FAI Junior Cup 5th Round, 21st January 2024 Match Reports
Hardwick FC 1 – 3 St Michael’s
Saints booked their place in the last 16 of the FAI Junior Cup with a comprehensive win at Dublin Port Stadium against Hardwick FC, where a strong last quarter paved the way for the victory. The Dublin side started well and were ahead in the seventh minute when Adam Hanney found space at the edge of the area and his left foot shot nestled in the corner of the net. But they were only ahead for six minutes as the TSDL side came roaring back and levelled matters when Russell Quirke freed Jimmy Carr who was deemed to have been fouled by a defender, before coolly slotting the resulting penalty past Ivory in the goal to make it one all. On twenty four minutes, the home side were reduced to ten men when Mc Ailey was sent off as the last defender for a professional foul on Jimmy Carr, who was in fine form terrorising the Dublin defence. The resultant free kick saw Colin Bargary hit narrowly wide. Rhys O’Regan went close five minutes before the break from an Ed O’Dwyer lay off, but just on the cusp of half time the Saint’s got a warning that the win wasn’t assured when Robbie King brought a good save from Adrian Walsh. As the second period wore on, the fitness of the away side, coupled with having the extra man say them slowly take control of the tie. They had already had a number of chances to take the lead before they finally did in the seventy third minute when Joey Mulcahy curled a free kick in at the near post. The game was now quite open and free flowing and Saints put the tie to bed eleven minutes from time mins when Rhys O’ Regan was found in space on the right and his left foot shot found the corner of the net. Hardwick battled away and Saints coughed up soft possession and a few silly frees and at one stage it looked like it was going to boil over with a flurry of yellow cards. But it was the home side that were further reduced when a defender had a red card brandished for a foul on Ashley Kelliher. Referee Robert Bradley’s final whistle sent the large Saints contingent into raptures as they await next week’s draw for the next round.
Clonmel Celtic 2 – 0 Malahide United
A very impressive performance from Clonmel Celtic saw them take their place in the last 16 of the FAI Junior Cup following a two-goal win against Malahide Utd on a wet and windy Sunday afternoon. With a strong wind at their backs Celtic started the game on the front foot and came close on six minutes after a fine move involving Philly Drohan and Peter O’Dowd culminated with Graham Kelly flashing a shot inches wide from the edge of the box. Kelly was very prominent in the early stages and he came close again a minute later with an almost identical effort. This time a Peter O’Dowd centre fell invitingly at his feet but he shot flew inches past the opposite post. Having weathered the early storm, the visitors grew into the game and put together some nice passages of play but were unable to create any real chances against a strong and well organised home backline. The watching home support felt that the hosts needed a lead at the break, having the advantage of the elements and that duly arrived on thirty-five minutes with Cian O’Sullivan getting on the end of a Philly Drohan free kick to put his side ahead. Peter O’Dowd then had a long-range effort just off target two minutes before the break and Celtic had to be content with a slender interval lead. The early stages of the second probably proved crucial to the outcome of the tie. After Cross had an effort for the visitors that was deflected wide, the hosts upped the ante and pushed for a second. That duly arrived on fifty-three minutes when Jamie Ahearne teed up Philly Drohan on the edge of the box and he fired home a fine effort to the roof of the net. Celtic nearly put the game to bed a minute later when Julian Kerton raced clear but Darragh Mooney denied him with a good save. The Clonmel side had put in a huge effort at this stage and the heavy conditions saw them tire as Malahide began to have more of the ball as they tried to find a way back into the tie. Murtagh tried his luck from a free just after the hour mark but Fabian Kerton gathered his effort comfortably. Ten minutes from time, the home side came closest to adding a third when Darren Sweeney managed to get around the keeper but his effort was cleared off the line by the retreating Curtis. Malahide to their credit kept plugging away but just couldn’t create any clear opening against an obdurate Celtic rearguard, and in the end, the home side were good value for their win.
TSDL Youths Report 20th January 2024 Match Reports
Munster Youth Cup, 4th Round
Cashel Town 4 – 1 Midleton
Cashel advanced to the last eight of the Munster Youth Cup with a well-deserved win over the reigning champions Midleton of Cork in very difficult conditions at Dixie Currivan Park in Cashel on Saturday afternoon. The home side began the match playing into the strong wind and started really, being on top from the early exchanges and finally hitting the front in the seventeenth minute when a ball was fired across the edge of the area and in an attempt to clear it, was hooked into his own net by a Midleton defender. They doubled the lead ten minutes later when the visitors failed to clear a corner and after several ricochets ended up at the feet of Pawel Zakowicz who finished confidently to the corner of the net. After this the home side dominated proceedings in the middle of the pitch, but were unable to add to their tally before the half time break. The Cork side came out firing in the second period, but were rocked back shortly before the hour mark when their defence was caught out by a fantastic pass from Sami Laaksonen who put Callum Butler away. Butler was taken down in the area, and the resulting penalty was finished by Blake Doyle Carroll to extend his sides lead to three goals. The Cork side kept coming however, and were given a sliver of hope on sixty five minutes with a goal from Josh Dempsey after a goalmouth scramble. They continued to try and press but were easily snuffed out by Cashel defence and midfield. On the stroke of full time, Cashel’s Ciaran Byrnes put the cherry on the top of an excellent performance when he dispossessed a defender and rounded the keeper before finishing calmly to the net and sparking off wild celebrations in the home dugout.
TSDL Youths Division 2
SC & K United 4 – 4 Two Mile Borris
These two teams played out a thrilling four all draw on Saturday afternoon in testing conditions at the Ormond Stores pitch in Kilsheelan. The home side started well and found themselves in front after eighteen minutes when Daniel Condon netted after picking up possession deep inside the opposition penalty area and neatly finishing past the keeper. They extended that lead to two just after the half hour mark when a long kick out from the keeper was misjudged by a Borris defender, and deflected over his own keeper into an empty net. And they found a third six minutes into the second-half when Darren Kirwan found Brandon Landers with an inch perfect through-ball, and Landers made no mistake with the finish finding the bottom-right corner. The game looked up at this point for the visitors but they fired two quick goals in the next five minutes to put the tie back into the melting pot. Fifteen minutes from time the turnaround was complete when they added a third thanks to a long distance effort into the top corner of the goal, and to make matters worse, the hosts were reduced to ten men for the remainder of the game. Eight minutes from time, all the early good work was undone for the home side when Borris took the lead for the first time in the game, thanks to a penalty the was fired to the opposite side of the home keeper and into the net. But the home side kept battling and deservedly found an equaliser in the final minute when Anthony Boyle fired home after a goal mouth scramble from a Gus Nolan free-kick, to put the gloss on what was an excellent game for the watching supporters.