Match Report: Seaford Rock United 4-2 Portmarnock FC
LSL Sat Div 3
Seaford's seconds produced an impressive display to bounce back from consecutive defeats and end Portmarnock's 100% record in LSL Sat Div 3, in an open and entertaining clash in Blackrock.
The home side had a nightmare start, with Portmarnock taking the lead inside three minutes, when Robbie Kane, having seen his initial effort blocked, chipped a second shot over Dylan O'Reilly to make it 1-0.
But it wasn't long before Seaford restored parity, courtesy of a brilliant header by stand-in striker Frank Mulhall. Captain Tommy Crichlow whipped in an angled free kick, and Mulhall rose bravely ahead of keeper David Stuart to diver the ball into the net.
Seaford were inches from taking the lead on 26 minutes, when wingers Mark Cullen and Coly McCarron combined, enabling the latter to cut onto his right foot and curl a shot which clipped the outside of the post.
Portmarnock were left wondering how they failed to score, with a serious of simple chances going begging. Striker Simon Lenihan was particularly guilty of squandering opportunities, most notably when he passed wide from eight yards out after a brilliant rabona pass from Stephen Sheppard had set Kane down the left wing,
Instead, the home side hit the front just before half time, with a super counter-attack goal. Keeper Dylan O'Reilly found Cullen with an inch-perfect volleyed clearance, and the tricky wideman left Stephen Brady on his backside, before beating a second defender and feeding Mulhall, whose left-footed shot found the net via the inside of the far post and Stuart's desperate grasp.
If Seaford had made a poor start to the first half, the second was even worse, with Portmarnock levelling it at 2-2 barely thirty seconds after the break, when skipper Shane Quigley met a corner with downward header, the bounce somehow eluding Robbie Murray on the goalline.
But from that point Seaford took control of the match and were well worth their eventual victory. Mulhall was inches from securing a classic hat-trick after McCarron had nicked the ball away from fullback Matt Lambe and laid him in, but Quigley managed to deflect the ball wide with a despairing lunge.
It was no surprise that when the breakthrough arrived, man-of-the-match Cullen was the architect. He burst towards goal from the right wing position., reaching the byline before squaring the ball for Andy Roe to tap home.
The closest the visitors came to another equalise was when Kane blazed over at the back post with the goal at his mercy after Sheppard had eluded Seaford sub Marc Smith and fizzed a low cross along the six-yard line.
Smith made it 4-2 on 75 minutes, with his fourth goal in his last two home matches, meeting Crichlow's corner with a bullet header into the top corner.
The result was beyond doubt by the time Portmarnock's James Cullen was dismissed for dissent, and Cullen was denied a late goal to cap an electrifying display, with an identical run to his assist for Roe, but on his occasion he chose to shot was saw his effort smothered by Stuart.
Ultimately, in a match where the respective attacks looked a lot more dangerous than the defences looked solid, the side which took its chances deservedly claimed the three points. Caretaker manager Barry Kirwan will hope that the result will lift the strong Seaford seconds side out of the inconsistency which has hampered their start in what seems to be a wide open Division 3 section.
Seaford: D O'Reilly; A Herenda, R Murray, M Tappin, D Grealish; T Crichlow (c) A Brennan (M Smith, 68), M Cullen, C McCarron (D Howley, 80); A Roe; F Mulhall (M Kane, 60). Goals: F Mulhall (11, 43), A Roe (60), M Smith (75)
Portmarnock AFC D Stuart; M Lambe (S Tier, 64), S Brady (G Francis, 64), H Manning, S Quigley, R Kane, J Cullen, S Sheppard, P Scully, J Leggit, S Lenihan (H NOfal, 84). Goals: R Kane (3), S Quigley (46) Red Cards: J Cullen (81), H Nofal, (90)
Rockfield Park - 24 October 2015
The home side had a nightmare start, with Portmarnock taking the lead inside three minutes, when Robbie Kane, having seen his initial effort blocked, chipped a second shot over Dylan O'Reilly to make it 1-0.
But it wasn't long before Seaford restored parity, courtesy of a brilliant header by stand-in striker Frank Mulhall. Captain Tommy Crichlow whipped in an angled free kick, and Mulhall rose bravely ahead of keeper David Stuart to diver the ball into the net.
Seaford were inches from taking the lead on 26 minutes, when wingers Mark Cullen and Coly McCarron combined, enabling the latter to cut onto his right foot and curl a shot which clipped the outside of the post.
Portmarnock were left wondering how they failed to score, with a serious of simple chances going begging. Striker Simon Lenihan was particularly guilty of squandering opportunities, most notably when he passed wide from eight yards out after a brilliant rabona pass from Stephen Sheppard had set Kane down the left wing,
Instead, the home side hit the front just before half time, with a super counter-attack goal. Keeper Dylan O'Reilly found Cullen with an inch-perfect volleyed clearance, and the tricky wideman left Stephen Brady on his backside, before beating a second defender and feeding Mulhall, whose left-footed shot found the net via the inside of the far post and Stuart's desperate grasp.
If Seaford had made a poor start to the first half, the second was even worse, with Portmarnock levelling it at 2-2 barely thirty seconds after the break, when skipper Shane Quigley met a corner with downward header, the bounce somehow eluding Robbie Murray on the goalline.
But from that point Seaford took control of the match and were well worth their eventual victory. Mulhall was inches from securing a classic hat-trick after McCarron had nicked the ball away from fullback Matt Lambe and laid him in, but Quigley managed to deflect the ball wide with a despairing lunge.
It was no surprise that when the breakthrough arrived, man-of-the-match Cullen was the architect. He burst towards goal from the right wing position., reaching the byline before squaring the ball for Andy Roe to tap home.
The closest the visitors came to another equalise was when Kane blazed over at the back post with the goal at his mercy after Sheppard had eluded Seaford sub Marc Smith and fizzed a low cross along the six-yard line.
Smith made it 4-2 on 75 minutes, with his fourth goal in his last two home matches, meeting Crichlow's corner with a bullet header into the top corner.
The result was beyond doubt by the time Portmarnock's James Cullen was dismissed for dissent, and Cullen was denied a late goal to cap an electrifying display, with an identical run to his assist for Roe, but on his occasion he chose to shot was saw his effort smothered by Stuart.
Ultimately, in a match where the respective attacks looked a lot more dangerous than the defences looked solid, the side which took its chances deservedly claimed the three points. Caretaker manager Barry Kirwan will hope that the result will lift the strong Seaford seconds side out of the inconsistency which has hampered their start in what seems to be a wide open Division 3 section.
Seaford: D O'Reilly; A Herenda, R Murray, M Tappin, D Grealish; T Crichlow (c) A Brennan (M Smith, 68), M Cullen, C McCarron (D Howley, 80); A Roe; F Mulhall (M Kane, 60). Goals: F Mulhall (11, 43), A Roe (60), M Smith (75)
Portmarnock AFC D Stuart; M Lambe (S Tier, 64), S Brady (G Francis, 64), H Manning, S Quigley, R Kane, J Cullen, S Sheppard, P Scully, J Leggit, S Lenihan (H NOfal, 84). Goals: R Kane (3), S Quigley (46) Red Cards: J Cullen (81), H Nofal, (90)
Rockfield Park - 24 October 2015