Manager: Alan Burns
Assistant: Sam Browne Top Goalscorer: Dave Lewis, Ryan Scollard (7) Most Assists MJ Tierney (9) ​Seaford's season in LSL Major 1 followed a similar patter to the previous campaign, as Alan Burns's side recovered from a poor start to go on a strong run in the wintertime, before their promotion push stalled badly in the final phase. The season began in disastrous fashion as the side suffered a 1-5 hammering at home against Aungier Celtic, but Killian Campion's late consolation goal at set in motion a run which saw the Penguins become the only team in the division to score in every single league game. After a disastrous extra time exit from the FAI Junior Cup against SVS, there was a big turning point in the season in the away match against Railway Union, when a sensational last-minute equaliser got the Penguins off the mark for the season, courtesy of a brilliant assist from Darragh Roche and a bullet header from Ryan Scollard. The following week saw back-to-back wins, as Seaford followed up a comfortable victory away against Home Farm, with a last-gasp winner against Glebe North, before finishing out 2022 by giving a better account of themselves against Aungier with a battling draw at Brickfield Park. The new year saw the strong run of form continue, as the side suffered just one defeat in nine. It was a run characterised by some brilliant goals, such as MJ Tierney's stunning lob in the win over Glebe, and Dave Lewis's 30-yard rocket as Seaford saw off Liffey Wanderers. The side suffered a rare setback away at St Francis, losing 3-1 against a top-class side, but a comprehensive dismantling of Home Farm in the following match set up Burnsie's boys for an unlikely promotion to the top flight of LSL Saturday. That would have required four wins from their remaining six matches, but instead the Penguins laid an egg, picking up only two points from their dismal run-in, courtesy of frustrating draws against St Pats CY and St Kevin's Boys, which were sandwiched between defeats home and away against the division's outstanding team, Old County. The eventual fifth place finish represented an improvement of one spot in the table as against the previous season.
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Another LSL campaign draws to a close on Monday evening as the Majors complete their season by hosting runaway champions Old County at Rockfield Park.
The visitors have made light work of LSL Major 1, remaining unbeaten throughout their entire league campaign, a feat which is all the more impressive given their lengthy involvement in domestic, provincial and national cup competitions. The sides played out an entertaining game in Crumlin only a few weeks ago, as Old County eventually prevailed 3-2, with the Penguins going close to a dramatic late equaliser.
Manager: Paulie Morris
Assistant: Mate Salacan Premiers Player of the Year: TBC Premiers Top Goalscorer: Shane Halpin (6) Premiers - Most Assists: Mate Salacan (5) Seaford's Premiers may be in need of a rebrand after securing promotion to LSL Major 1D following a successful league campaign in 2023/24.. Paulie Morris's men got off to a strong start, with 10 points from their opening four games, including three wins which showed the doggedness that would characterise the team during the next few months. Niall Holleran got the ball rolling with what turned out to be the winning goal in the early stages against Montpelier, and in contrast it was a strike a the very death which saw off Terenure Rangers - not the last time in the season when Shane Halpin would prove the matchwinner in a crucial game. Veteran Francis Mulhall bagged what proved to the crucial goal at home to Baldoyle, before the side suffered their first setback losing the return tie against Montpelier. After those initial narrow wins, the Penguins found their scoring touch late in the year with comfortable wins over Swords (with Halpin scoring the season's only hat-trick), Manortown United and Baldoyle putting the side in a commanding position before the winter break, even if they were seen off by runaway leaders Kilmore Celtic in between But the new year so a dip in form for Morris's men. They scored only once in their first four games of 2023, which was Mate Salacan's dramatic last-minute free kick to rescue a point at Balbriggan. There meant there was big pressure on Seaford for their trip to promotion rivals Larkview, and the men in maroon eventually prevailed in a ding-dong match, courtesy of a late winner from Shane Gilroy. A drab defeat against the other contenders, Terenure, undid much of that good work, but it was still in Seaford's hands' going into the final month of the season. Back-to-back home fixtures gave the team a great chance to capitalise. The lads made light work of Balbriggan, before an epic duel against champions-elect Kilmore, as Halpin's first half goal made the difference, allied to a battling defensive performance. It meant that the Penguins needed a win from their final two matches, both against relegation-threatened side. Yet again, Seaford did things the hard way, conceding in injury time to lose 2-1 at FC Transilvania, before they finally crawled over the line, as Halpin was yet again the man for the big moment, netting the only goal against Swords to ensure a top-three finish. The Majors' promotion push has stuttered after consecutive losses against two of their top-three rivals. First, they were unlucky to slip to defeat at home to Liffey Wanderers, as an MJ Tierney free kick wasn't enough to haul back the two-goal advantage the visitors had secured in the opening few minutes. Then on Tuesday, Seaford came home empty-handed despite a fine battling performances away against champions-elect Old County. Click here for the full match report or see the highlights below. The Majors fell at the first hurdle in the Ryan Cup, making a dramatic exit at the hands of top-flight Ballymun United at Rockfield Park,. Seaford enjoyed much the better chances during 90 minutes of stalemate and throughout extra time, but it was the visitors who hit the front with barely two minutes left on the clock. Not to be outdone, the Penguins mounted one final attack ,with keeper Oisin Geoghegan joining the final onslaught, and setting up Dave Lewis to equalise. But unfortunately the hosts' luck ran out, and Ballymun progressed in sudden-death spot-kicks. Read the full match report here, or see below for highlights.
Another busy weekend with both Seaford teams in action on Saturday afternoon.
The Majors host St Kevin's Boys aiming to make it three on the bounce after recent wins over Liffey Wanderers and Swords Celtic helped them keep pace at the business end of the Major 1 table. The opposition have had a difficult season with just one win in their 12 matches so far, but they've proven in the past to be a highly talented side who have turned the Penguins over on more than one occasion, most recently in the final game of the 2019/20 campaign when they produced an excellent display at Rockfield park to deny Seaford a top-three finish. The Premiers have been going well under Paulie Morris but suffered a rare setback last time out when they went down 0-2 to Larkview Boys. They can reassert their promotion credentials by replicating their previous win over Manortown United, whom they saw off 3-1 at Rockfield Park back in November. A quickfire brace from Jamie McCaul turned the game around on the hour mark as the Majors made it back-to-back wins against Swords Celtic. Read the full match report here. But the Premiers came up short against Larkview Boys in the second part of the Rockfield double-header. It was decent return from two tough away fixtures on Saturday afternoon, as the Majors earned a win over Liffey Wanderers courtesy of two excellent finishes from Dave Lewis - the second of which was an all-time classic - and some dogged defending the see the game out. Click here for the full match report. The Premiers also produced a resilient display, but it was only enough for a single point, as they drew 1-1 to Balbriggan. Falling behind to an early goal, it got worse for Seaford when they were reduced to ten men, but Mate Salacan's injury-time free kick snatched a draw for Paulie Morris's men. Read all about it here. The Premiers extended their unbeaten league run to six games with a a strong display and a 2-1 win over Glebe North in Balbriggan. After falling behind after just two minutes, Seaford fought back strongly, creating plenty of chances before Stephen Canavan levelled just after the break, and MJ Tierney replicated his goal at the same venue last season with a stunning 30-yard lob to seal the points.
Click here for the full match report. THe Majors maintained their strong league for with a 2-2 draw against an impressive Aungier Celtic side. First half headers from Stephen Canavan and Dave Lewis gave the Penguins a commanding position at half-time, but the hosts fought back to claim a point, in a match that could have gone either way. Click here for the full match report or check out the highlights below |
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