Seaford Rock United 2-3 Swords Celtic
LSL Saturday Div 3
Seaford showed a lot of guts against a very strong Swords Celtic side, but were narrowly edged out by the odd goal in five.
Swords arrived in Blackrock needing points to ensure their divisional status, and came with a huge squad featuring some brilliant individual talents. Within two minutes, the size of Seaford's task was clear, as keeper Eoin English first denied Andy Dunne, before Massimo de Carolis curled a long-range effort against the bar.
But the whites found their feet and took the lead inside ten minutes with a fine team move. Frank Mulhall found winger Donal Howley with an excellent drilled pass, and Howley's whipped cross was headed home at the far post by striker Páidí O'Fatharta.
The home side suddenly had the impetus, and O'Fatharta was inches from a second when he smashed a rocket of a shot aginst the crossbar from Shane Lauritsch's back-heel.
Seaford suffered a double blow when both of their starting centre halves were forced off the pitch through injury within a few minutes in the first half, and the loss of defensive organisation seemed to cost them on 26 minutes when Adam Currie's through ball caught the back four flat, enabling Dunne through on goal to equalise.
There was goalmouth action at both ends late in the half. But whereas for Seaford, Mulhall's long-range drive was parried over by Cian Arthurs, and Piers Shelton headed Steve Kane's superb pass inches over, Swords were clinical when their opportunity arrived, when star man Chris Walczewski blitzed down the left wing and laid on Stephen Doyle to convert.
And when Doyle made it 3-1 early in the second period, prodding home Eoin Burke's raking ball, the risk was that the visitor's dynamic attackers would go on to secure a comfortable win.
Yet Seaford found an extra gear, and got back into the game through top scorer Mulhall, who fired past Arthurs with twenty minutes to play after a clever assist from O'Fatharta. Swords were hanging on now, with O'Fatharta seeing a great chance going begging on 76 minutes, before Seaford's Barry Kirwan was lucky to escape with only a yellow card after hauling down a Swords forward.
When Shane Geddes was red-carded for Swords after hacking down Lauritsch, a Seaford equaliser seemed inevitable. But despite heaps of pressure, the whites couldn't force the ball in. Stephen Harding twice went close, before with the final kick of the game, and almost all 21 remaining players loaded into the Swords six=yard area, Kirwan was unable to head Lauritsch's corner home, and the referee's final whistle blew as the ball was hacked clear.
Seaford: Eoin English, Steve Kane, Robbie Murray, Darren Grealish (Piers Shelton, 31), Alan Brennan (Steve Harding, 20), Barry Kirwan, Andy Roe, Shane Lauritsch, Domhnall Howley, Frank Mulhall (Ross O'Riordan, 73), Paidi O'Fatharta. Goals: O'Fatharta (9), Mulhall (72)
Swords Celtic: Cian Arthurs, Shane Geddes, Eoin Burke, Adam Currie, Chris Walczewski, Massimo de Carolis, Stephen Doyle (Colm Jones, 69), Dave Ryan (Samir Mangui, 60), Conor McNeill, Andy Dunne (Graham Callan, 80), Darren Dunne. Goals: A Dunne (26), S Doyle (43, 53) Red card: S Geddes (83).
Rockfield Park, Blackrock - 23 May 2016
Swords arrived in Blackrock needing points to ensure their divisional status, and came with a huge squad featuring some brilliant individual talents. Within two minutes, the size of Seaford's task was clear, as keeper Eoin English first denied Andy Dunne, before Massimo de Carolis curled a long-range effort against the bar.
But the whites found their feet and took the lead inside ten minutes with a fine team move. Frank Mulhall found winger Donal Howley with an excellent drilled pass, and Howley's whipped cross was headed home at the far post by striker Páidí O'Fatharta.
The home side suddenly had the impetus, and O'Fatharta was inches from a second when he smashed a rocket of a shot aginst the crossbar from Shane Lauritsch's back-heel.
Seaford suffered a double blow when both of their starting centre halves were forced off the pitch through injury within a few minutes in the first half, and the loss of defensive organisation seemed to cost them on 26 minutes when Adam Currie's through ball caught the back four flat, enabling Dunne through on goal to equalise.
There was goalmouth action at both ends late in the half. But whereas for Seaford, Mulhall's long-range drive was parried over by Cian Arthurs, and Piers Shelton headed Steve Kane's superb pass inches over, Swords were clinical when their opportunity arrived, when star man Chris Walczewski blitzed down the left wing and laid on Stephen Doyle to convert.
And when Doyle made it 3-1 early in the second period, prodding home Eoin Burke's raking ball, the risk was that the visitor's dynamic attackers would go on to secure a comfortable win.
Yet Seaford found an extra gear, and got back into the game through top scorer Mulhall, who fired past Arthurs with twenty minutes to play after a clever assist from O'Fatharta. Swords were hanging on now, with O'Fatharta seeing a great chance going begging on 76 minutes, before Seaford's Barry Kirwan was lucky to escape with only a yellow card after hauling down a Swords forward.
When Shane Geddes was red-carded for Swords after hacking down Lauritsch, a Seaford equaliser seemed inevitable. But despite heaps of pressure, the whites couldn't force the ball in. Stephen Harding twice went close, before with the final kick of the game, and almost all 21 remaining players loaded into the Swords six=yard area, Kirwan was unable to head Lauritsch's corner home, and the referee's final whistle blew as the ball was hacked clear.
Seaford: Eoin English, Steve Kane, Robbie Murray, Darren Grealish (Piers Shelton, 31), Alan Brennan (Steve Harding, 20), Barry Kirwan, Andy Roe, Shane Lauritsch, Domhnall Howley, Frank Mulhall (Ross O'Riordan, 73), Paidi O'Fatharta. Goals: O'Fatharta (9), Mulhall (72)
Swords Celtic: Cian Arthurs, Shane Geddes, Eoin Burke, Adam Currie, Chris Walczewski, Massimo de Carolis, Stephen Doyle (Colm Jones, 69), Dave Ryan (Samir Mangui, 60), Conor McNeill, Andy Dunne (Graham Callan, 80), Darren Dunne. Goals: A Dunne (26), S Doyle (43, 53) Red card: S Geddes (83).
Rockfield Park, Blackrock - 23 May 2016