
LFS Senior Cup Action!
Templeogue United O35s 2 Clonmullion FC 0
Clonmullion FC went down 2-0 to a well drilled Templeogue United in Round 1 of the Leinster Football Association Senior Cup on Friday night in Templeogue.
Senior Cup Semi final Action !
Coill Dubh AFC 0 Clane United FC 4
Clane travelled to Coill Dubh in a local derby with a senior cup final spot up for grabs. It didn’t take long for the visitors to open the scoring. In the first minute of the game Gavin O Dwyer played the ball into Andrew Hylands feet who superbly picked out Clane striker James Ralph as he dinked it over the advancing Alan Sheridan who finished it off to put clane one up . Despite the bad start the hosts didn’t drop their heads and caused Clane some problems with Mc Mahon and Grace looking dangerous . Despite Clane weathering a bit of a storm confined to look dangerous on every attack as Geoghan and Comiskey shot narrowly wide and Ralph forcing Sheridan into a top class save with a feet . On fifteen minutes the Dubh had their first clear opportunity and what would turn to be a turning point in the game as John Ball denied Grace from close range and O Dwyer cleared the follow up shot off his line to keep Clane in the lead . On the twenty first minute Clane made it 2-0 with a fantastic move involving Mark Kelly Hyland Sean Connolly who slipped in Cathal Geoghegan to make it 2 nil . One min later Clane made it 3-0 as Comiskey played in Liam Deane who made no mistake rounding Sheridan on twenty two minutes. To their credit the home side kept battling away noy giving up despite the score line and should have pulled a goal back going close on the half hour. Deane was unlucky not to make it 4 as Sheridan made another quality save via his feet to keep it at three nil. Four minutes before the break Clane’s Andrew Hyland beat three defenders driving into the box and was taken down resulting in a penalty been awarded. Mark Kelly stepped up and converted leaving Coil Dubh with a mountain to climb going into the break .
Five minutes into the second half as James Ralph was put through on goal looking set to make it five the advancing keeper Sheridan handled it out outside the box leaving the ref no choice but to produce a red . The second half was played out with clane in control and aided by having the luxury of bringing in quality fresh legs in through Rasdi Nsimba, Cafu, hinds, Carr, Kirwin and Britton. Best for Clane were Hyland Ralph Geoghan and John Ball.
Naas United FC 7 Old Fort Celtic FC 0
Naas United played host to Old Fort Celtic in the semi final of the prestigious senior cup on Sunday morning. The home side were back to full strength after being without some keys players the last few weeks and they were immediately on the ascendency right from the first whistle . Ritchie French and Jordan Martella were causing the away sides defence causing alot of problems with raid after raid coming down the right flank and Daragh Faherty and Sheldan Mbala doing the same down the left and it was Faherty who opened the scoring with a curling right foot shot after some great work by Victor Oladapo. Naas’s second came shortly after when following some lovely football between Martella and French set up Paul Omoteso to score his first of the day. A rampant Naas made it 3-0 before halftime when a ball broke to the edge of the old fort box and Omoteso rifled home leaving the old fort keeper with no chance .
The second half was all Naas again and it didn't take long for them to get the fourth when Manny Philips side footed home after great work by Omoteso and Jack Conway. Naas’s fifth came when Niall Faherty finished in his normal style after a super through ball from the returning Brian Nolan and a great back heel from Conway .The sixth came for Naas when Paul Omoteso went on a slalom run and thundered the ball into the net left footed after brilliant work down the right from Leon Doyle. United weren’t finished yet though and the pick of the bunch came when Nolan passed to Niall Faherty who curled a beauty into the top corner from 25 yards sending Naas roaring into the final. Best for Naas in a terrific team performance were, Marvin Mbala, Rox Higgins, Sheldan Mbala, Jordan Martella, Danny Philips, Ritchie French, Niall faherty. Leon Doyle and man of the match the prolific Paul Omoteso. Best for an outran Old Fort were Robbie Farrell and Ogie Brown.
Senior/Premier Shield Action !
Kilcullen AFC 3 Kildare Town AFC (Prem) 3
(Kildare Town AFC win 4-3 on penalties AET)
Newbridge Hotpsurs FC 4 Rathangan AFC 3 (AET)
An enthralling and pulsating cup tie took place at Snigs Brogan Park to brighten up what was a dreary Saturday evening weather wise. This game had it all, goals, tackles, cards and extra time!!. Hotspurs didn’t start the game well and it was Rathangan whom were on the front foot dictating possession and chances early on, Rathangan had two early chances in which Hotspurs were fortunate enough to escape without conceding. Hotspurs first chance came on the sixteenth minute when a Tommy Walsh shot was well saved. Rathangan took the deserved lead on the nineteenth minute when a well worked pass and move on their left wing led to their striker slotting home from close range. Just six minutes later on the twenty fifth minute, Rathangan doubled their lead when another well worked moved on their left wing led to a cross where their striker was on hand to get on the end of cross to again slot home from close range. Hotspurs were somewhat shell shocked but a tactical switch and the introduction of the effervescent Greg Kelly brought some control to proceedings for Hotspurs. On the thirty sixth minute, Hotspurs were unlucky not claw one back when Scott O’Donoghue went close when his shot was saved by the Rathangan keeper. Hotspurs continued to build into the game and had some half chances but the game went in at half time 2-0 to Rathangan.
A calm and composed team talk at half time by Hotspurs manager Adrian O’Donoghue ensured that Hotspurs started the second half with purpose. It was on the forty ninth minute when the first chance of the half came when a fantastic Chris Higgins shot was brilliantly saved by the Rathangan keeper to go behind for a corner. From the resultant corner whipped in by Scott O’Donoghue, it fell to Noel Kelly who was on hand to strike home from close range. Hotspurs continued to press and impose themselves and their physicality on the game. It was on the fifty eight minute when Hotspurs got their equaliser and it came via a delicious left foot pass from Eoin Walsh towards Chris Higgins, the pressure from Noel Kelly on the keeper led to the keeper fumbling and it fell to Chris Higgins whom wonderfully chipped it over the keeper and defended from just outside the box, 2-2. It was just four minutes later when on the sixty second minute, Hotspurs got their third goal with a bit of luck involved. It came via a Greg Kelly free kick which found Eoin Walsh at the back post who headed across the six yard box only for it to be deflected into the net by the Rathangan defender, 3-2 to Hotspurs.
At this point, the game was end to end with chances coming thick and fast. Noel Kelly almost made it 4-2 on the sixty second minute when his shot was saved. On the sixty ninth minute Eoin Walsh had a shot saved. The game then changed for the next ten mins with Sean Higgins pulling off three world class saves in the to deny Rathangan and an equaliser . Ten minutes before the end, Eamon Doyle was unlucky not to score when his ferocious shot from thirty five yards rattled the crossbar. With two minutes remaining Rathangan got an equaliser from a corner when it was met by the Rathangan player and it looped into the corner of the net, 3-3. The game finished 3-3 in normal time.
As the light began to fade in extra time, the pace of the game didn’t. Both sides creating chances but it was Hotspurs that drew blood in the ninety sixth minute and it came by a fine pass from Greg Kelly which found Chris Higgins, Higgins still had work to do and he manoeuvre through two defenders to strike low and hard into the corner of the net, 4-3 to Hotspurs. With the game still in full flow both teams were creating chances with the best of these falling to Rathangan in the second half of extra time, however Sean Higgins was on hand to make a brilliant close range block to deny Rathangan equaliser. The game finished 4-3 in the end to Hotspurs in what was no doubt one of the games of the season. Best for Hotspurs were the Higgins trio (Sean, Chris and Robbie), Ryan Kelly and Mikey Murphy. Hotspurs man of the match Chris Higgins.
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