Match Report: Seaford Rock United 5-4 MPFC
LSL Saturday Premier 1
Seaford's Premiers had the game won within 20 minutes, then proceeded to throw away the three points over the course of the next hour, before an incredible late turnaround saw them claim the victory on a day of high drama at Rockfield Park.
It was game which, extraordinarily, won't be remembered for Colin Barrett's thirteen-minute hat-trick which gave the Penguins a handsome lead in the Blackrock sunshine. His first owed much to strike partner, Lewis Cawley who latched on to a brilliant ball from Fionn Geoghegan, nicking the ball past keeper David O'Connor for Barrett to tap in.
The debutant Cawley played a role in the second too, as it was his cross-field switch that found David Mackey on the right wing, and Mackey showed great determination to gather in the breaking ball, teeing up Barrett to guide the ball home from the edge of the box.
When Barrett slammed home the rebound from Cawley's shot in the 20th minute, it looked like Paulie Morris's men would ease to a handy win, but nothing could be further from the truth.
The game's outstanding payer was MP's playmaker Lorcan Byrne, and second after the restart he deployed a brilliant piece of skill to leave both Christian McKenna and Gavin Walsh in a maroon heap on the turf, before firing the ball into the goalmouth where Conor Fennell could only divert the ball into his own net, as green shirts waited to pounce behind him.
And the visitors were given real hope on 37 minutes when Ryan Taaffe thumped home a rocket of a shot from 20 yards.
All the momentum was with the boys from the north inner city now and in the space of 45 seconds early in the second half, Byrne rattled the crossbar with a stunning 25 yard volley, forced Gavin Nugent into a full-length save from range, before recovering the ball a third time and slotting home from 20 yards with the keeper unsighted.
Mackey almost put the hosts back in front from a Mate Salacan pass, but the ball rebounded from the post and instead it was MP who made it 4-3. Yet again Byrne was the architect, laying in Kevin Dalton who produced a toe-poke finish.
Then with 12 minutes left, Mackey won a free on Seaford’s right before Geoghegan swung in a superb cross for substitute Stephen P Kane to nod home his first goal for the club from close range.
Nine minutes later, two more substitutes combined for the winning goal. Jim Nolan burst through from midfield, laying the ball off to Cian McCabe, who turned and curled a stunning 20 yarder into the corner, provoking wild celebrations on the Seaford line. The Penguins held out for a second league win of the season and have a two week break to their next fixture.
Seaford: Gavin Nugent, Conor Fennell, Gavin Walsh , Steve Kane, Fionn Geoghegan Oli Wright, Mate Salacan (Jim Nolan, 71), Christian McKenna , (Alex SInnott, 56) David Mackey (Fionn O Riain, 83), Colin Barrett (Cian McCabe, 65), Lewis Cawley (Stephen P Kane, 65)
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MP FC: David O'Connor, Gavin McManus, Jonathan McDonald, Jake Thornton, Matt Kearney, Kevin Dalton, Ryan Taaffe, Cian O'Brian, Sean Fitzgerald, Lorcan Byrne, Karl O'Hara
Rockfield Park, 24 July 2021