FAI Junior Cup, semi Final, 2nd April 2023 Match Reports
Gorey Rangers 1 – 2 St Michael’s
Saints showed character and resilience to come from behind in this game and ultimately earn a place in their eight FAI Junior Cup final. After making the long trip to Wexford, the first half was tense and nervy from both sides as the stakes were so high. But the experienced TSDL side had the better of the early chances with Donagh Hickey, and Rhys Byron going close in the first quarter hour. But as the half wore on, the home side began to make chances of their own, and took the lead in the thirty second minute, when Adam Territt managed to get around his marker on the wing, and deliver a pin point cross to Paul Brennan who made no mistake from close in. This gave the large home crowd plenty to cheer about, but it was never going to deter the old Saints heads, and veteran Paul Breen was unlucky not to find an equaliser with a headed effort from a Joey Mulcahy free kick just on the stroke of half time. The TSDL side needed a good start to the second period, but were lucky not to find themselves two goals down only two minutes in, when Paul Brennan found himself in space in their area, but luckily he pulled his effort wide of the target. Young defender DJ Cremins was called upon shortly after that to deny Brennan once again with a well timed tackle. But the visitors got the break they needed in the fifty third minute when Jimmy Carr was upended in the penalty area and and Joey Mulcahy levelled the game from the penalty spot. The game was flowing from one end of the pitch to the other at this stage, with Aido Walsh called into action on a number of occasions, but always finding himself up to the task of keeping his side level. The introduction of Shane Ryan and Ashley Kelliher midway through the second half added a new dimension to the Saints game, and was instrumental in them finding the front with seventeen minutes left to play. Colin Bargary hit a perfect pass for the pacy Kelliher who beat the defence, but was taken down by keeper Kinsella to see the Tipperary side awarded their second spot kick of the game. And for the second time, Mulcahy did the business, going to the opposite side this time, but again sending the home keeper in the wrong direction. After this, the Saints defended doggedly over the final ten minutes, with Paul Breen and DJ Cremins standing solid as a barrage of crosses came into their area. They continued to pose a threat on the counter attack themselves, with Adam McGrath and Russell Quirke unlucky with their efforts. Four minutes of injury time were added and elapsed before the final whistle saw joyous scenes among the travelling supporters, who will no doubt now be relishing a crack at Newmarket Celtic in the final come the end of the month.
TSDL Premier League 2nd April 2023 Match Reports
Wilderness Rovers 2 – 5 Peake Villa
Peake Villa arrived in Clonmel on Sunday afternoon needing a big result to keep themselves in the hunt for the Premier League title, while their main rivals were on a weekend off, and they delivered in spades against a game Wilderness side who have enjoyed a successful return to the top table after a number of years in Division One. The visitors had most of the possession but were constantly thwarted in the early stages by a resolute Wildies defence. But they finally opened the scoring in the twenty third minute when Evan Mc Cormack got behind the home defence and slotted home from close range. The rest of the half saw the hosts push forward looking for an equaliser but the closest they came was a shot from Daan van Der Wall hitting the crossbar with a fantastic effort, and they went to the break a goal down. The second half followed in much the same vein for the first ten minutes, before the Thurles side added a second after a mix up in the home defence. This could have seen the Clonmel side fold, but they brought the game back to life six minutes later when Michael O Hara headed home a ball swung in from the right hand side. This added momentum to the home side and they were level in the sixty sixth minute when they were awarded a penalty kick and Sean Brown made no mistake from twelve yards out. But this seemed to re-invigorate the Villa and they began to wear down the hosts, retaking the lead eighteen minutes from time when Ronan Mc Guire found the net. Two more goals in three minutes in the final ten minutes assured that the Thurles side would take home all three points, after that mini scare, and keep them well in contention as the season reaches the real business end.
Vee Rovers 1 – 4 Two Mile Borris
Vee Rovers finished out what has been a disappointing season for them with another defeat on Sunday, when they hosted Two Mile Borris in Clogheen. The home side will play their football in the First Division next season and will be glad to see the end of this one, after suffering another defeat against a young Borris side that will hope to consolidate themselves after a good year and hopefully push on to better things in the future. The away side were well on top in the first half and created a number of good chances before finally taking the lead in the twenty third minute. The goal itself was simple enough, a long ball over the top was latched onto by Daniel Rafter and he fired home against the stranded home keeper. Three minutes later, the hosts were caught again in an almost identical situation, unable to deal with a long ball into their area, and again Rafter made them pay by sweeping home his and his sides second goal. The game settled a little after that and Vee would have hoped to get to the break and regroup without conceding further, but they were caught out again two minutes before the break when Zack Hackett produced a tidy finish to send his side into half time three goals to the good. The second period was a more even affair with both sides making chances, but it was again Borris who finally made one count in the seventy second minute when Urban Nolan got a fourth for his side. Ten minutes from time, the home side got a deserved goal thanks to a sublime effort by Mark Hayde, but it was too little too late to make any real difference to the final outcome.
TSDL First Division Shield 2nd April 2023 Match Reports
Clonmel Town 5 – 0 Mullinahone
Clonmel Town advanced to the semi-final of the First Division shield by overcoming Mullinahone by five goals to nil on Sunday afternoon last. A very youthful Town team were on the front foot from the off and were rewarded on fifteen minutes when Michael O Sullivan unleashed an unstoppable shot from all of thirty yards out that gave the visiting keeper no chance. To their credit the visitors were grew into the game and looked dangerous at times with their crisp passing unsettling the hosts, but the game went away from them again in the thirty second minute when a fine save by the keeper fell to Dylan Guiry who tapped home to make it two nil to the hosts, a lead they took to the break. The second half started with both teams continuing to play some nice football and the away side pressurising the Town defence from set pieces especially, but the hosts dealing with everything thrown at them. Nineteen minutes from time clock Dylan Guiry put the game to bed when he broke the offside trap to slot home his sides third, and within two minutes he completed his hat trick when once again he showed his strength when seeing off the Mullinahone defence to rattle the net giving the keeper no chance. Town weren’t willing to run down the clock and kept attacking in waves and with the last kick of the match Michael O Sullivan was to get his second of the match and the teams fifth when he lobbed the keeper from his own half.
Peake Villa 0 – 3 Old Bridge
A young Villa side took to the field on Sunday against a strong Bridge team who are having a run of fine form in the latter stages of the season fine season. The first half was a very good game with both teams playing good football, and the hosts unlucky not to open the scoring midway through the half when Paul Noonan got behind the defence and his shot was brilliantly saved by Connie Power in the Bridge goal. Noonan got on the end of a cross just minutes later and again it was well saved. At the other end David Purcell was having a fine game in goal for Villa making a few good saves, and with nothing between the sides they went in level at half time. The second half sew Bridge come to the fore with their experience telling and they were starting to find gaps in the young Villa defence. Darren Guiry opened the scoring for the Bridge when he got on the end of a cross and headed home in the sixty second minute. To Villa’s credit they never gave up and tried to get back level but it wasn’t to be and Jake Mulcahy made it two, eight minutes from time after a well worked move through the centre of the pitch. Mulcahy scored again In injury time, from a breakaway when the home side were pushing for a score, to make the full time score three nil to the visitors.
TSDL Second Division Shield 2nd April 2023 Match Reports
Cullen Lattin 3 – 2 Galbally United
Cullen welcomed neighbours Galbally to Aisling Park Cullen, on Sunday for what was the fourth time the two teams met in all competitions this season. With both sides missing regular players for different reasons it was a chance for other players to shine, and the hosts had the better of the early exchanges, with Fiachra O Grady going close on fifteen minutes when played in by Mikey Stokes. Josh Dineen the almost opened the scoring for the visitors at the other end but Darren Hueston saved well. But eventually the home side got the breakthrough when O Grady played in Stokes just before the half hour mark, and he finished well past the keeper. They doubled that advantage eight minutes before the break Ciaran Ryan’s excellent through ball found Danny O Dwyer who finished well from a tight angle, to send the home side to half time well on top. But the visitors took control of the second period and the hosts had to do some desperate defending for long periods to keep them out. Galbally finally got some reward for their good work Jordan Dineen was fouled in the area in the sixty eight minute, and he stepped up to dispatch the spot kick to the net and bring the deficit back to a single goal. The hosts rolled on some subs to try freshen the side up but the visitors got it all level fourteen minutes from time when a long Josh Dineen throw was flicked on by Bernard O Brien at the front post and Pat Murphy was on hand to head home. It looked like there would be only one winner of this game at this stage, as Galbally were very much in the ascendency, but the home side managed to catch them on the hop late on, when on a rare attack Mikey Stokes teed up captain Alan Hayes to smash a right footed shot from outside the box, that sailed into the top corner, and send his side on to the next round.
TSDL Third Division Shield 2nd 2023 Match Reports
Moyglass United 7 – 4 Killenaule Rovers (AET 4-4 FT)
Moyglass United and near neighbours Killenaule Rovers played a rip-roaring Shield quarter final on Sunday last, that went all the way to extra time before the home side advanced. Things looked reasonably straight forward for a home side that is enjoying a really good season this year, when they went two goals up inside the first twenty minutes through goals by Tom Gahan and an Adam Lyons penalty. But the visitors got themselves back to only a goal behind six minutes from the break when Conor Sinnott smashed a free kick to the top corner of the net. But that good work was undone right on the stroke of half time when Keith Cleere got a third goal for the hosts and re-established their two goal lead at the break. Ten minutes into the second period Killenaule had it back to just one again, when Sinnott added a second, but this was followed shortly after by a second Lyons penalty as Moyglass looked to have gotten control of the tie. But the visitors rallied late on, and two goals in a ten minute spell from a Moyglass defender putting through his own net, and a Tommy Delaney effort sent the game almost improbably to extra time. Alas for the away side, this was as good as it got, as Moyglass took control right from the start with a goal by Eoin Byrne, and two more followed in the second period through Mick Lacey and Adam Lyons completing his hat trick, to keep the home side in contention for a league and shield double
Donohill and District 2 – 1 Cahir Park
Donohill got past Cahir Park on Sunday by the odd goal in three after a game that was well contested and in which both sides played some really nice flowing football. The away side were the ones that broke the deadlock when a speculative cross was launched into the home area and a defender deflected the ball into his own net. This gave the away side a lead they kept to half time, but five minutes into the second period, Donohill were level when Michael O Neill headed home a Seanie Ryan cross. Donohill’s high work rate paid dividends fifteen minutes from the end, when Paudie Bradshaw was taken down in the box and Darragh Mooney put his side in front from the spot. For the rest of the game, the visitors peppered the home defence but Donohill stood firm and advanced.
Kilsheelan United 1 – 2 Powerstown
Powerstown remained on course for a league and Shield double when they squeaked past Kilsheelan United with a winning goal in the final minute of extra time, after a very enjoyable game of football. It took a while for both teams to get going in the first-half, and it wasn’t until the half-an-hour mark when the deadlock was broken. A Brian McKeown header came back off the post, and unfortunately rebounded off the home keeper into the back of the net to give the visitors the lead. Kilsheelan struggled to create any real chances in the first-half, but attacked with more intent in the second, coming close through Cathal de Faoite, Billy O’Connor & Nathan Dolan on numerous occasions. With eighteen minutes remaining, they found the equaliser through the penalty spot. A long-ball found Jamie Roche, who played Mark Heffernan in down the left-wing before Heffernan was fouled and the referee pointed to the spot. Up stepped captain Nathan Dolan to calmly slot home into the bottom-right corner to give his side a deserved equaliser. And they came inches away from scoring a winner late in the game, when Billy O’Connor’s lobbed effort rebounded off the Powerstown crossbar and out for a goal-kick. This meant the teams faced another twenty minutes of action in extra-time, and despite both going for the win, it was the visitors who grabbed the decisive goal with two minutes remaining when Conor McGrath got in behind the home defence to tap his shot to the net.
TSDL Youths 2nd April 2023 Match Reports
TSDL Youths Division 2 Youth Cup Final
Cashel Town 4 – 2 Shanbally United
Cashel Town’s Youths were finally crowned Division 2 Youth league champions with a fine four goal to two win against rivals Shanbally United on Saturday, in a game played away in Shanbally. The eventual champions started well and took the good form they have been showing all year into the game, and opening up a lead inside ten minutes when Lee Riordan found the net. But their opponents have been holding onto their coat tails at the top of the league all year and replied shortly afterwards to level the game through a slickly finished effort by Jessie Kiely. The game flowed end to end with both sides making plenty of chances, and the visiting side regained their lead shortly before the half hour mark when Ciaran Fitzpatrick found the net after some good build up play through the midfield area. Cashel made it three goals to one five minutes before the break thanks to a Callum Butler goal, taking that lead to half time. Shanbally had the wind at their back in the second period, and the wind in their sails when they pulled a second goal back ten minutes into the half, thanks to a fine effort from Daire English. They then controlled most of the play for much of the rest of the game, as Cashel tucked into a very effective defensive game, and quelled most attacks with relative ease. They ensured the win and the title two minutes from time, when a quick breakaway downfield resulted in them being awarded a penalty kick, and Blake Doyle Carroll made no mistake converting the penalty to the delight of his team mates and supporters, who celebrated passionately after the final whistle was blown.
