FAI Junior Cup 1st Round 24th September 2023 Match Reports
Cahir Park 1 – 0 Dualla
Enjoying a good return to the Premier League, Cahir Park welcomed Scond Division side Dualla in the first round of this years FAI Cup, and after a tough game, were happy to get away with a single goal victory. The game was played in atrocious conditions for football, but the home side started brightly and were unlucky not to open the scoring in the fifth minute, when Kyle Delaney put a shot just over the bar. But after this, the visitors grew into the game and constantly frustrated the hosts. Both sides were reduced to half chances and the teams went to the break level at nil all. The second half continued in the same vein with the weather continuing to make it difficult for both sides to build any real momentum. That finally changed seventeen minutes from the end, when Niall Daly put the home team in front, latching onto a loose ball ten yard out and finishing through a crowded box. Having to chase the game now, the visitors threw caution to the wind, and the game opened up. But this also gave extra space to the Park, and they made better use of it, forcing the visiting keeper into a number of fine saves, to keep his side in the tie. In the end one goal was enough and Cahir moved on to the next round.
Moneygall 1 – 2 Cashel Town
Cashel Town made the trip into North Tipp for their first foray in this year’s Junior Cup competition, and had to come from behind before prevailing by the odd goal in three against a tough Moneygall side. The match was played in difficult conditions, and the home side took the lead just before the half hour mark when a speculative long range shot from distance was deflected in to the top corner by a Town defender. This was a blow to the TSDL side as they had the majority of possession up to that point, but they knuckled down and continued to dominate the game, though they could not hit back before the break. They continued to push in the second period and finally got their reward for their good play, when they levelled the game on the hour mark after Lee O Riordan finished well at the back post from a cross off the right wing. Their tales up now, Cashel continued to press and got the winner ten minutes from the end when Kyle Ryan headed home from a corner. Despite the home side pushing to get back into the game after this, the South Tipp side defended well and won out.
Bansha Celtic 4 – 3 Vee Rovers
Bansha Celtic finally won out in this tie last Sunday after a seven goal thriller against Vee Rovers that warmed the watching supporters on a terrible day for football in West Tipperary. The game began pretty subdued and there were no chances of note, before the away side took the lead with a cleverly engineered goal in the fifteenth minute, that was finished to the net by Zach Keating. After that despite a lot of huffing and puffing from both sides, there were to be no more goals in the first half. But the second period more than made up for it, despite it too getting off to a less than auspicious start. Dour midfield battles continued to dominate until the sixtieth minute, when the hosts finally got back on level terms when Daniel Dwyer fired to the net to make it one all. The game seemed to completely open up after this, and the home side found themselves in front ten minutes later, thanks to a strike by Tony Egan, and within five minutes, Dwyer got his second to make the score three goals to one, and open up a gap. But Vee stuck to their task and reduced the deficit to a single goal ten minutes from time when Sean Carey found the net. Bansha then restored their two goal cushion minutes later when Conal Grogan fired home a free kick, and that looked like being it. But Zach Keating scored a second in time added on, to make it a nervy last few seconds for Celtic, although they did hold out in the end.
St Michael’s 9 – 0 Ballingarry Albion
Last season’s finalists Saints booked a trip to Ardcroney the next round, with a comfortable victory over Ballingarry Albion at a rainy Cooke Park on Sunday afternoon. The gulf in class was obvious from the beginning, and when Jimmy Carr put the home side in front in just the eighth minute, it looked like being a long day for the Third Division side. Further goals in the first half from an Ashely Kelliher double, along with Carr’s second and Rhys O Regan, ensured that the tie was well in the bag by the time the half time whistle was blown. Both sides used their benches at half time and substitute John English made it six three minutes in, to resume the scoring. Three more followed by full time against a game Ballingarry side, through a brace by Rhys O Regan, completing his hat trick and a Danny O Brien effort.
Clonmel Celtic 4 – 0 Wilderness Rovers
Celtic advanced to Round 2 of the FAI Junior Cup with a relative straightforward win against neighbours Wilderness Rovers on Sunday afternoon. The home side dominated proceedings from the start and though the visitors were very competitive they carried very little threat throughout. That said, despite having the majority of possession for long periods, the hosts struggled to make the breakthrough with Julian Kerton, Philip Drohan, Rory O’Dowd and Peter O’Dowd all coming close before they finally scored in the twenty eighth minute. Philip Drohan took advantage of a defensive lapse and he fired home from distance with the goalkeeper stranded to the delight of his team mates. Four minutes later they doubled the lead, when Darren Sweeney fired home from the spot after Seanie Hawkins was tripped in the box. Things got worse for the visitors three minutes before the break, when Cianan Kerton’s effort fell to Darren Sweeney inside the area, and he made no mistake, leaving the home side three goals to the good at the break. Both sides finished the first half with ten men when tempers flared a little just before the interval, but with the game now relatively safe the home side made a number of changes early in the second half. The only real incident of note in the second period was a neat finish by Graham Kelly from a Paddy Ormond centre midway through the half, that meant Celtic ran out comfortable four goal winners in the end.
Powerstown 4 – 1 SC & K United (AET)
On an afternoon where constant rain threatened the game even being completed, it was Powerstown FC who pulled through in tough conditions over local rivals Kilsheelan Utd to book their place in the 2nd round of the FAI Junior Cup. It was the hosts who settled the quicker and took the lead after ten minutes, when Aaron Kiely pounced on ball in the box to finish to the bottom corner. With Kilsheelan starting to gain a foothold in the game, their pressure paid off in the twenty fourth minute when John O’Dwyer finished well from a tight angle to the top corner to level the game back up. There were no more goals in the first half, and with the rain a driving factor and players struggling with their footing, neither teams created too much in the second period. The visitors did have one great chance towards the end of normal time when Cathal De Faoite saw his header well saved by Kieran Quirke in the Powerstown goal. Into extra-time and the first half of the that followed was a carbon copy of the second half of normal time, with nothing of note being created. However in the first minute after the re-start for the second half, A moment of brilliance from Stephen Lahart put Powerstown in front. A ball into the box was cleared as far as Lahart, who was standing all of thirty yards away, but he struck a brilliant first time volley into the top corner, giving the keeper no chance. Three minutes later, Darren Murphy who followed up with a third, after being played in behind and finishing with an audacious chip over the advancing net minder. Cock a hoop now, the hosts wrapped up their victory in superb fashion when the referee adjudged that Seamas O’Brien was fouled in the area, and the evergreen Gino Lonergan stepped up and made no mistake to make sure of the victory and the place in the 2nd round of the cup.
TSDL Premier League 24th September 2023 Match Reports
Peake Villa 5 – 0 Clonmel Town
Clonmel Towns league woes continued on Sunday when they went down badly to reigning league champions Peake Villa at a wind and rain swept Tower Field in Thurles. The home side started brightly against the wind and had a few good chances early on, before finally taking the lead in the twenty seventh minute, when a free kick from Pippy Carroll was spilled by the keeper and Ronan Maguire was on hand to tap in. The visitors tried to use the wind at their back the first half and did have a few good chances with Willie Tierney making a few good saves in the home goal. It looked like they would get to the break, just a single goal behind, but almost on the stroke of half time, Carroll was taken down in the box, and he stood up himself to fire the resulting spot kick to the net, and send his side in two goals in front. Villa continued to dominate in the second period and extended their lead just before the hour mark, when Mc Guire turned provider for Carroll who finished to the net from just inside the area. Mc Guire was the provider again ten minutes from time, when he crossed to the back post and Kieren Hennessy was on hand to score from close range. But the goal of the game was reserved for the final moments, when Mc Guire again crossed to the far post to find Hennessy, and knocked it down to the oncoming Carroll who blasted home to secure his first hat trick of the season, and round off a comprehensive win for his side.
TSDL Second Division 24th September 2023 Match Reports
Two Mile Borris 3 – 1 Rosegreen Rangers
Borris seconds hosted Rosegreen in treacherous conditions at Newhill on Sunday, before coming out on top on a score line of three. Both teams created chances between them early in the first half with the home side playing against a gale force wind making it hard to get anything going for long periods. The dead lock was finally broken in the twentieth minute with a fine strike from Richard Mc Carthy from all of twenty five yards out, that left the visiting keeper with no chance of saving. But Rosegreen went on the attack straight from the kick off creating a few chances and drawing some good saves from Ashton Jordan in the Borris goal. The levelled the game eight minutes before the break, when Ben Young headed home from a corner, with the home defence left flat footed. But the home side were undeterred by this, and within minutes were back in front when after some excellent build up play, Adam Daly found the net to make it two goals to one. Just before the half time break, they got the decisive goal of the game, when they pulled the Rangers defence apart and set up Michael Anthony Mc Carthy to tap home from close range, giving themselves a two goal cushion at half time. The second half was similar to the first with both teams creating chances, and the hosts now having the aid of the wind. But as the game went on, the conditions underfoot worsened, and it became hard for either side to really create anything of note, with the game lacking any more goals, and the points staying with the home team.
St Nicholas 1 – 5 Moyglass United
The away side have been on the wrong side of a couple of results in recent weeks, but they atoned for that in style away in Solohead on Sunday afternoon, easily taking three points for a uncharacteristically flat St Nicholas side. The visitors started quickly and were ahead within four minutes when Keith Cleere found the net after some good attacking play on the break. They doubled the lead in the eighteenth minute when Michael Hickey volleyed a defensive header back to the net from the edge of the Saints area. Things got worse for the home side, when they went three down just before the half hour, when Cleere added a second direct from a free kick. The home side started the second half a bit better and pulled a goal back through Michael Maguire thirteen minutes in, but this was as good as it got for them on the day. Although they continued to attack to try to get back into the game, they were leaving space behind them, and it was ruthlessly exploited twelve minutes from time, when Craig Nolan broke and scored against the run of play, to re-establish the away sides three goal cushion. Five minutes from time, with the home side ragged at the back, Cleere added the fifth to put the cherry on the top of an excellent Moyglass performance.
Cashel Town 0 – 1 Suirside
In a game played in terrible conditions at Palmershill, Suirside produced a smash and grab to take the points from a disappointed home side. There were little chances of note as the weather played havoc with both teams attempts to play decent football, and in the end the result was decided by a goal for the visitors in the twentieth minute, when Andy Hickey found the net with a shot from ten yards out. Although the home side had the wind at their back in the second half, they managed not to create too much, and despite hitting the post five minutes from time, were unable to find an equaliser.
TSDL Third Division 24th September 2023 Match Reports
Clonmel Celtic 4 – 1 Burncourt Celtic
Clonmel Celtic extended their 100% record this season in the Third Division completing four wins from four when they beat Burncourt Celtic by four goals to one at the bypass on Sunday afternoon. It took a while for both sides to adapt to the conditions, but the home side eventually struck in the thirty fourth minute when Cian O Sullivan found the net after his team had won the ball back from some excellent high pressing. That’s how it looked going to the break, but in time added on, Ben Nugent who had only come on as a sub, doubled his sides lead with a strike from the edge of the area. With the weather deteriorating the home side pushed on to assure themselves of the points, and went three up on the hour mark when Jason Barnes scored to give his side significant breathing space. The game was finally put to bed twenty minutes from time, when another substitute Mikey Cooper added the fourth. To Burncourts credit, they continued to battle away and got a goal back just before the end of the game when David Cagney found the net. But it was much too little, and much too late, to make any difference to the final score line.
TSDL Youths Report 24th September 2023 Match Reports
FAI Youths Cup Preliminary Round
Clonmel Celtic 1 – 3 Cashel Town
Clonmel Celtic Youths fell to somewhat of a surprise defeat against an excellent Cashel Town side, which saw an end to their participation in this years FAI Youths Cup at the first hurdle. The home side cannot have to many complaints as Cashel were good value for their win. There wasn’t much between the sides in the early stages with both sides having plenty possession without creating much. The visitors took the lead in the fourteenth minute when they took advantage of a defensive error and Cillan Fitzgerald slotted home from close range. Celtic tried to up their game but couldn’t break down a solid Town outfit. The away side doubled their lead just before the break when once again the hosts dithered in defence and Blake Carroll fired home to the bottom corner. Celtic improved in the second half but still weren’t doing enough to trouble their opponents. In fact but for an excellent block by Jack Lawlor and fabulous follow up save by Peter Boland the visitors could have stretched their lead early in the second half. Celtic were thrown a lifeline with ten minutes remaining when they were awarded a penalty that Jack Aylward slotted home. But when pushing for an equaliser and with extra players committed forward they were caught by a classic counter attack with Conor Wheston finishing well in the last minute to see the away side through to the next round.