Both sides were left with work to do to avoid the drop after a rough-and-tunuble clash at the Rockies.
Perspiration exceeded inspiration during a first half punctuated by full-blooded collisions in the air and on the ground. Ciaran McGlynn had the first opening fo rthe visitors, but lifted his shot just wide, before Garrett Connolly teed up Ian Daly for Seaford, but the side-foot finish lacked power. The Penguins hit the front through skipper Al Kennedy, who waited 19 matches to break his seasonal duck only to bag two in the space of three days, this time arriving at the back post to conver Rob O'Shea's whipped cross. Liffeys ought to have levelled when Dylan Whelan fired low across the face of goal, but Philip Roche Hogan was unable to get his toe to it, and they could consider themselves unlucky to trail at the break. The Penguins showed more in the second half and should have doubled their lead on the hour when Jamie McCaul released Daly with a great flick, and big playmaker, usually nerveless in front of goal, sat down Gabriel Allionu but somehow failed to apply the finish with the goal at his mercy. Gradually Liffeys regained their foothold, with Seaford's back four forced into ever more desparate interventions until eventually, on 77 minutes, the dam broke when Evan Byrne's free kick took a nick off the wall and wrong-footed Oisin Geoghegan. It almost got even worse for the home side four minutes later when Liffeys were awarded a penalty, but Dylan Murphy shot off target. Momentum swung back in Seaford's favour, as they finished strongly. Twice Alilionu made spectacular saves to keep out Timi Silva's free kicks, before Sam Browne was inches off-target with a diving header. And Bursnie's boys had the ball in the net in the final minute courtesy of Fionn Nally, but it was chalked for a contentious offside call. Neither side left satisfied with a single point, which puts Liffeys in relegation peril with just a single match left in their season. Seaford remain a point behind them but with five to play. Seaford: Oisin Geoghegan, Eoin Mahon, Brian Murphy,, Sam Browne, Al Kennedy , Craig Conlon, (Timi Silva, 71) Rob O'Shea, Fionn Nally, Garrett Connolly (Conor Fennell, 62) Ian Daly (Daniel Mac Dermott, 88) Jamie McCaul Liffey Wanderers: 1 Gabriel Alilionu, 2 Daniel Wilson, 3 Dylan Whelan Bray, 4 Daniel O'Connor, 5 Stephen Dillon, 6 Adam Walsh, 7 Ciaran McGlynn, 8 Sandip Chhantyal, 9 Philip Roche Hogan, 10 Jake Gregg, 11 Dylan Murphy Subs: 12 Luke Cunningham 14 Ethan Costello 15 Kyle Leyland Swaine 16 Evan Byrne 17 Alexander Salazar Rojas 18 Conor Doran Seaford showed bottle and character to book a place in the quarter final of the Tom Carroll Cup with a hard-fought win over Kilnamanagh.
The Penguins got off to a flying start when skipper Eoin O'Farrell whipped in a great fcross for Conor Fennell - not renowned for his aerial ability - to bury a header in the bottom corner after eight minutes. Kilnamanagh had a great chance to level quickly when Alex Molloy almost got in at the back post only to be denied by a brilliant O'Farrell block, and Graham Moran fired the rebound over the bar. Seaford's second goal was spectacular. It was creadted by Mate Salacan , who bulldozed a Kilnamanagh midfielder with a meaty challenge, and when the ball broke for Michael Aherne-Gray , the teenager wrapped it into the top corner from more than 25 yards. The visitors pulled one back through Luke Harman, but Seaford had a great chance to restore thier advantage right on half time when they were awarded a spot-kick. There was nothing wrong with Fennell's penalty but keeper Charlie Hughes sprang to his right to make a stunning save. Into the second half, now facing ten man, Seaford continued to make the running. Angel Nunez was dened a goal on his first start by a brilliant Kyle Fox tackle, and somehow Desmond Eiffe failed to convert a brilliant Fennell cross. And Seaford were punished for their profligacy when the Rockets were awarded a penatly of their own , as Fionn McLoughlin was cruelly punished for a trip, rushing off his line to grab the rebound form his own fine save. Shane Maguire made no mistake from 12 yards and it was game on. But Seaford got their noses in front with the game's third penalty., following a handball near the corner of the box affer an Oscar Fennell throw-in. This time Niall Holleran stuck it away for 3-2. Kilnamanagh earned a second red card as the game ticked towards 90 minutes and Fennell, who was at the hart of all Seaford's best moves , sealed the win with a fourth in the last minute. Seaford: Fionn McLoughlin, Eoin O'Farrell, Carlos Monserrat, Alan McGeady Daniel Mac Dermott , Mate Salacan (Oscar Fennell, 76), Michael Aherne-Gray, Niall Holleran, Angel Nunez (Jakub Kot, 64) Conor Fennell, Desmond Eiffe Kilnamanagh: 1 Charlie Hughes, 2 Kyle Fox, 3 Alex Molloy, 4 Ryan Kelly, 5 Kenneth Clarke, 6 Conor Hayes, 7 Luke Haybyrne, 8 Luke Harman, 9 Keith Moloney, 10 Shane Maguire, 11 Graham Moran. Subs: 12 Seán Nugent, 13 James Sullivan, 14 Cian Ryan, 15 Mark Mc Sweeney, 16 Nathan Caswell, 17 Anthony Hanavey Seaford bounced back from recent disappointments with a dominant win which consigned Maynooth to relegation. Jamie McCaul bagged an early brace to given the Penguins a commanding lead, first tapping in Sam Browne's flick-on before finishing via a deflection for 2-0. Seaford’s busy late-season schedule caught up with them as both Darragh Roche and Greg Hughes were forced off in the opening half hour, but it was nonetheless one-way traffic as the home side poured surged time and again. Fionn Nally squared to give Ian Daly a great chance, but he side-footed over the top, and then Nally had the ball in the net himself but was pinged for offside. The Penguins finished the half in complete control and it was incredible that they didn't add to their tally in the dying moments. McCaul forced an error from Lee Corcoran but keeper Corey McKeon did brilliantly to deny both him and Nally. McCaul then attempted an audacious lob from the near the halfway line that had McKeon scrambling backwards, but it was inches too high. And in stoppage time he had the best chance of all, heading over from an Al Kennedy throw-in with the goal at his mercy. Instead, it was Maynooth who bagged shortly after half time. Glory Odunze seemed to clearly offside before thumping a high shot past Oisin Geoghegan, but the goal stood and suddenly Seaford seemed nervous, missing all of the fluency which they had shown before the break. Kennedy made a brilliant covering tackle to stop Odenze from equalising, and Thomas Lunn also went close from the edge of the box, as the hosts threatened to implode. But gradually Burnsie's boys began to reassert themselves, with Timi Silva testing McKeon with a low drive, before the floodgates eventually opened. Sam Browne got the crucial third goal, heading home Silva's corner before Silva volleyed home himself for 4-1, and the two Seaford centre backs combined for the fifth, as Browne nutmegged David Jordan Konan near the corner flag and played the ball along the edge of the six, where skipper Al Kennedy tapped in at the back post. The three points finally moves Seaford out of the relegation zone, and still with five games in hand on the teams around them as they look to finish strongly and move up the standings. Seaford: Oisin Geoghegan, Eoin Mahon, Brian Murphy,, Sam Browne (Fionn Geoghegan, 78) Craig Conlon, Al Kennedy Greg Hughes (MJ TIerney, 28) Fionn Nally, Darragh Roche (Timi Silva, 9) Ian Daly (Niall Holleran, 81) Jamie McCaul (Darragh Connolly, 76) Maynooth Town: 1 Corey Mc Keon, 2 Ryan Moran, 3 Thomas Lunn, 4 Evan White, 5 Lee Corcoran, 6 Evan Hartnett, 7 Alan Dolan, 8 Reece Harman, 9 Sean O'Donnell, 10 Milosz Konczarek, 11 Glory Odunze. Subs: 12 James Kelly, 14 David Jordan Konan, 15 Ethan Hennessy LSL Saturday Major 1 |
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