Match Report: Seaford Rock United 3-3 Newtown Rangers
LSL Sat Major 1
A gritty comeback and a 95th minute equaliser earned Seaford a point after a thrilling game with Newtown Rangers.
It was hard to dispute that the Penguins deserved at least a point on the balance of play but that seemed an unlikely prospect when they found themselves two down well into the final quarter of an hour, but the home side laid siege to the visitors’ goal and eventually pulled it out of the bag.
Both sides scored in the first eight minutes. The opening goal was an extraordinary effort from Ger Mooney, who floated a free kick into the top corner from near the halfway line, but Seaford hit back immediately when MJ Tierney buried a penalty kick after Kenneth Moore had hacked down Dan O'Leary.
Newtown retook the lead on 17 through Pride Assemota, who finished a counter attack set up by Gary Deans’s flick on and a lay off by Des Singleton.
Seaford almost drew level again after super play down the right wing from Darragh Connolly led to a tap-in for Dan Kennedy , but somehow a Newtown boot prevented a certain goal.
The visitors flew out of the trap after half time and hit the post twice in as many minutes , as the muscular target man Deans burst in on goal only to his the woodwork, before David Higgins pushed Asemota’s low strike onto the frame.
And there was no shortage of doinkers at the other end either , as Tierney rattled the timbers on three separate occasions , first with an angled header that led to frantic goalmouth pinball, but the ball just wouldn’t go in, and then with two free kicks that left Brian Malee rooted to the spot as his posts bailed him out.
When O’Leary failed to get a clean connection from eight yards after a loose ball broke his way in the box, it looked like Seaford’s race was run, particularly when Deans made it 1-3 with eighteen to play.
But that merely stirred the Penguin fightback. O'Leary pulled one back with twelve to play after brilliant wingplay from Tierney and a selfless tee-up by Kennedy allowing O'Leary to fire home.
Then two substitutes combined brilliantly just moments after coming off the bench .Conor Geoghegan's cross was inch perfect, taking Malee out of the game, and Jamie McCaul beat him to the ball, but fired just too high.
However the same combination weren't to be denied in the 95th minute, as Geogegan again pulled onto the left wing and lobbed in another tempting cross, and this time McCaul made no mistake to seal a 3-3 draw.
Seaford: David Higgins, Eoin Mahon (Fionn Geoghegan, 72), Paul Tansey, Mike O'Neill, Al Kennedy, Dan Kennedy, Sam Browne (Conor Geoghegan, 80), Darragh Connolly, (Adam O'Shea, 72), MJ Tierney, Harry Crowe, Dan O'Leary (Jamie McCaul, 80),
Newtown Rangers: Brian Malee, Alan Morris, Ger Mooney (Shane Fitzpatrick), Jimmy Ryan, Kenneth Moore, Thomas Kinear (Lee Valentine), Nathan Crone (Craig Naughton), Adam Valentini, Gary Deans (Dylan Byrne), Des Singleton, Pride Asemota (Gerard Reilly)
Rockfield Park Park, 18 August 2021
It was hard to dispute that the Penguins deserved at least a point on the balance of play but that seemed an unlikely prospect when they found themselves two down well into the final quarter of an hour, but the home side laid siege to the visitors’ goal and eventually pulled it out of the bag.
Both sides scored in the first eight minutes. The opening goal was an extraordinary effort from Ger Mooney, who floated a free kick into the top corner from near the halfway line, but Seaford hit back immediately when MJ Tierney buried a penalty kick after Kenneth Moore had hacked down Dan O'Leary.
Newtown retook the lead on 17 through Pride Assemota, who finished a counter attack set up by Gary Deans’s flick on and a lay off by Des Singleton.
Seaford almost drew level again after super play down the right wing from Darragh Connolly led to a tap-in for Dan Kennedy , but somehow a Newtown boot prevented a certain goal.
The visitors flew out of the trap after half time and hit the post twice in as many minutes , as the muscular target man Deans burst in on goal only to his the woodwork, before David Higgins pushed Asemota’s low strike onto the frame.
And there was no shortage of doinkers at the other end either , as Tierney rattled the timbers on three separate occasions , first with an angled header that led to frantic goalmouth pinball, but the ball just wouldn’t go in, and then with two free kicks that left Brian Malee rooted to the spot as his posts bailed him out.
When O’Leary failed to get a clean connection from eight yards after a loose ball broke his way in the box, it looked like Seaford’s race was run, particularly when Deans made it 1-3 with eighteen to play.
But that merely stirred the Penguin fightback. O'Leary pulled one back with twelve to play after brilliant wingplay from Tierney and a selfless tee-up by Kennedy allowing O'Leary to fire home.
Then two substitutes combined brilliantly just moments after coming off the bench .Conor Geoghegan's cross was inch perfect, taking Malee out of the game, and Jamie McCaul beat him to the ball, but fired just too high.
However the same combination weren't to be denied in the 95th minute, as Geogegan again pulled onto the left wing and lobbed in another tempting cross, and this time McCaul made no mistake to seal a 3-3 draw.
Seaford: David Higgins, Eoin Mahon (Fionn Geoghegan, 72), Paul Tansey, Mike O'Neill, Al Kennedy, Dan Kennedy, Sam Browne (Conor Geoghegan, 80), Darragh Connolly, (Adam O'Shea, 72), MJ Tierney, Harry Crowe, Dan O'Leary (Jamie McCaul, 80),
Newtown Rangers: Brian Malee, Alan Morris, Ger Mooney (Shane Fitzpatrick), Jimmy Ryan, Kenneth Moore, Thomas Kinear (Lee Valentine), Nathan Crone (Craig Naughton), Adam Valentini, Gary Deans (Dylan Byrne), Des Singleton, Pride Asemota (Gerard Reilly)
Rockfield Park Park, 18 August 2021