League action !
Clane United FC 3 Clonmullion FC 2
Clane United FC finally brought Clonmullion’s 2 year, 52 game unbeaten KDFL league and cup run to an end on Friday night st Doctors Road. The visitors knew a victory would secure a third straight Senior Division League title in a row. The home side were certainly up for it and signalled their intent straight away when in the first attack Eoghan Maguire cut in off the left wing and picked out James Ralph whose header was cleared off the line by Jay Connell. However the escape was short lived as Clane went 1-0 up on the third minute when Cathal Geoghegan rose highest to head home a Maguire corner. The visitors almost equalised two minutes later from their own corner when Connell got on the end of a Nathan Robinson cross. The Mull did equalise on the quarter hour mark when Lee Doyle whipped in a great ball to Chris Chanders who pushed the ball passed Stephen Leavy who brought down the centre forward in the box and Robinson made no mistake from the penalty spot.
Almost immediately Clane went 2 - 1 up after great work by Geoghegan picked out Ralph who fired home from the right hand side. With twenty minutes gone Lee Day and Robinson combined with a well rehearsed free kick which saw Day's effort clip the outside of the post and go wide. On the half hour mark keeper Sean Brennan picked out Maguire who headed back to Stan Connolly whose first time effort was blocked by Johnny Fennell. Robinson again went close from a set piece when he whipped a free kick around the wall but only found the side netting. Five minutes before half time Clane should have scored when Connolly put Maguire in on goal but keeper Will Kenny advanced quickly to narrow the angle and block from point blank range.
The second half was end to end for the first twenty five minutes before Lee Doyle went on another great run and his cross was bundled over the line by Jody Dillon to level. The visitors couldn't hold on to the lead for long again when almost immediately Leavy put Connolly in behind the defence and he made no mistake from twelve yards out. Clonmullion almost drew level again after a great run by Chanders saw him lay off the ball to Lee Day whose cross picked out sub Dylan Kennedy but he glanced his header just wide. The league leaders threw everything at Clane until the final whistle but couldn't make the breakthrough. Best for Clane were Geoghegan, Ralph, Maguire, Dean Comiskey, Killian Patchell and Connolly. While best for a strangely subdued Clonmullion were Kenny in goals, Leonard at the back and Robinson and Day who worked hard throughout.
Naas United FC 3 Arlington FC 3
Arlington travelled to Naas to finish off their league campaign in horrendous conditions on Sunday afternoon. Naas started brightly and caught Arlington napping at the back when long ball bounce in between keeper and centre back which lead to a mix up and Naas to take the lead through Omoteso. Arlington tried to gain a foothold in the game through good work by Nealon and Maher up front creating some half chances .
Naas overloaded their right hand side and created most of their opportunities from there early on and from there they got their second goal when a dangerous ball in from the right was cleared to the edge of the box and the impressive Brian Nolan struck a sweet strike into the bottom corner to double the home side’s advantage. Arlington regrouped and began to play better football with Nicholl and Solanke causing problems down the wings. The visitors got a goal back just before half time when Nicholl played a lovely ball into the channel for Robbie Mc Neill to coast past the defence and just as Robbie was about to shoot he was taken down. Up stepped Shane Nealon to cooly slot into the bottom right corner from the resulting penalty to leave the side’s going in at half time 2-1 to Naas.
Arlington took confidence from the goal before half time and began playing with a bit of swagger, creating some really good opportunities but the home defence stood firm,
The equaliser came when Pheilum O Kane played a lovely ball over the top to Shane Nealon to break free down the right and Nealon got his head up and pinged a low cross to Ceilum Maher at the back post who drilled home the equaliser to leave the sides deadlocked at 2-2.
Both teams went for the winner and Arlington’s Evan Grattan made a string of saves to deny Naas and keep it all square, Arlington thought they'd won it when Nealon broke the offside trap and with the Naas keeper trying to close him down he lobbed the ball towards the empty net only for it to crash against the post and land straight to a Naas defender who cleared to safety.
Arlington did get the 3rd with twelve minutes remaining when a wonderful free kick from Jake Nichol on the left was met by Cian Dunne to nod a lovely header into the corner. Naas to their credit kept pushing and on the stroke of full time made it 3-3 with a good strike from the right hand side of the box by Stephen French. Best for Arlington on the day were Jake Nichol, Craig Fleet, Ceilum Maher and Nealon up top and Robbie mc Neill who ran himself into the ground. Best for Naas was Brian Nolan and French.
Clongorey FC 0 Coill Dubh AFC 1
Coill Dubh secured a hard-fought victory over Clongorey with a single goal in what was a pivotal KDFL Senior League clash for the Dubh's. The game took place at Blacktrench, where Clongorey looked to extend their recent good form against their rivals, Clongorey's Head Coach, Sean Casey, was eager to see his team perform well. The match started with Clongorey on the front foot, as Dan Callan's fine effort narrowly missed the target, just wide of Mark Killgallon's left-hand post. Coill Dubh had their first chance when Sean MacMahon combined with Ryan Murran, but Murran's effort went wide of Adam Doyle's right-hand side.
The Dubh's continued to assert themselves, and Dylan Hannon forced a fantastic save from Adam Doyle. Barry Noone, would then go one-on-one with Adam Doyle, but he failed to convert a golden opportunity. Coill Dubh finally broke the deadlock on the forty second minute when Emmet Donoghue delivered a delightful pass to Conor Comiskey, who made no mistake and left Doyle with no chance. Clongorey's woes were compounded just before halftime when Marvin Mbala received his second yellow card, reducing them to ten men.
In the second half, the 10-men side outplayed Coill Dubh for much of the game following Sean Carter’s introduction. However, despite their dominance, Coill Dubh would have the better goal-scoring opportunities. Barry Noone in particular, squandered at least four clear-cut chances. While Ryan Murran forced Adam Doyle into another excellent save. Ultimately, Coill Dubh held on to secure three valuable points in a closely contested match. Clongorey, to their credit, stayed in the game and were the better side in the second half, although they struggled to create clear goal-scoring chances.
It was a day when Coill Dubh was not at their best, but Mark Killgallon in goal displayed a solid performance. Trevor McDonald, playing at center-half, gave a good account of himself. Conor Comiskey continued his excellent goal-scoring form, and Joe Bowers, at centre-half, put on a masterclass display and was easily the man of the match.