Tipperary Cup, 1st Round, 20th November 2022 Match Reports
Peake Villa 12 – 1 Kilsheelan United
Peake Villa are the real form team in the TSDL at the moment and they showed their form when they crushed Third Division side Kilsheelan United in Thurles on Sunday afternoon. The result went the way it was expected to go, but the Premier League side were given an early scare when a mix up in defence in the twelfth minute left Kilsheelan in to open the scoring. But they only managed to keep the lead for ten minutes and it was Captain Fantastic Pippy Carroll who drew the game level in the twenty first minute, heading home a Darragh Byrne free kick. Byrne himself got in behind the visitors defence six minutes later to put the Thurles side in front, and this opened the floodgates in the game. Two more goals before the break left Villa in front by four goals to one and in the second period they took advantage of their superior fitness to open up a much bigger lead in the game and advance to the second round with ease.
Bansha Celtic 2 – 1 Cashel Town (AET)
With Celtic Park in Bansha unplayable, this game took place at Palmershill in Cashel, and it took the majority of the first half for the tie to really get going with both sides coming at it with cautious approaches. Cashel had the first real chance of note when a Kyle Ryan header was saved at the front post, but Celtic had some good opportunities themselves but were lacking some quality and accuracy in the final third. With no goals in the first half, the first ten minutes of the second half was pretty much the same with, neither side creating anything of note. In the fifty fifth minute however, Cashel opened the scoring when Kyle Ryan capitalised on an under hit pass out of defence and shot high to the roof of the net giving the Celtic keeper no chance of saving the shot. But the lead was short lived and within two minutes, Bansha were level when Tony Egan found the top corner from all of twenty yards out, to the delight of his team mates and management. Both sides pushed for the winner after this, but more often than not simply cancelled each other out, and the game played out to the end with no more goals. In the first half of extra time, it was evident bodies were getting tired and the game became very scrappy. The second half saw both teams throw everything they could at each other to get the winner before they had to go to the dreaded penalty shoot-out. The hosts probably had the better of what few chances there were, but in the last minute of extra time Liam Murphy delivered a ball to the back post and Tony Egan rose highest and headed Bansha into the next round.
Cullen Lattin 0 – 4 St Michael’s
Still stinging from their loss in the Munster Junior Cup last weekend, Cup holders St Michael’s travelled the short distance to Cullen to play in the first round of this year’s competition, and eased into the second round with a routine win. This was their first visit to Aisling Park since it was re-developed six years ago and the pitch was looking in very good condition for the tie. The visitors as was expected had a lot of the ball in the early stages, but some good defending by the home side made chances hard to carve out. The hosts full back Timmie Heffernan did excellently to deny David Slattery with a sliding block in the twelfth minute, and at the other end, Tony O Neill tried his luck from distance on two occasions but his effort was easily saved. Saint eventually found the break through midway through the first half when Russell Quirke crossed for Slattery to head home, easing the visitors’ nerves. But the hosts were unlucky not to get back in the game minutes later when O Neill ran at the visitor’s defence before playing in Darren Neville who forced the keeper into a good save. The away side started the second half in the front foot and were soon two goals up when Jimmy Carr did well down the right before finding Slattery, whose first shot was saved, but he was on hand to tap home the second attempt in the fifty third minute. Five minutes later, Russell Quirke crossed to the unmarked Slattery who tapped home to complete his hat trick. Jimmy Carr then made it four in the sixty fifth minute, when he ran at the Cullen defence before rifling a shot into the bottom corner. Both side emptied the bench after this and the game was even for the last twenty minutes, with no real chances of note, allowing the Premier League side to go into the next round without too much discomfort.
Peake Villa B 1 – 2 Old Bridge
After their exploits in the Munster Junior Cup last weekend, Peake Villas seconds were brought down to earth in the first round of the Tipperary Cup on Sunday, when they exited the competition after going down by the odd goal in three, to fellow First Division rivals Old Bridge. After a lot of rain fell during the week, the pitch at the Tower Ground still looked in perfect condition as the game kicked off, but the game itself started slowly and there were no chances from either side before the away side started to get on top and opened the scoring in the twentieth minute. This woke the home side up and Villa went close on a few occasions with Kevin Patan and Scott Brennan having good chances, but they were unable to pull a goal back before the half time break. Unfortunately, they were unable to bring that momentum into the beginning of the second period and were caught in defence by a mistake that cost them, going two down in the fifty fourth minute. To their credit they continued to battle and pulled a goal back twenty-two minutes from the end when Conor Murphy was taken down in the box and he stepped up to score from the resulting penalty kick. It was all the home side now and they had a gilt-edged chance with ten minutes left but Danny Treacy’s shot went over. Jack Kelly also went close in the final minutes, but the Bridge eventually held on for the win.
Vee Rovers 3 – 1 Two Mile Borris B
Premier League side Vee Rovers hosted Third Division Two Mile Borris in the first round of this years Tipperary Cup, and after making hard work of the first half, eventually eased past the lower league opposition to make it to the next round. The game started evenly enough, with the visitors having a strong breeze behind them, but there was a dearth of clear chances until the home side eventually broke the deadlock in the eighteenth minute when Thomas Quirke headed to the net from a corner kick. But the Borris players kept trying to make chances and were rewarded just after the half hour mark when they found an equaliser, again benefitting from a set play, scoring again from a corner kick. That was all the goals from the first period, and with the wind behind them in the second, the Premier League team took control of the game and began to dominate. They turned that pressure into reward when Sean Casey chased down a hurried goalkeepers clearance in the sixty third minute, to coolly slot the ball back past the stranded keeper and into an empty net. Eight minutes later, the same player struck a bullet of a shot to the net after Borris had given the ball away in a defensive mix up, and that was enough to allow Rovers comfortably run down the clock to the end and go into the hat for the next round.
Two Mile Borris 3 – 0 Burncourt Celtic
The roles were reversed for Borris’s first team when they were the ones welcoming Third Division opponents to Newhill on Sunday morning. The Premier League team have been enjoying good form of late, and took control of the game from the get go. The opposing keeper did well to keep the game level making good saves from Darren Ivors and Jack Hackett, but Borris eventually broke the deadlock in the thirty second minute when Loran O Toole reacted quickest to a goal mouth scramble following a corner kick, and he whipped the ball to the net from less than eight yards out. There were no more goals in the first half and the Third Division side did come a little back into the game in the second half but never really threatened the Borris goal. Before they could build any real momentum, Burncourt found themselves two goals behind when Jack Cleary got in behind their defence and fired an angled shot into the corner of the net from just inside the area. The home side emptied their bench after this, giving some of their youths players a chance to shine, and a number of them combined five minutes from time to put the final touch on the game, setting Danny Rafter up to scored a third goal.
Powerstown 1 – 2 Clonmel Town B
This was a local derby with the home side hoping to spring a shock on their Town counterparts, but they were behind in the thirteenth minute when Charlie Barlow got on the end of a ball played over the top before placing it past the home keeper at the near post. This didn’t knock the home side completely off their stride however, and just before the half hour mark they were level when a long throw from Jamie Dunne caused chaos in the Town area, and in the resultant scramble the ball was glanced by a defender into their own net to make the score one all. Powerstown had chances to take the lead before half time, with Brian McKeown going close on a number of occasions but twice seeing his shots go narrowly wide. The second half turned into a much more cagey affair, with neither side committing to attack on many occasions, but eventually the First Division side produced a piece of quality to set Ben Smith up to score, and give Town a lead that they kept till the end of the game.
TSDL First Division reports 20th November 2022 Match Reports
TSDL First Division 20th November
St Michael’s 4 – 2 Mullinahone
Saints second team were full value for the points in this game, which was based on a solid platform built in the first half and they were able to withstand a spirited fight back by Mullinahone in the second half. Antonio Rea went close for the hosts in the thirteenth minute, and almost immediately made it one nil when he was played by a Rhys Byron pass, allowing him to fire past Aaron Phelan in the visitor’s goal. Byron then made it two three minutes later when he finished well from a Paddy Bermingham pass. Antonio Rea continued to cause problems throughout the half, and made it three shortly before the half time break when he took advantage of a peach of a pass from substitute Evan Hawkins to give his side a commanding lead at the break. Two minutes into the second period a bizarre goal gave Mullinahone a lifeline when a goal kick from Aaron Phelan took a fierce bounce and went over the head off Robbie McGrath who had a fine game nevertheless in the Saints goal. This inspired Mullinahone who had the aid of the strong breeze now, and they took the game to Saints with Ryan Hicks hitting the crossbar five minutes later. The home side weathered the storm and wrapped up the points in the seventieth minute when Josh Flannery was on hand to turn in a Cian O’Dwyer cross. Mullinahone continued to push however and Jamie Hindley made it four goals to two ten minutes from the end when he latched on to a pass to beat McGrath for a second time. Rea blazed over the bar minutes from the end while going in search of his hat trick and a Josh Flannery effort went just wide, but Saints had a two goal cushion to go on and claim an invaluable three league points.
TSDL Second Division reports 20th November 2022 Match Reports
Clerihan 2 – 2 Cashel Town
There was a lot on the line for both teams who started the day at the wrong end of the table and this game started at a frantic pace, with both teams comfortable when in possession but lacking any real goal threat. It took until three minutes before the break, for the first score, with the visitors opening the scoring through a very smart finish from Donnie Reidy, a lead they held until the break. The second half started in similar fashion with both teams trying to get the upper hand, and it looked like it was going to be the visitors after substitute Alex O’Sullivan scored four minutes before the hour mark, to double the visitors’ advantage. O Sullivan got on the end of a stray back pass before firing to the roof of the net, leaving the Clerihan keeper with no chance. But shortly afterwards an injury to the visiting keeper seemed to knock Cashel off their stride, and with twelve minutes left, Aaron Kiely struck a wonder goal from all of thirty yards out, to drag the home side back into the game. Four minutes later they were level, thanks to another long-distance strike, this time from Blain O’Brien. At two all both teams threw caution to the wind for the final ten minutes and both defences and keepers were tested, but neither side could find the all-important goal and the spoils were shared in the end.
St Nicholas 2 – 1 Dualla
Both these teams are in the hunt for promotion from the Second Division, so getting the points here was vital, especially for the home team who started out on the front foot and took the lead in the sixth minute when James Scanlon flicked on a long kick out from the keeper, into the path of Rodrigo Cerrano who fired to the net with the visiting keeper left flat footed. Saints remained in the ascendency throughout the half, carving out a number of chances and forcing their opponents to live off scraps, but they were unable to add to their lead before the break. The second half followed much the same pattern as the first, but Dualla finally got back into the game fourteen minutes from the end when Paraic Ryan flashed a superb volley to the net to level the game. But almost immediately the visitors seemed to implode and went down to ten men after having a player sent off for a straight red, and this handed the impetus back to the home side for the final ten minutes. They threw wave after wave of attack at the visitors goal and finally got their reward in the final minute when Jason Sutton fired home to take the precious points for his side.
TSDL Third Division reports 20th November 2022 Match Reports
Moyglass United 4 – 3 Cahir Park
Moyglass United put themselves right back in the reckoning for both promotion and the title race with a win by the off goal in seven against Cahir Park’s seconds on Sunday afternoon. It was a very entertaining game, with chances flowing for both sides almost right from the kick off. The visitors opened the scoring in the third minute with a goal from Edson de Santos, but the home side brought them back level in the tenth minute when Darragh Hurley hit a great strike to the net. Ten minutes before half time the hosts took the lead courtesy of Stephen Holohan, and Eoin Barry made it three goals to one, ten minutes into the second half, putting the hosts in control. But just as it looked like they were heading for an easy win, fifteen minutes from time, Willie Dunne scored for the Park to bring it back to a single goal game. Five minutes later, Dunne struck again to level matters. Completely dominant now, Cahir went for the win, and forced David Mc Cormack in the home goal, to make several brilliant saves to keep it level. But the final sting in the tail was yet to come, and in the final minute of the game, with the visitors camped on the edge of the United area, the home side broke upfield and caught Park on the counter, with Jack Hayes popping up to get the fourth and ultimately winning goal, to send his side shooting up the table.
TSDL Youths 19th November 2022 Match Reports
FAI Youths Cup, 3rd Round
Salthill Devon 2 -1 Clonmel Celtic
TSDL Youths Division One league leaders made the long trip to Galway to take on one of Irelands strongest outfits in the third round of this year’s FAI Youths Cup. The Galway side were quick out of the blocks and caught the Clonmel side cold within two minutes when a they capitalised on a defensive error to fire in the opening goal. Celtic worked themselves back into the game after that but clear chances from either side were hard to come by, and the teams went to the break with no more goals being scored. The second half started with the Tipperary side dominant, carving out good chances by Ciaran Fitzpatrick and Senan Butler, but they could not apply that bit of final quality that would have seen them draw level. And they were punished for this fifteen minutes from the end, when they were caught by a speedy breakaway from the edge of the Devon area, and went two goals behind. The visitors kept plugging away and pulled a goal back four minutes from time thanks to a Michael Prendergast wonder goal, but despite throwing everything at their opponents in the final minutes, they were unable to pull back an equalising goal and bowed out of the competition.
Fairview Rangers 4 – 2 Peake Villa
Peake Villas youths travelled to Limerick on Saturday evening to take on Fairview Rangers in the FAI Youths Cup, and although they put in a spirited performance, they came out on the wrong end of the result. The TSDL side started brightly and Kieran Purcell was unlucky with a strike that just went wide of the post after a great team move in the tenth minute. Soon after Danny Moore forced their keeper into another good save, but as the game progressed the home side began to exert control and took the lead on the half hour mark with a well worked free kick to make it one to nil. There were a few more half chances for both side before the break, but neither could score, and the sides went in with just the single goal separating them. The wining of the game however, came early in the second half when the home side scored two quick fire goals within five minutes of the restart.
Villa to their credit kept at it and pulled a goal back on the hour mark, when Danny Moore rounded two players and squared for Michael Anthony Mc Carthy to finish. But hope of getting back into the game was quickly extinguished when Fairview were awarded a penalty as Villa pushed forward and they converted to restablish their three-goal lead. Michael Anthony Mc Carthy scored his second with ten minutes to play and Villa pushed hard to the very end, but could not close the gap and th Limerick side advanced.
TSDL Youths Division 1
Clonmel Town 3 – 3 Slievenamon Celtic
An injury time equaliser from Darragh Landers was enough to give Slievenamon Celtic a more than deserved share of the points against Clonmel Town last Saturday in Ferryhouse in a very entertaining First Division Youths game. The early part of the tie was cagey enough but the visitors finally took a deserved lead in the twenty ninth minute when Darragh Landers tapped home after an Eoin Barry free was well saved by Cian Mc Grath. However, their lead was short lived, as Ronan Walsh scored yet another stunning goal, this time turning inside Jamie Ryan to unleash a thirty yard strike that gave the visiting keeper no chance, only two minutes later. That stunned the visitors, and they found themselves going to the break less than fifteen minutes later, two goals behind when first Cillian Fahy was fouled in the area and Alex Lawless converted the penalty, before two minutes later in the forty third minute, Lawless ran clear to shoot past Boyle from an acute angle to make it three goals to one at half time. Celtic were very quick to reduce the deficit in the second half, when man of the match Gus Nolan scored five minutes after the re start. It was end to the end for the remainder of the half and it looked as if Town had done enough to earn the three points until Darragh landers twenty-five-yard strike flew past Cian McGrath minutes from time. Town almost won it in the end when a brilliant run from Ronan Walsh ended with Sean Boyle pulling off a great save with his feet at the near post, but winning goal would have been harsh on the visitors, whose overall play was deserving of at least a point.