Match Report: Seaford Rock United 2-1 St Paul's Artane
LSL Saturday Major 1C
Seaford maintained their strong start to the season with a third consecutive win, courtesy of a battling performance in difficult circumstances against St Pauls Artane.
Paulie Morris’s starting 11 had a makeshift look, with Stephen Kelly pressed into service as an emergency goalkeeper at the last minute, amid a number of other late withdrawals from the squad
The team nonetheless produced an impressive first half display, creating almost all of the games chances. Mate Salacan hit the post with a delicately chipped free kick, and moments later Chris Monk found himself through on goal, but was again denied by the woodwork.
On 21 minutes, Shane Halpin dispossessed a Paul’s defender on the halfway line and ran clean through, but after rounding keeper Callum O’Toole, his effort was blocked on the line by Sean Carroll.
But Sniffer made no mistake when presented with a similar chance moments later from a Salacan throughball, again knocking the ball around the keeper, and this time finding the back of the net to break the deadlock.
The visitors had had limited opportunities, although Keith O’Leary fired wide when put in on goal and Aaron Duffy toe-poked over the bar late in the half.
But with the last kick of the opening period, the blues were given a lifeline courtesy of a freak goal when Seaford’s Caoilte Purcell deflected an innocuous long ball past Kelly, who was unable to scramble back in time to prevent the ball trickling over the line.
The second half was a scrappy affair, punctuated by a series of yellow cards and injury delays. Purcell went close to scoring at the right end when he met a Conor Fennell corner midway through the half but was unable to steer it on target
And Seaford finally hit the front through Fennell on 72 minutes. Jamie McCaul released Eoin Kenny with a penetrating pass and, although Kenny was unable to get his shot away, the ball broke to Fennell, who composed himself and found the bottom corner.
The visitors piled on the pressure during a frenetic finale which saw both sides reduced to 10 men amid the flurry of cards, but the closest Pauls came was when Adam Bemouzz’s header from a corner clipped the far post.
The ten who finished the match for Seaford had an even more improvised look than the 11 who started it, but the side showed tremendous fortitude to cling on, and make it a perfect start to the season in Major 1C.
Seaford: Stephen Kelly, Eoin McArdle (Ciaran McGlone, h/t), Aaron Clarke, Caoilte Purcell, Eoin Mahon (Jamie Donohoe, 69), Mate Salacan (Alejandro Vergara, 77), Ben Kelly,, Conor Fennell, Jamie McCaul, Chris Monk, Shane Halpin (Eoin Kenny, 69)
St Paul's Artane: Calum O'Toole, John Sherwin, Jordan Kelly, Dean Malone, Sean Carroll (Josh Baker), Ryan Finn (Luke Fitzparick), Kian Joyce (Adam Higgins), Adam Bemouzz, Aaron Duffy, Keith O'Leary, Stephen McGuinness (Calum Dunne)
Rockfield Park, 2 September 2023
Paulie Morris’s starting 11 had a makeshift look, with Stephen Kelly pressed into service as an emergency goalkeeper at the last minute, amid a number of other late withdrawals from the squad
The team nonetheless produced an impressive first half display, creating almost all of the games chances. Mate Salacan hit the post with a delicately chipped free kick, and moments later Chris Monk found himself through on goal, but was again denied by the woodwork.
On 21 minutes, Shane Halpin dispossessed a Paul’s defender on the halfway line and ran clean through, but after rounding keeper Callum O’Toole, his effort was blocked on the line by Sean Carroll.
But Sniffer made no mistake when presented with a similar chance moments later from a Salacan throughball, again knocking the ball around the keeper, and this time finding the back of the net to break the deadlock.
The visitors had had limited opportunities, although Keith O’Leary fired wide when put in on goal and Aaron Duffy toe-poked over the bar late in the half.
But with the last kick of the opening period, the blues were given a lifeline courtesy of a freak goal when Seaford’s Caoilte Purcell deflected an innocuous long ball past Kelly, who was unable to scramble back in time to prevent the ball trickling over the line.
The second half was a scrappy affair, punctuated by a series of yellow cards and injury delays. Purcell went close to scoring at the right end when he met a Conor Fennell corner midway through the half but was unable to steer it on target
And Seaford finally hit the front through Fennell on 72 minutes. Jamie McCaul released Eoin Kenny with a penetrating pass and, although Kenny was unable to get his shot away, the ball broke to Fennell, who composed himself and found the bottom corner.
The visitors piled on the pressure during a frenetic finale which saw both sides reduced to 10 men amid the flurry of cards, but the closest Pauls came was when Adam Bemouzz’s header from a corner clipped the far post.
The ten who finished the match for Seaford had an even more improvised look than the 11 who started it, but the side showed tremendous fortitude to cling on, and make it a perfect start to the season in Major 1C.
Seaford: Stephen Kelly, Eoin McArdle (Ciaran McGlone, h/t), Aaron Clarke, Caoilte Purcell, Eoin Mahon (Jamie Donohoe, 69), Mate Salacan (Alejandro Vergara, 77), Ben Kelly,, Conor Fennell, Jamie McCaul, Chris Monk, Shane Halpin (Eoin Kenny, 69)
St Paul's Artane: Calum O'Toole, John Sherwin, Jordan Kelly, Dean Malone, Sean Carroll (Josh Baker), Ryan Finn (Luke Fitzparick), Kian Joyce (Adam Higgins), Adam Bemouzz, Aaron Duffy, Keith O'Leary, Stephen McGuinness (Calum Dunne)
Rockfield Park, 2 September 2023