Match Report: Verona 2-2 Seaford Rock United
LSL Saturday Major 1
It was another frustrating afternoon for Seaford at Coolmine as the Penguins failed to capitalise on a dominant first-half display, letting slip a two-goal lead as Verona dropped their first points of the season.
Seaford took control of the game from the early stages and should have opened the scoring inside five minutes when Ben Kelly put Stephen Canavan through on goal, the striker fell victim to the bobbly surface, and the ball ran though for keeper Stephen Daly to collect.
But it wasn't long before the visitors hit the front, as Brian Murphy found Ryan Scollard with a brilliant ball down into the left channel and the Seaford speedster fired home from a tight angle .
Rob O'Shea had Daly at full stretch with a 25-yarder and he had a role in the slick move for the Penguins' second, releasing Darragh Roche down the right, and the fullback's sensational cross was converted at the back post by Scollard, making it six in four for the season.
Verona hadn't offered much going forward but Scollard got the job done at the other end of the bitch when he blocked a Robbie Byrne header on the line, and the hosts pulled one back with the last kick of the first half, as Mark Hughes unleashed a brilliant curling effort from range that dipped just under the crossbar.
Seaford didn't have the same level of control in the second half, but saw some brilliant chances go begging, such as when Darragh Connolly rounded Daly only to be denied by a last-gasp saving tackle from Byrne and when Canavan was put clean through a second time, but was again gubbed by the turf, as the ball got stuck under his feet.
Connolly and Scollard both went close with efforts from range, while at the other end Seaford keeper Luke Ginnell did brilliantly to fly off his line and deny Liam Moran, before making an agile tip over the bar from Gary Moran's header.
Verona wre reduced to ten men in the closing stages when Thomas O'Rourke was dismissed for a rash challenge, but they maintained a threat with a series of dangerous crosses from wide, and Johnson made it 2-2 with six to play with a precise headed finish into the corner.
Seaford swarmed forward in search of a winner, but the closest they game was deep into injury time when Chris Monk was just unable to apply a kung-fu finish to a superb Jamie McCaul cross, and the sides finished in deadlock.
Seaford:, Luke GInnell, Darragh Roche, Brian Murphy, Luke Hedderman, Al Kennedy, Rob O'Shea, Ben Kelly, Elridge Valois (Chris Monk, 69), Darragh Connolly (Adam O'Shea , 74 ) Ryan Scollard (Paul Tansey, 84) Stephen Canavan (Jamie McCaul, 65)
Verona: Stephen Daly, Ange WAnzio (alan Byrne, 65), Darren Murray, Robbie Byrne, Lee Halford, Aidan Lyons, Liam Moran (Adam Kavanagh, 77), Gary Johnson, Mark Hughes, Adis Velic (Ryan Mattis, 65), Ciaran Murray (Thomas O'Rourke, 57)
Coolmine, 18 November 2023
Seaford took control of the game from the early stages and should have opened the scoring inside five minutes when Ben Kelly put Stephen Canavan through on goal, the striker fell victim to the bobbly surface, and the ball ran though for keeper Stephen Daly to collect.
But it wasn't long before the visitors hit the front, as Brian Murphy found Ryan Scollard with a brilliant ball down into the left channel and the Seaford speedster fired home from a tight angle .
Rob O'Shea had Daly at full stretch with a 25-yarder and he had a role in the slick move for the Penguins' second, releasing Darragh Roche down the right, and the fullback's sensational cross was converted at the back post by Scollard, making it six in four for the season.
Verona hadn't offered much going forward but Scollard got the job done at the other end of the bitch when he blocked a Robbie Byrne header on the line, and the hosts pulled one back with the last kick of the first half, as Mark Hughes unleashed a brilliant curling effort from range that dipped just under the crossbar.
Seaford didn't have the same level of control in the second half, but saw some brilliant chances go begging, such as when Darragh Connolly rounded Daly only to be denied by a last-gasp saving tackle from Byrne and when Canavan was put clean through a second time, but was again gubbed by the turf, as the ball got stuck under his feet.
Connolly and Scollard both went close with efforts from range, while at the other end Seaford keeper Luke Ginnell did brilliantly to fly off his line and deny Liam Moran, before making an agile tip over the bar from Gary Moran's header.
Verona wre reduced to ten men in the closing stages when Thomas O'Rourke was dismissed for a rash challenge, but they maintained a threat with a series of dangerous crosses from wide, and Johnson made it 2-2 with six to play with a precise headed finish into the corner.
Seaford swarmed forward in search of a winner, but the closest they game was deep into injury time when Chris Monk was just unable to apply a kung-fu finish to a superb Jamie McCaul cross, and the sides finished in deadlock.
Seaford:, Luke GInnell, Darragh Roche, Brian Murphy, Luke Hedderman, Al Kennedy, Rob O'Shea, Ben Kelly, Elridge Valois (Chris Monk, 69), Darragh Connolly (Adam O'Shea , 74 ) Ryan Scollard (Paul Tansey, 84) Stephen Canavan (Jamie McCaul, 65)
Verona: Stephen Daly, Ange WAnzio (alan Byrne, 65), Darren Murray, Robbie Byrne, Lee Halford, Aidan Lyons, Liam Moran (Adam Kavanagh, 77), Gary Johnson, Mark Hughes, Adis Velic (Ryan Mattis, 65), Ciaran Murray (Thomas O'Rourke, 57)
Coolmine, 18 November 2023