Match Report: Seaford Rock United 2-0 Cloghertown United
Vere Deane Cup, Section B
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Seaford got off the mark in the Deane Cup group stage with a a dogged and patient performance against Cloghertown United at Rockfield Park.
The Meathmen had had the Indian sign over their hosts in recent times, having won all four previous meetings, and at times it seemed as though Seaford's territorial dominance would come to naught, but a quickfire brace from MJ Tierney sealed all three points.
The first half had been a war of attrition with both sides struggling to create clearcut chances. The visitors' keeper Graham Connor made a spectacular save to deny Chris Monk from opening the scoring, the Scotsman getting on the end of Mark O'Brien's diagonal pass but was unable to toepoke the ball home.
Robert Tormey wasted the greens' best opportunity of the match, running onto a massive punt by Connor, only to sky his shot with only debutant keeper Luke GInnell to beat.
Otherwise it was Seaford who made the running, Tierney seeing his low right-footed shot saved by Connor before his freekick was headed onto the crossbar by Conor Geoghegan.. The outstanding moment of quality came late in the half, when O'Brien's fine run and deft scoop created another chance for Tierney, but he smashed the ball inches wide of the post.
If anything, chances at goal were at even more of a premium after the break. Tormey had the ball in the net for Cloghertown, but was clearly offside, shortly before Tierney finally made the breakthrough with a whipped freekick that Connor got a hand to but couldn't keep out. And it was 2-0 within minutes, following a surging run by Andy Roe and a brilliant reverse pass by Dave Devaney, as Tierney produced a precise finish.
Tierney almost completed his hat-trick with another rocket of a free-kick, Connor managing to tip the ball onto the bar, whilst Ginnell's clean sheet was never seriously threatened at the other end. The dying stages featured a remarkable cameo by Seaford sub Carl Doyle, making his first appearance in two-and-a-half years, who managed to miss two open goals either side of a very well taken strike that was incorrectly adjudged offside.
With two of the six sides progressing from Section B of the Deane Cup, the win puts Seaford back in contention for a quarter-final berth, restoring a faint hope of silverware at the end of what has been a generally disappointing campaign.
Seaford: Luke Ginnell, Steve Kane, Dave Devaney (Wouter Hoek,83), Conor Geoghegan, Darren Grealish, Mark O'Brien (Chris Sastre, 78), Chris Monk, Shane Lauritsch (Denis Donnelly, 57), Andy Roe, Frank Mulhall (Carl Doyle, 80) MJ Tierney ,, Goals: Tierney (70, 74)
Cloghertown United: Graham Connor, Paul Madden, Ciaran Moss, Sean Madden, Wayne McCormick, Conor White, Stephen Codd (Niall Fitzpatrick, 53), David Morgan, John Shorthall (Ryan Gaffney, 46), Ross Keogh, Robert Tormey,
Rockfield Park, 18 February 2017
The Meathmen had had the Indian sign over their hosts in recent times, having won all four previous meetings, and at times it seemed as though Seaford's territorial dominance would come to naught, but a quickfire brace from MJ Tierney sealed all three points.
The first half had been a war of attrition with both sides struggling to create clearcut chances. The visitors' keeper Graham Connor made a spectacular save to deny Chris Monk from opening the scoring, the Scotsman getting on the end of Mark O'Brien's diagonal pass but was unable to toepoke the ball home.
Robert Tormey wasted the greens' best opportunity of the match, running onto a massive punt by Connor, only to sky his shot with only debutant keeper Luke GInnell to beat.
Otherwise it was Seaford who made the running, Tierney seeing his low right-footed shot saved by Connor before his freekick was headed onto the crossbar by Conor Geoghegan.. The outstanding moment of quality came late in the half, when O'Brien's fine run and deft scoop created another chance for Tierney, but he smashed the ball inches wide of the post.
If anything, chances at goal were at even more of a premium after the break. Tormey had the ball in the net for Cloghertown, but was clearly offside, shortly before Tierney finally made the breakthrough with a whipped freekick that Connor got a hand to but couldn't keep out. And it was 2-0 within minutes, following a surging run by Andy Roe and a brilliant reverse pass by Dave Devaney, as Tierney produced a precise finish.
Tierney almost completed his hat-trick with another rocket of a free-kick, Connor managing to tip the ball onto the bar, whilst Ginnell's clean sheet was never seriously threatened at the other end. The dying stages featured a remarkable cameo by Seaford sub Carl Doyle, making his first appearance in two-and-a-half years, who managed to miss two open goals either side of a very well taken strike that was incorrectly adjudged offside.
With two of the six sides progressing from Section B of the Deane Cup, the win puts Seaford back in contention for a quarter-final berth, restoring a faint hope of silverware at the end of what has been a generally disappointing campaign.
Seaford: Luke Ginnell, Steve Kane, Dave Devaney (Wouter Hoek,83), Conor Geoghegan, Darren Grealish, Mark O'Brien (Chris Sastre, 78), Chris Monk, Shane Lauritsch (Denis Donnelly, 57), Andy Roe, Frank Mulhall (Carl Doyle, 80) MJ Tierney ,, Goals: Tierney (70, 74)
Cloghertown United: Graham Connor, Paul Madden, Ciaran Moss, Sean Madden, Wayne McCormick, Conor White, Stephen Codd (Niall Fitzpatrick, 53), David Morgan, John Shorthall (Ryan Gaffney, 46), Ross Keogh, Robert Tormey,
Rockfield Park, 18 February 2017