Match Report: Seaford Rock United 1-0 Kilmore Celtic
LSL Saturday Premier
Seaford battled hard to secure a vital three point and inflict a first defeat of the campaign on champions-elect Kilmore Celtic.
Kilmore needed three points to secure the Premier division title, and the home side’s keeper Oisin Geoghegan was forced into action early on, tipping a curling effort from Josh Griffin over the bar, and from the corner that followed, Jack Shaw had a great opportunity to open the scoring, but headed off-target from close range.
The Penguins grew into the game and went agonisingly close to on 23 minutes. It was a slick move involving Gavin Walsh, Mate Salacan and Rob O'Shea, whose through-ball put Shane Halpin clean through. He lefted the ball over the keeper but Matthew Fisher did brilliantly to sprint back on the line and hook the ball away, and as the highball dropped, Shane Gilroys backheeled effort flew across the face of goal.
But the very next minute, Halpin was presented with an identical chance after Geoghegan’s clearance wasn’t dealt with by the Kilmore defence and this time the Seaford striker made no mistake in lifting the ball into the net for 1-0.
Kilmore had only dropped two points all season prior to this and were always going to come back strongly. Half-time substitute Josh Kelly reinvigorated their attacks and he went close on 56 after pouncing on a defensive error, but fired wide at the near post. The visitors were reduced to ten men on the hour, but they retained the upper hand, and only a stunning last-ditch tackle from Stephen Kelly denied Griffin an equaliser.
The game was opening up now, and substitute Eoin Kenny was unlucky not to double Seaford’s lead when he rounded the keeper but was forced to too wide an angle for a finish, and Kelly missed from close-range from Salacan’s delivery.
At the other end, Josh Kelly failed to convert a glorious chance to level, as did another substitute Leon Callaghan.
Into the final ten minutes, Kenny prodded Eoin McArdle’s super cross just wide, but it was Kilmore who did most of the attacking. Geoghegan and his defence held firm with centre-backs Kelly and Mike O'Neill to the fore in repelling the visitors’ advances.
The win gives Paulie Morris’s team a chance to achieve the rare feat of beating every other team in the division during the course of the season, if they can claim another victory in their next match against FC Transylvania, which would put them on the brink of promotion to the Majors section.
Seaford: Oisin Geoghegan, Eoin McArdle Zitian Xiang, Stephen Kelly Mike O'Neill, Gavin Walsh, Mate Salacan (Des Eiffe, 76), Craig Conlon, Shane Gilroy (David Mackey, 85) Rob O'Shea, Shane Halpin, (Eoin Kenny, 69)
Kilmore Celtic: Jessy Fogarty, Aaron Gaffney, Jordan Darlin, Matthew Fisher, Jason Reilly, Adam Donoghue, Ryan Casey, Kian Bolger, Josh Griffin, Jack Shaw, Nevel Keegan (Josh Kelly)
,
Rockfield Park, 15 April 2023
Kilmore needed three points to secure the Premier division title, and the home side’s keeper Oisin Geoghegan was forced into action early on, tipping a curling effort from Josh Griffin over the bar, and from the corner that followed, Jack Shaw had a great opportunity to open the scoring, but headed off-target from close range.
The Penguins grew into the game and went agonisingly close to on 23 minutes. It was a slick move involving Gavin Walsh, Mate Salacan and Rob O'Shea, whose through-ball put Shane Halpin clean through. He lefted the ball over the keeper but Matthew Fisher did brilliantly to sprint back on the line and hook the ball away, and as the highball dropped, Shane Gilroys backheeled effort flew across the face of goal.
But the very next minute, Halpin was presented with an identical chance after Geoghegan’s clearance wasn’t dealt with by the Kilmore defence and this time the Seaford striker made no mistake in lifting the ball into the net for 1-0.
Kilmore had only dropped two points all season prior to this and were always going to come back strongly. Half-time substitute Josh Kelly reinvigorated their attacks and he went close on 56 after pouncing on a defensive error, but fired wide at the near post. The visitors were reduced to ten men on the hour, but they retained the upper hand, and only a stunning last-ditch tackle from Stephen Kelly denied Griffin an equaliser.
The game was opening up now, and substitute Eoin Kenny was unlucky not to double Seaford’s lead when he rounded the keeper but was forced to too wide an angle for a finish, and Kelly missed from close-range from Salacan’s delivery.
At the other end, Josh Kelly failed to convert a glorious chance to level, as did another substitute Leon Callaghan.
Into the final ten minutes, Kenny prodded Eoin McArdle’s super cross just wide, but it was Kilmore who did most of the attacking. Geoghegan and his defence held firm with centre-backs Kelly and Mike O'Neill to the fore in repelling the visitors’ advances.
The win gives Paulie Morris’s team a chance to achieve the rare feat of beating every other team in the division during the course of the season, if they can claim another victory in their next match against FC Transylvania, which would put them on the brink of promotion to the Majors section.
Seaford: Oisin Geoghegan, Eoin McArdle Zitian Xiang, Stephen Kelly Mike O'Neill, Gavin Walsh, Mate Salacan (Des Eiffe, 76), Craig Conlon, Shane Gilroy (David Mackey, 85) Rob O'Shea, Shane Halpin, (Eoin Kenny, 69)
Kilmore Celtic: Jessy Fogarty, Aaron Gaffney, Jordan Darlin, Matthew Fisher, Jason Reilly, Adam Donoghue, Ryan Casey, Kian Bolger, Josh Griffin, Jack Shaw, Nevel Keegan (Josh Kelly)
,
Rockfield Park, 15 April 2023