak kept the pressure on and looked dangerous from set pieces with Mattos firing a shot just wide from a short set piece. Park managed to break out now and again with Conor McCarney again testing the ‘keeper. On 35 minutes Dave McCarney launched a ball which found Will Doran in space between the New Oak defenders and he calmly headed over the onrushing ‘keeper to drag Parkville back into the game. With half time approaching, Doran appeared to have grabbed a lifeline for his side. However, the optimism was short lived as New Oak hit back. Mattos fired a shot which was parried by the Parkville ‘keeper into the path of Lee Walker who made no mistake from mere yards out. Shortly after, Mattos ran in behind the Park defence and finished well to make the half time score 4-1.
The second half saw changes in Parkville personnel and formation with McCarney moving from the right wing to forward but New Oak still started the better of the two sides. Mattos continued to threaten when on the ball. Dunne grabbed his hat-trick just fifteen minutes into the second half all but sealing the win. With the game all but over, New Oak were happy to see it out. Parkville looked dangerous in attack but never really threatened the New Oak ‘keeper as the clock ticked towards the 90th minute. A great performance from New Oak in which Dunne and Mattos orchestrated attack after attack and saw them lift the 30th Anniversary Shield in style when the final whistle blew. A disappointing day for Parkville who weren’t at the races today but New Oak were well worth their victory.
Med Bar Cup – Semi Final
Hanover Harps ‘B’ 3
Vale Wanderers ‘A’ 4 AET
A goal two minutes from the end of extra time saw Vale advance to the final of the Med Bar Cup.
The visitors started brightly and were rewarded with the opening goal after 12 minutes when Dinny Byrne rifled home a shot after good play from Trevor Nolan. Hanover responded well to this setback and a cool finish from Johnny Waters levelled things. The home side hit the front before half-time when Waters notched his second of the game. 2-1 down at the break things looked bleak for the visitors.
Evan Ruddy scored a great goal early in the second half to make it 3-1 to Hanover. Vale showed great spirit however and rallied and a superb strike from Paddy Dowling reduced arrears. The visitors then struck an equalizer when Danny Darcy found the corner of the net after 74 minutes. With no further scoring before the end of the 90 minutes it was on to extra time.
Two minutes from the end and a penalty shoot-out looming, an excellent Richard Kearney cross was headed home by John Miley for the winner.
Alex Round, Paddy Dowling and Danny Darcy shone for Vale. With Trevor Power, Shane Kelly and Evan Ruddy tops for Hanover.
Douglas Jewellers Carlow Cup -Last 16
St Fiaccs 0
Mill Celtic 2
Division Three side Mill Celtic dumped Premier Division side St Fiaccs out of the Carlow Cup in the biggest upset in the competition so far this season. Both sides started off well but chances were few and far between as defences were on top. Fiaccs started to get on top in the closing stages of the half and Mill had goalkeeper Stephen Hickey to thank as he made a brilliant save in a one on one situation to leave it scoreless at the break. The visitors started the better of the teams in the second half and were awarded a penalty on the hour mark for a deliberate handball, Eric Mackey slotted home the spot kick and the upset was on. Mill almost doubled their lead soon after but Daniel Mackey’s effort went inches wide. The away side got the second when a long throw from Shane O’Neill was flicked home by Gary Lambe. Fiaccs pushed hard in the late stages but the Mill rear-guard wouldn’t be breached. Mill now advance to the quarter finals to face New Oak A at home. Best for Celtic were Paul Kirwan, Eric Mackey and Paddy Dunne
Division 2/3 League Cup – Rnd 3 (E.T./ Pens)
Village FC 4
New Oak Boys ‘C’ 2
Village advanced in the Division 2/3 Cup competition with a hard fought victory over New Oak.
The visitors started well and took an early lead with a John Nangle goal. A defensive error however undone this tonic start and David Dowling equalized. Back came the visitors and they regained the lead when Kevin Coakley headed home a John Nangle free kick. Before half-time Village were awarded a penalty and goalie Martin Lynch advanced from his post to convert the kick for a 2-2 half-time scoreline.
Craig Wall soon had the home side ahead in the second period and it was now an uphill struggle for Boys. Tom Lynch then increased the lead for Village and there was no way back for New Oak, although they came close with a couple of late efforts.
For the winners Craig Wall, Tom Lynch and David Dowling excelled. With Ferghal Doyle, Danny Thompson and John Nangle best for New Oak.
Slaney Rovers ‘A’ 1
St. Anne’s FC 0
A lone first half goal gave Slaney passage to the next round of The Cup.
The goal came on 19 minutes when good approach work from Dean Kelly saw Richard Whelan turn his marker and fire home. Fergal Harmon in the Slaney goal came to his sides rescue with a brilliant save just on half-time.
Anne’s came on strong in the second half, but Rovers defended superbly and denied the Laois side any joy as they marched on to the semi-finals of the competition.
Mike Byrne, Michael Foley and Keith Curran excelled for rovers.
Hacketstown United 2
Ballymurphy Celtic 1 (a.e.t)
Hacketstown were thirsting for victory here after last week’s defeat to the same opposition in the league and they got their revenge as they advanced to the semi-finals.
Things did not look good for United when the Bally boys took an early lead, but they stuck to their guns and Con Murphy struck an equalizer before half-time.
United were the better side in the second 45 minutes, but could not make it count on the scoreline, included in their missed chances was a penalty kick.
The winner came in the 2nd half of extra time when Con Murphy struck a 25 yard shot to the net for an outstanding winner and put his side in the semi-finals.
It was a fine team performance from the winning side which saw them through to victory.
Herald Striker Division One
Palatine Celtic 2
Crettyard United 1
Palatine were deserving winners of this somewhat scrappy tie at the VEC grounds.
A youthful Pal side struggled to come to terms with a physically stronger Crettyard in the first half exchanges, with the Laois side dominating possession without creating any worthwhile goal scoring chances as the half ended scoreless.
A more determined Celtic side came out in the 2nd half and they took control of proceedings and were soon ahead with a powerful strike from Jason Kane. Gary Murphy then struck a post for Palatine and Lucas Vidiksis wasted two good chances with the home side well on top. Celtic were rewarded for their dominance with a second goal from Jason Kane, finishing a superb ball from Billy McDonald to net on 75 minutes. Kane missed a chance to complete his hat trick when he crashed a penalty off the Cretty crossbar. United set up a nail biting finish when Cormac Murphy volleyed home in the 86th minute, but Pal clung on to clinch victory.
Mark Rennick, Niall Prendergast and man of the match Jason Kane shone for the winners. With Mark Fox, John Graham and Cormac Murphy best for Crettyard.
New Oak Boys 0
Nurney Villa 3
A substandard tie went the way of the visitors who were more clinical in front of goal.
The visitors took a first half lead when Shane Mahon set up Jason McAssey who had only to tap home from close range and Villa led by this single goal at the break.
Nurney doubled their lead when Eddie Dermody won a ball and released Shane Mahon to score after 56 minutes. The game was as good as over in the 68th minute when Peter Abbey delivered into the box an excellently struck free kick and Jason McAssey got on the end of it to stroke home goal No. 3. Try as they did there was no way back for New Oak after this.
Val Fleming, Thomas Murphy and Peter Abbey were best for Nurney.
Whites Pharmacy Division
St Joseph’s 1
Kilree Celtic 5
Celtic eased their relegation fears with this comfortable win away to St Josephs. The visitors got off to a flying start as Stephen Salter netted after just 6 minutes. 10 minutes later the lead was doubled as Adam Dermody scored and as Joeys struggled to get into the game Celtic added a third, David McDonald getting on the scoresheet to make it 3-0. Brian Mullen pulled a goal back for the hosts just before half time to give them some hope but that hope was quickly extinguished 5 minutes after the restart when Micko Salter added a fourth for Kilree. McDonald grabbed his second and Celtic’s fifth on the hour to finish off the scoring. Best for Kilree were David McDonald, Eamon Nolan and Micko Salter. Best for St Josephs were Conor Dooley, Gary Scully and Brian Mullen.
Burrin Celtic 2
Parkville 0
This battle between the bottom two went the way of the hosts on Sunday. Burrin threatened in the early stages but the closest either side came to opening the scoring in the first half was an effort from Celtic that found the net but was chalked off for offside. The second half saw plenty of effort from both teams but little created in the way of scoring chances until Matty Dowling pounced on a loose ball to score with just 2 minutes left on the clock. The second goal arrived on the stroke of full time when captain Martin Cummins hammered a free kick into the top corner to seal the win for Celtic. Best for Burrin were James Hickey, Matty Dowling and Pauraic Corcoran
Burger King Carlow Division Three
Slaney Rovers 1
Killeshin 6
After a closely fought first half Killeshin got well on top in the second period running in five goals for a facile victory.
Rovers went ahead after eight minutes when Gary Smith headed home an Adam Lawlor corner, but that was as good as it got for the Rathvilly side. Leigh Mannion lashed home an equalizer for Killeshin two minutes before half-time and the sides remained tied 1-1 at the interval.
The second half belonged to the visitors and the goals flowed, Keane Nolan with a neat finish put them ahead and a powerful drive from Jody Hennessy made it 1-3. Leigh Mannion then scored a brace to complete his hat trick and Keane Nolan completed the scoring with a beautiful curving shot to the top corner as the visitors took home the points.
Leigh Mannion, Fergus and Keane Nolan starred for Killeshin. Best efforts from Slaney came from Aaron Smith, Andrew Sibbald and Kevin McCall.
Nurney Villa 5
Vale Wanderers 1
Nurney were comfortable winners at home on Sunday.
They went ahead with an Adam Kenny goal after 16 minutes and Kenny added a superb second goal with a tremendous volley ten minutes later, 2-0 at the break.
Anthony Slevin got in on the scoring with two goals to stretch the lead to 4-0. Robbie Elliott finished a Niall O’Reilly corner to pull back a goal for Vale. However, Nurney had the final say when Jack Rowan put in a fine run beating a couple of defenders before scoring to complete the scoring.
Declan Murphy, Eoin Doyle and Anthony Hogan excelled for Nurney. Best for Vale were Robbie Elliott, Eoin Johnson and Niall O’Reilly.
Women’s Division One
Ballymurphy Celtic 0
Hanover Harps 2
Ballymurphy Celtic made a strong start to the match with some great attacks in the first 10 minutes, putting the Hanover defence under pressure. A corner won on 12 minutes by Ballymurphy was narrowly headed over the bar by Lisa Doyle. Hanover hit back with a fantastic run up the left wing by Natasha Donoghue, weaving her way into the Ballymurphy penalty area where she struck a shot at goal and found the net to give Hanover the lead on 16 minutes. Attacks came from both sides for the next 20 minutes with play in all areas of the pitch. Both sides defended well in the remaining minutes of the first half with some great saves in particular from the Ballymurphy keeper Susan Foley.
The second half started with the same pace as the first for Ballymurphy. A free won on the right hand side of the pitch was cleared by the Hanover defence only to be narrowly driven over the bar by Catherine Hughes. Hanover won a corner soon after which was headed over the bar by Stephanie Kehoe. An attack up the left wing by Lisa Tobin put Ballymurphy under pressure but a cross into the box was eventually cleared. Lisa Doyle won a free on 60 minutes but the shot from Maria Doyle was saved by the Hanover keeper. Hanover made a number of pacey runs up the left wing which were defended well by Aoibheann Murphy. They won a corner in the 88th minute of the match which was headed into the net by Essmay Mannix.
Best for Ballymurphy Celtic were Susan Foley and Maria Doyle. Best for Hanover Harps were Nicole Dowling, Lisa Tobin and Natasha Donoghue
Womens Division Two
Mill Celtic 4
Slaney Rovers 1
In what was the first game for both sides since the women’s division was split into first, second and third division, Mill Celtic started the brightest. Early in the first half Alma Mackey gave the home side the lead from Sarah Conboy’s superb cross. Lorraine Bowes added two more goals to give Celtic a comfortable 3 goal to nil lead at half time.
The in form Bowes completed her hat trick in the opening stages of the second half. Slaney Rovers got a late consolation goal through Courtney Gahan but it was Mill who came out on top. Final score Mill Celtic 4, Slaney Rovers 1. Best for Mill Celtic Lorraine Bowes, Alma Mackey and Joeanne Cullen. Catherine Donavan, Mary Coady and Carol McGrath performed best for Slaney Rovers.
Womens Division Three
Nurney Villa 0
St Fiacc’s FC 6
Both sides were evenly matched in the opening stages of this division three encounter. St Fiacc’s broke the deadlock on 25 minutes through Maggie Doogue and Doogue doubled the saints lead just before half time. In the second half St Fiacc’s continued their dominance. Sandra Watchorn added a third, Lauren Walsh made it 4 nil from the penalty spot. Maggie Doogue completed her hat trick before Rachel Stanley rounded off the scoring for a rampant St Fiacc’s side. Best for St Fiacc’s Rachel Stanley, Maggie Doogue and Dotty Ryan. Best for Nurney Villa Mellisa McAssey, Michelle Ryan and Nicola Kirwan.
