Monday, May 23, 2016

MD Town…………………1

Castlerea Celtic……………3

The Herald Premier Division

Michael O’Brien at Dunmore

It may have taken a decade to regain their crown, but Castlerea Celtic are now the undisputed kingpins of the Roscommon and District League. They certainly didn’t let the occasion get to them at Dunmore on Sunday as they delivered a convincing performance to finish off this year’s league campaign in style.

The side, jointly managed by Pat O’Donoghue and Kevin McNamara, only needed a draw from their final league game, but they approached the game with a winning mindset, something that was apparent from the kick-off.

In winning the Premier Division crown, it ended a seven-year wait for a major title — the last being the Connacht Junior Cup and Challenge Cup in 2009. Remarkably, Castlerea are on course to complete another double this year — they face Ballymoe FC in the Challenge Cup final on Saturday week.

The odds are that, if they win or indeed score in the Challenge Cup final against their neighbours, Ronan Curran will most likely have a direct involvement in it. In both cup victories in 2009, he either scored goals or offered assists. When the chips were down on Sunday, he came up trumps again with two goals, the second being a wonderful volley.

If Castlerea were hoping for a perfect start to allay any fears of a nervous afternoon, their prayers were certainly answered. The game was just over two minutes old when a fine run by Curran saw the frontman square the ball for Oisín Ward whose shot was saved. However, Peter Farrell headed the rebound past James Kilgarriff.

The Hoops were 2-0 up six minutes later. Derek Kennedy won back possession and slid the ball through for Curran. He kept his composure before slotting home his side’s second. After not doing much wrong, suddenly MD Town found themselves in deep trouble. They almost sneaked a goal back in the 13th minute when centre-half Brian Higgins got forward for a free-kick but he dragged his effort wide.

Two minutes later, Curran shot over when through on goal. Once again MD Town, although coming out second best in most of the physical exchanges, almost grabbed a goal back moments later. Good footwork saw Thomas Gleeson create an opening but his left-footed effort went a few feet wide of the post in what was a big chance for the home side. It was one of the few occasions that anything went past the centre-half pairing of Eoghan O’Connell and Cathal Dineen.

The rain had started to pour down at this stage. MD Town were displaying good resistance, but Castlerea’s overall superiority was gradually beginning to diminish any hopes they had of getting back into the contest. Niall Higgins and Oisín Ward both had half chances as the half entered its final few minutes. Just on the stroke of half time, however, Peter Farrell played the ball over the head of his marker and Ronan Curran met it perfectly with a first-time volley to make it 3-0.

With the Castlerea midfield dominant, where David Fitzpatrick did the grafting and Nathan Bligh pulled the strings, the Hoops continued to press for more goals after the restart. And as has been the case throughout the season, the speed at which they broke and the number of players with a great first touch and turn of pace became a significant factor as the match wore on.

Fitzpatrick drew a good save from Kilgarriff on 53 minutes and the midfielder also came close on two occasions in the final few minutes — the first of his close-range misses drawing a good response from his supportive panel members on the line!

On the hour mark, substitute Patrick Egan almost found the top corner with a good effort. MD Town continued to press for openings, but Castlerea’s high fitness levels and intense approach ensured that there was little chance of a turnaround.

In the final 15 minutes, Castlerea dominated possession. Curran had a shot saved while Fitzpatrick couldn’t manage to get his name on the scoresheet. But MD Town did manage to grab a consolation goal through Niall Rattigan.

The final whistle soon sounded to end a decade of waiting for Castlerea. In his captain’s speech after accepting the trophy, David Fitzpatrick thanked the many people associated with the successful season to date. He recalled how earlier in the year a team member lost someone very special in their life.

It was a thoughtful gesture on a great day for the Castlerea club and its followers.

MD TOWN: J. Kilgarriff; J. Culkin, P. Gleeson, B. Higgins, B. Reddington; C. Manhire, D. Burke, J. Maloney, N. Rattigan; B. Keenan, T. Gleeson. Subs used: K. McEneaney for T Gleeson (34 mins), C. Hardy for McEneaney (55 mins), M. Donnellan for Keenan (69 mins).

CASTLEREA CELTIC: P. Gunning; D. Kennedy, E. O’Connell, C. Dineen, J. Higgins; N. Higgins, D. Fitzpatrick, N. Bligh, O. Ward; P. Farrell, R. Curran. Subs used: T. Kelly for Bligh (56 mins), E. Foster for Ward (55 mins), P. Egan for J. Higgins (60 mins), J. Joyce for Kennedy (72 mins), J. Geraghty for Farrell (77 mins).

Goals: MD Town – N. Rattigan (89 mins); Castlerea Celtic – P. Farrell (3 mins), R. Curran (8 and 47 mins).

Referee: E. Deering.

Player of the Match: Ronan Curran (Castlerea Celtic). The number ten scored two goals, set up the other and was very industrious throughout. His first touch was excellent on what was a greasy surface.

However, this was very much the proverbial team performance. The winners’ back four were steady, with Derek Kennedy excelling at right-back and Jack Higgins very comfortable at left-back. Nathan Bligh ran the show in midfield, where David Fitzpatrick was also excellent. Oisín Ward offered a big threat on the wing, while Niall Higgins and Peter Farrell also performed well.

MD Town had a few decent performers but there wasn’t enough conviction in their play. Thomas Gleeson had his moments before being substituted through injury. Niall Rattigan and James Maloney also put in decent shifts.