KDFL SENIOR DIVISION FOCUS.

Clane United FC 2 Coill Dubh AFC 1

Clane hosted coil Dubh in the opening game of the KDFL Senior Division.   Clane started

strong creating a host of chances firstly through Dean Comiskey dragging a shot wide

and Aidan Ralph testing keeper Bagnall .  On fifteen minutes Cillian Patchell headed

against the cross bar from a Ryan Murran corner . Clane were proving a threat from set

pieces as Patchell again went close and Jack Kelly forcing another save from Bagnall. 

On the half hour Mark Comiskey had a shot cleared off the line.  Chances kept coming as

Maguire raced cleared only to be denied again by the slightest of touches from keeper

Bagnall to keep it out .  Clane were becoming frustrated as they failed to take their

opportunities .  The deadlock was finally broken five minutes before the break as Sean

Connolly headed in From a Stephen Leavy cross . The home side doubled their

advantage two mins later through Maguire to lead 2 0 at the break . 

Coil Dubh AFC Manager Trevor McLoughlin was forced into an early change with Sean

MacMahon forced off with a hamstring injury. Barry Noone replaced him and with a few

changes in formation Coill Dubh got to grips with the game. It didn’t take long before they

began to prod and poke at the Clane defence. Clane were dangerous on the break and

Kelly looked like he made it 3 to wrap up the points but the goal was ruled out. The

visitors pulled a goal back when a Cian MacMahon corner kick was headed goal bound

by Joe Bower only for John Ball to make a great save the rebound came back to Jay

Devine who's effort was judged to have crossed the line by a well-positioned Referee Eric

McCann.

Coill Dubh pushed and pushed but last season's Senior division runners up Clane United

held on for what was 3 valuable points.

Clonmullion FC 5 Newbridge United FC 1

Clonmullion welcomed newly promoted Newbridge United to Micheál O Neill Park this

afternoon. The beautiful sunshine helped to attract the usual large crowd for the kick off of

the KDFL season.

The first ten minutes was tight with both teams trying to establish a rhythm and it was in

the twelfth minute that the home side opened the scoring. Left full Johnny Fennell started

the move with a quick throw in to Chris Chanders who laid off to Cody Mulhall who’s deft

flick with the outside of his left foot fell beautifully into the path of Fennell who rifled the

ball home from just inside the box. The sides were level in the twentieth minute when

Glen Bracken won the ball in midfield and passed to Niall Costigan who rolled the ball to

Ryan Kearney who finished low to Evan Grattans right. The home side restored their lead

on the half hour mark when Joe Brennan picked out Nathan Robinson on the edge of the

box who's first time shot was blocked by Shaun Walsh and the referee pointed to the spot

for a hand ball. Cody Mulhall stepped up and hammered the ball home giving keeper

Kevin McDonnell no chance. With five minutes remaining came the move and goal of the

game when Keane Cully picked out Mulhall who had dropped deep who played a

fantastic ball out wide to Lee Doyle who whipped in a great cross to the in rushing

Robinson to make it 3 1 at the break. 

It wasn't until the hour mark that the game was safe when the ever alert Brennan

intercepted the ball and laid it off to brilliant Mulhall who had dropped off into midfield

again and he played another great ball to substitute Tom Nolan to mark his competitive

debut with a very well taken goal having rounded the out rushing McDonnell to coolly side

foot home from ten yards. Five minutes from time the industrious Jake Nicholl won the

ball in midfield yet again and slid the ball to Bryan Byrne who was bearing down on goal

only to be tripped in the box by Calum Sinclair and the referee pointed to the spot again.

It was the turn of Chris Chanders who sent McDonnell the wrong way to make it 5 1. Ir

rounded off a good day for new manager and former star player Timmy Doyle who was

able to give competitive debuts to teenagers Nolan, who got on the scoresheet, as well as

Con Murray and also welcome back Bryan Byrne after a year out with injury.

Moone Celtic FC 1 Old Fort Celtic FC 3

Moone Celtic made their first ever appearance in the Senior division welcoming Old Fort

Celtic to Fortfield Park on Sunday. Old Fort Celtic travelled to Moone to kick off their

senior division season. The away team started the better and settled into the game quite

well creating some half chances from set pieces in the first 15 minutes. Old fort broke the

deadlock when a well placed corner from Scott Coyle was met by the head of Jamie

Shinners at the back post to put the visitors 1-0 ahead. It didn’t take long for Old Fort to

add another when some good play down the right hand side, Patrick Staniec picked the

ball up towards the end line and he picked out his strike partner  Daryl Ntumba with a well

placed cross who headed home from 7 yards. Soon after it was 3-0, Scott Coyle picked

the ball up in midfield and unleashed a shot from 25 yards which found the bottom corner

of the Moone net, giving Cian Flood no chance in the Moone goal. Half time 3-0 to the

visitors.

The second half was a quiet affair where both teams created some half chances mainly

from set pieces but the old fort keeper Dean Bland was never troubled.

Moone came more into the game and dominated for large periods of that second half.

Cormac Burke, Lar Wall and Aaron Dunne were solid in defence and this gave Moone a

strong platform for the second half. Despite dominating the second half, Moone were

rushed in front of goals and needed a bit more sharpness in front of goals. Evan Farrell

pulled one back with ten minutes to go but Moone could not add to it despite having

numerous chances either side of Farrells goal. The game finished 3-1 to the visitors and

some outstanding performances from Lee Carroll Talbot, Eoin Carroll and Scott Coyle but

best on the day was Jamie Shinners who defended brilliantly all game and got his first

goal of the new season too.

Naas United FC 2 Arlington FC 1

A new look Naas United Senior side had  a hard fought victory on a glorious Sunday

morning at Jigginstown. The home side couldn’t have asked for a better start as Travis

O’Neill was picked out brilliantly by a long pass from centre back Peter Kerrigan and

O’Neill outpaced the full back O’Leary to finish brilliantly and score his first ever Senior

Division goal. O’Neill didnt have to wait too long to double his tally as Goalkeeper Keith

Higgins found him again with another raking pass in behind and O’Leary was left for dead

as O’Neill once again zipped past him to find himself one on one and he once again

made the finish look easy to give Naas a 2-0 lead with just five minutes gone on the

clock. Arlington looked a little stunned and Naas had 2 more chances as O’Neill went

close again along with an Adam Colton strike from distance forcing a save.

Arlington found a bit of space through the middle in the 12th minute and No.10 should

have done better when he was through one on one with Keith Higgins but he fluffed his

lines and shot wide. Naas were well on top though and were unlucky not to get the 3rd

when a Joe Murray Free Kick looked set for the top corner but scraped the post and went

wide. Adam Colton forced a save again on 17 minutes. Arlington goalkeeper Conor

Shorthall was certainly earning his stripes as he pulled off another good save from Travis

O’Neill on the half hour mark, with Liam Marshal firing narrowly wide with the breaking

ball from distance. United’s keeper Keith Higgins wasn’t to be outdone and he pulled off

his first save of the game from a Nazo Thobelo effort.

Naas midfield trio Liam Marshall, Scott O’Neill and Jamie Boyd were all working hard

together and really dominating and Boyd was chopped down 25 yards out from goal after

some lovely link play with Marshall. Jack Conway stepped over the ball and his free kick

was brilliantly saved down low by Shorthall. From the resulting corner Scott O’Neill saw

his header zip just wide. Arlington had a good attack on 44 minutes as Ben Slevin slipped

Sheldon in on the left, but just as he was about to Strike, Dylan Malone got across and

made a brilliant block that got the home support excited on the line as the first half ended

2-0 to Naas. The home side came out flying again at the start of the 2nd half  and it

should have been 3-0 when Marshall set Joe Murray away down the right, Sheldon

couldn’t keep up with him and instead of shooting when through himself he unselfishly

squared it to Travis O’Neill inside the 6 yard box, but the ball bobbled just as he hit it and

despite the empty net, he failed to hit the target. Was this to be a miss that Naas would

later go on to regret, because Arlington were beginning to get into the game and they

pulled a goal back on 65 minutes from a corner when No.4 Jason Conlon headed back

across goal and Thomas Kenny rose highest in a crowded 6 yard box to head home.

Naas were still having the better of the ball and had two great chances from corners

themselves as John Paul Higgins headed just wide and Scott O’Neill also went close.

Substitute Leon Doyle came in and showed great energy to lift the team as they were

getting a little flat and he almost created a good chance for O’Neill to grab the hat-trick

but good defending from Sheldon saw him foiled. Naas were about to rue those missed

chances because on 80 minutes they gave away a very sloppy penalty for a hand ball

when defending a set piece. Ben McEvoy was the man trusted to take the spot kick and

level the scores but Naas United’s captain Keith Higgins wasn’t about to let that happen

lightly and he pulled off a superb save to deny Arlingtons playmaker. Naas defended the

resulting corner brilliantly with Liam Marshall heading clear and for the dying minutes they

were forced into some dogged work at the back as they held on well to win the game 2-1

and get their first 3 points on the board.  Naas United had a man of the match

performance from Travis O’Neill with 2 goals, but in Midfield was where the game was

won in the end and Liam Marshall was excellent with some lovely touches and passes

while Scott O’Neill and Boyd worked there socks off alongside him. Keith Higgins was

outstanding in goal and in front of him he had a back 4 of Malone, Higgins, Kerrigan and

Jack Conway all in fantastic form.