Match Report: Seaford Rock United 2-1 Portmarnock
LSL Saturday Major 1
A quick-fire double from Stephen Canavan earned Seaford a comeback win as the side extended their unbeaten run to eight games.
It was far from a vintage Penguins performance , particularly during a blustery first half which saw Portmarnock lead through Finbar Kennedy’s penalty, but the hosts took control of the team after the break to eke out the win.
Canavan was a threat from the opening moments, going close to a virtuoso opener after he took Oisin Geoghegan’s clearance on the chest before spinning and running at the amber defenders, but shot just wide.
Darragh Roche’s long throws aimed at Sam Browne discomfited the visiting defends, but the ball just wouldn’t break to a navy shirt, and it was Portmarnock who made the breakthrough, after Les Adamczek punished Oli Wright for a foul on Josh Boylan, allowing Kennedy to convert.
Seaford were struggling to find any rhythm although Wright saw his header cleared off the goalline, and they almost found an equaliser on 39 when Al Kennedy slipped Canavan through, and although he nicked the ball past keeper Aaron O’Driscoll, he left himself too acute an angle to finish from.
A couple of half time substitutions helped the Penguins gain some impetus, Browne clipped the outside of the post after a slick move from side to side across the visitors’ box, before the game was decided by two goals in five minutes from Canavan.
The first owed much to some fine play down the left from Paul Tansey, and a brilliant take from Chris Monk, who squared the ball for Seaford’s number 9 to level it up.
The second was spectacular, with the other replacement Lewis Cawley laying Canavan in with a sumptuous reverse pass, and the striker smashed the ball him via the crossbar.
Seaford were looking much more dangerous now, frequently exposing gaps in the Portmarnock defense , with Kennedy putting Monk clean through only for O’Driscoll to deny the Scot first of the season.
The closest the visitors came was through a Luke Downes free kick that rebounded from the angle of the goal frame, while at the other end Canavan unselfishly passed up the chance of a hat trick to lay in Jack Burke, whose shot was saved.
Downes was afforded one last chance to snatch a point deep into injury time with a free kick on the edge of the box, but Geoghegan watched the ball sail past the post as Seaford claimed another victory.
Seaford: Oisin Geoghegan, Darragh Roche, Paul Tansey, , Ian Nolan, Oli Wright (Cian McGuinness, 85) , Sam Browne (Eoin Mahon, 80), Mike O'Neill (Chris Monk , h/t), Al Kennedy, MJ Tierney, (Jack Burke, 82) ,Ryan Scollard (Lewis Cawley, h/t), Stephen Canavan
Portmarnock: Aaron O’Driscoll, Ian Brady, Mark Morris , Rory Walsh, Tom O’Sullivan, Dean Whelan, Danny Byrne, Luke Downes, Ross Waters, Finbar Kennedy, Josh Boylan
Rockfield Park, 20 November 2021
It was far from a vintage Penguins performance , particularly during a blustery first half which saw Portmarnock lead through Finbar Kennedy’s penalty, but the hosts took control of the team after the break to eke out the win.
Canavan was a threat from the opening moments, going close to a virtuoso opener after he took Oisin Geoghegan’s clearance on the chest before spinning and running at the amber defenders, but shot just wide.
Darragh Roche’s long throws aimed at Sam Browne discomfited the visiting defends, but the ball just wouldn’t break to a navy shirt, and it was Portmarnock who made the breakthrough, after Les Adamczek punished Oli Wright for a foul on Josh Boylan, allowing Kennedy to convert.
Seaford were struggling to find any rhythm although Wright saw his header cleared off the goalline, and they almost found an equaliser on 39 when Al Kennedy slipped Canavan through, and although he nicked the ball past keeper Aaron O’Driscoll, he left himself too acute an angle to finish from.
A couple of half time substitutions helped the Penguins gain some impetus, Browne clipped the outside of the post after a slick move from side to side across the visitors’ box, before the game was decided by two goals in five minutes from Canavan.
The first owed much to some fine play down the left from Paul Tansey, and a brilliant take from Chris Monk, who squared the ball for Seaford’s number 9 to level it up.
The second was spectacular, with the other replacement Lewis Cawley laying Canavan in with a sumptuous reverse pass, and the striker smashed the ball him via the crossbar.
Seaford were looking much more dangerous now, frequently exposing gaps in the Portmarnock defense , with Kennedy putting Monk clean through only for O’Driscoll to deny the Scot first of the season.
The closest the visitors came was through a Luke Downes free kick that rebounded from the angle of the goal frame, while at the other end Canavan unselfishly passed up the chance of a hat trick to lay in Jack Burke, whose shot was saved.
Downes was afforded one last chance to snatch a point deep into injury time with a free kick on the edge of the box, but Geoghegan watched the ball sail past the post as Seaford claimed another victory.
Seaford: Oisin Geoghegan, Darragh Roche, Paul Tansey, , Ian Nolan, Oli Wright (Cian McGuinness, 85) , Sam Browne (Eoin Mahon, 80), Mike O'Neill (Chris Monk , h/t), Al Kennedy, MJ Tierney, (Jack Burke, 82) ,Ryan Scollard (Lewis Cawley, h/t), Stephen Canavan
Portmarnock: Aaron O’Driscoll, Ian Brady, Mark Morris , Rory Walsh, Tom O’Sullivan, Dean Whelan, Danny Byrne, Luke Downes, Ross Waters, Finbar Kennedy, Josh Boylan
Rockfield Park, 20 November 2021