Seaford Rock United
2024/2025 Season
The most frequently selected team, based on minutes played.
MAJORS
Manager: Alan Burns
Assistant: Sam Browne
Player of the Year: Jack Keegan
Majors Top Goalscorer: Jack Keegan (14)
Majors - Most Assists: Michael Akingbade, Jack Keegan, Brian Murphy (8 each)
Goal of the Season: MJ Tierney v St Kevins
Seaford rescued what seemed to be a hopeless situation at the halfway point in their league campaign, hitting a brilliant seam of form in the springtime to clamber to safety in Major 1.
The Penguins' campaign took a familiar shape, as they overcame a dismal run before CHristmas to hit form just at the right time, but this was the most extreme example yet. Having taken just 7 points from their first 11 matches, the second 11 produced a brilliant total of 23 in order to avoid the drop.
The late-season form of player of the year Jack Keegan was unquestionably a key factor, as was the prolific goalscoring of Ryan Scollard in a brief cameo between GAA commitments and a season-ending injury,, but an array of dramatic interventions at various throughout the campaign also proved decisive.
Among them were Oisin Geoghegan's penalty save to savea point at Mochtas, late Rockfield equalisers by Michael Akingbade against Blackrock, by Scollard versus Glenville and perhaps most crucially of all, Oussama Belghazi's header to level against Mochtas., not forgetting a brilliant saving tackle from Eoin Mahon to deny what seemed a certain equaliser in the madcap win at Kevins, and a fine display from emergency keeper Sam Browne in the vital draw with champions Finglas.
The cup competitions were, as usual, a mixed bag., with a couple of calamitous defeats to lower-league opponents offset by a strong run to the semi final of the Lanigcan cup, where the side pushed eventual winners Tallaght United all the way to the 95th minute.
But the main focus was in the league. The team's defensive performance was poor throughout but in the first half of he season, Burnsie's boys struggled to find the back of the net with regularity. Scollard's return to action in the new year was a huge boost in that regard.
His brilliant late header against Glenville marked a turning point, and his brace in the demolition of local rivals Blackrock College was key., but Keegan's outstanding form in the number 10 role saw him bag 11 goals in 10 games, as well as a number of key assists.
The team bounced back from the disappointment of the semi-final defeat with its best performance of the season just 48 hours later, hammering Liffey Wanderers 5-2 at Irishtown Stadium. There then followed a crazy run of five matches in nine days, which produce something of an emotional rollercoaster: a superb win at Kilnamanagh, a tense draw with Mochtas, an abject hammering at Templeogue, before a brave draw against Finglas and finally the Penguins prevailed in a game of great goals at St Kevins.
There was still a nervous wait of almost three weeks before the final league game, during which time other results managed to secure Seaford's safety and a fifth straight season in Saturday's second tier.
Manager: Alan Burns
Assistant: Sam Browne
Player of the Year: Jack Keegan
Majors Top Goalscorer: Jack Keegan (14)
Majors - Most Assists: Michael Akingbade, Jack Keegan, Brian Murphy (8 each)
Goal of the Season: MJ Tierney v St Kevins
Seaford rescued what seemed to be a hopeless situation at the halfway point in their league campaign, hitting a brilliant seam of form in the springtime to clamber to safety in Major 1.
The Penguins' campaign took a familiar shape, as they overcame a dismal run before CHristmas to hit form just at the right time, but this was the most extreme example yet. Having taken just 7 points from their first 11 matches, the second 11 produced a brilliant total of 23 in order to avoid the drop.
The late-season form of player of the year Jack Keegan was unquestionably a key factor, as was the prolific goalscoring of Ryan Scollard in a brief cameo between GAA commitments and a season-ending injury,, but an array of dramatic interventions at various throughout the campaign also proved decisive.
Among them were Oisin Geoghegan's penalty save to savea point at Mochtas, late Rockfield equalisers by Michael Akingbade against Blackrock, by Scollard versus Glenville and perhaps most crucially of all, Oussama Belghazi's header to level against Mochtas., not forgetting a brilliant saving tackle from Eoin Mahon to deny what seemed a certain equaliser in the madcap win at Kevins, and a fine display from emergency keeper Sam Browne in the vital draw with champions Finglas.
The cup competitions were, as usual, a mixed bag., with a couple of calamitous defeats to lower-league opponents offset by a strong run to the semi final of the Lanigcan cup, where the side pushed eventual winners Tallaght United all the way to the 95th minute.
But the main focus was in the league. The team's defensive performance was poor throughout but in the first half of he season, Burnsie's boys struggled to find the back of the net with regularity. Scollard's return to action in the new year was a huge boost in that regard.
His brilliant late header against Glenville marked a turning point, and his brace in the demolition of local rivals Blackrock College was key., but Keegan's outstanding form in the number 10 role saw him bag 11 goals in 10 games, as well as a number of key assists.
The team bounced back from the disappointment of the semi-final defeat with its best performance of the season just 48 hours later, hammering Liffey Wanderers 5-2 at Irishtown Stadium. There then followed a crazy run of five matches in nine days, which produce something of an emotional rollercoaster: a superb win at Kilnamanagh, a tense draw with Mochtas, an abject hammering at Templeogue, before a brave draw against Finglas and finally the Penguins prevailed in a game of great goals at St Kevins.
There was still a nervous wait of almost three weeks before the final league game, during which time other results managed to secure Seaford's safety and a fifth straight season in Saturday's second tier.
The most frequently selected team, based on minutes played.
PREMIERS
Manager: Barry Kirwan
Assistants: Robbie Murray, Mate Salacan
Premiers Player of the Year: Zitian Xiang
Premiers Goal of the Season: Mate Salacan v Old County
Premiers Top Goalscorer: Timi Silva, (5)
Premiers - Most Assists: Oussama Belghazi, Ciaran Staunton (3 each)
Seaford's Premiers' season never really got going as they comfortably survived another season in LSL Major 1C, but struggled to sustain consistent form to move up the table.
Following the departure of much-loved gaffer Paulie Morris the previous summer, there was brief interregnum at the start of the season before club legend Barry Kirwan was eventually confirmed as the successor.
By that stage, the team had made a reasonable start to the campaign, beginning with an exciting comeback over neighbours TEK United in the August sunshine. The side came back down to earth with a deserved loss away at eventual champions SVS, but bounced back to win their first two home matches, against Ballyfermot United and Old County, with Ciaran Staunton bagging four goal in the first five matches after being converted to a striker..
Sadly, he failed to add to his tally for the rest of the campaign and the team would find it difficult to hit the back of the net regularly. In the first game back after the Christmas break, they needed a last-minute equaliser from Jamie McCaul to nick a point at relegation-bound Ballyfermot, and followed that up with disappointing defeats at Old County and Dublin University and at home against Leicester Celtic.
But that unfortunate defeat seemed to instill some new steel in the side, and they followed up with a battling draw at St Paul's Artane courtesy of Des Eiffe's equaliser,, and then enjoyed back-to-back 1-0 wins at Rockfield against Newbridge Town and Dunboyne..
By the stage, the side was comfortably clear of the single relegation spot in the division, and were largely playing for pride. There was plenty of that on show when they punctured Leicester's title hopes with a deserved 1-1 draw at Damien Duff Park, even if they fell just short of doing the same against SVS three days later, putting up a brave fight before eventually succumbing to another 2-0 defeat.
There was the brief distraction of a cup quarter final against Mount Merrion, but it ended up in a comprehensive defeat, which gave an indication of the step-up in class which will be needed in order to remain competitive during the following season.
Manager: Barry Kirwan
Assistants: Robbie Murray, Mate Salacan
Premiers Player of the Year: Zitian Xiang
Premiers Goal of the Season: Mate Salacan v Old County
Premiers Top Goalscorer: Timi Silva, (5)
Premiers - Most Assists: Oussama Belghazi, Ciaran Staunton (3 each)
Seaford's Premiers' season never really got going as they comfortably survived another season in LSL Major 1C, but struggled to sustain consistent form to move up the table.
Following the departure of much-loved gaffer Paulie Morris the previous summer, there was brief interregnum at the start of the season before club legend Barry Kirwan was eventually confirmed as the successor.
By that stage, the team had made a reasonable start to the campaign, beginning with an exciting comeback over neighbours TEK United in the August sunshine. The side came back down to earth with a deserved loss away at eventual champions SVS, but bounced back to win their first two home matches, against Ballyfermot United and Old County, with Ciaran Staunton bagging four goal in the first five matches after being converted to a striker..
Sadly, he failed to add to his tally for the rest of the campaign and the team would find it difficult to hit the back of the net regularly. In the first game back after the Christmas break, they needed a last-minute equaliser from Jamie McCaul to nick a point at relegation-bound Ballyfermot, and followed that up with disappointing defeats at Old County and Dublin University and at home against Leicester Celtic.
But that unfortunate defeat seemed to instill some new steel in the side, and they followed up with a battling draw at St Paul's Artane courtesy of Des Eiffe's equaliser,, and then enjoyed back-to-back 1-0 wins at Rockfield against Newbridge Town and Dunboyne..
By the stage, the side was comfortably clear of the single relegation spot in the division, and were largely playing for pride. There was plenty of that on show when they punctured Leicester's title hopes with a deserved 1-1 draw at Damien Duff Park, even if they fell just short of doing the same against SVS three days later, putting up a brave fight before eventually succumbing to another 2-0 defeat.
There was the brief distraction of a cup quarter final against Mount Merrion, but it ended up in a comprehensive defeat, which gave an indication of the step-up in class which will be needed in order to remain competitive during the following season.
