Match Report: FC Transylvania 1-1 Seaford Rock United (*Seaford win 6-5 on penalties)
Tom Carroll Cup
It was a poor game of football but Seaford did just about enough to squeak through to the next round of the Tom Carroll Cup at the expense of FC Transylvania, with Eoin English the hero with a pair of penalty shoot-out saves.
It was clear from the outset that Seaford would enjoy plenty of territory and possession against the team largely comprised of of Romanian ex-pats, who sat very deep and ;made no effort to recover the ball high up the pitch. And it seemed as though it would be a routine win for the blues when Darragh Connolly opened the scoring early on, firing a low angled shot past Marcel Mitrica, which clearly crossed the goalline before being hacked away.
But while Kohei Masaki twice had good chances to double the lead, only to be denied by Mitrica, the home side were centimeters from a goal of their when left back Sebastian Dobos ran most of the length of the pitch only to see his shot bounce off the post. And Transylvania leveled just after half hour, Francisc Antonovici following in on a rebound after English had beaten away Marian Ghinita's rasping free-kick.
Seaford struggled to establish any sort of tempo during a dreary second half, but still created a couple of golden chances to seal the win, with first Richie Mulholland and then Garrett Connolly firing over the bar, in both cases when clean in on goal. At the other end, Ghinita was the most dangerous player in yellow, and he ought to have won the match in stoppage time when he burst through the heart of the Seaford defence, only to toe-poke over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
Darragh Connolly went closest of either side during an equally turgid period of extra time. In the shoot-out, the pendulum first swung in the home team's favour as Mitrica pushed Masaki's penalty around the post, but then English saved first from Ghinita to restore parity. After both Connolly brothers, Mulholland and the defensive trio of Ian Nolan, Fionn Lawlor and Amer Herenda had netted for Seaford, English repelled Gabor Torok's effort to put Seaford in the draw for the next round.
Seaford: Eoin English, Steve Kane, Paul Tansey (Amer Herenda, 72), Ian Nolan, Fionn Lawlor, Andy Roe, (Eoin Mahon, 72), Garrett Connolly, Donal Howley (Conan Murphy, 63), Darragh Connolly, Kohei Masaki Peter Tierney (Richie Mulholland, 54). Goal: D Connolly (12)
FC Transylvania: Marcel Mitrica, Nicu Vasilca, Sebastian Dobos, Romi Paraschiv, Torok Gabor, Ionut Balaceanu (Leo Iacob, 70), Hector Martin (Cipri Gulea, h/t), Cipri Vacaru (Leo Iacob, 70), Francisc Antonovici, Nica Claudiu (Cristi Botezatu, h/t), Marian Ghinita. Goal: Antonovici (31)
St Catherine's Park, Lucan, 17 February 2018
It was clear from the outset that Seaford would enjoy plenty of territory and possession against the team largely comprised of of Romanian ex-pats, who sat very deep and ;made no effort to recover the ball high up the pitch. And it seemed as though it would be a routine win for the blues when Darragh Connolly opened the scoring early on, firing a low angled shot past Marcel Mitrica, which clearly crossed the goalline before being hacked away.
But while Kohei Masaki twice had good chances to double the lead, only to be denied by Mitrica, the home side were centimeters from a goal of their when left back Sebastian Dobos ran most of the length of the pitch only to see his shot bounce off the post. And Transylvania leveled just after half hour, Francisc Antonovici following in on a rebound after English had beaten away Marian Ghinita's rasping free-kick.
Seaford struggled to establish any sort of tempo during a dreary second half, but still created a couple of golden chances to seal the win, with first Richie Mulholland and then Garrett Connolly firing over the bar, in both cases when clean in on goal. At the other end, Ghinita was the most dangerous player in yellow, and he ought to have won the match in stoppage time when he burst through the heart of the Seaford defence, only to toe-poke over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
Darragh Connolly went closest of either side during an equally turgid period of extra time. In the shoot-out, the pendulum first swung in the home team's favour as Mitrica pushed Masaki's penalty around the post, but then English saved first from Ghinita to restore parity. After both Connolly brothers, Mulholland and the defensive trio of Ian Nolan, Fionn Lawlor and Amer Herenda had netted for Seaford, English repelled Gabor Torok's effort to put Seaford in the draw for the next round.
Seaford: Eoin English, Steve Kane, Paul Tansey (Amer Herenda, 72), Ian Nolan, Fionn Lawlor, Andy Roe, (Eoin Mahon, 72), Garrett Connolly, Donal Howley (Conan Murphy, 63), Darragh Connolly, Kohei Masaki Peter Tierney (Richie Mulholland, 54). Goal: D Connolly (12)
FC Transylvania: Marcel Mitrica, Nicu Vasilca, Sebastian Dobos, Romi Paraschiv, Torok Gabor, Ionut Balaceanu (Leo Iacob, 70), Hector Martin (Cipri Gulea, h/t), Cipri Vacaru (Leo Iacob, 70), Francisc Antonovici, Nica Claudiu (Cristi Botezatu, h/t), Marian Ghinita. Goal: Antonovici (31)
St Catherine's Park, Lucan, 17 February 2018