Five-star St. John’s secure historic league and cup double
The St. John's Athletic players celebrate winning the Challenge Cup for the first time in the club's history at the RDFL Grounds, Lecarrow, on Sunday afternoon.
St. John’s Athletic added the Challenge Cup to their Premier Division title a couple of weeks ago by outclassing Glen Celtic, 5-0, at the Roscommon and District Football League, Lecarrow, on Sunday afternoon.
The game was as one-sided as the scoreline suggests as St. John’s used the confidence from breaking new ground this season to dismantle their opponents.
A breezy afternoon intermixed with some heavy showers saw St. John’s win the toss and play with the elements at their backs in the opening half.
They completely dominated that opening period, forcing nine corners.
Cian Kelly set up Jamie Tiernan for a couple of goals inside the opening 20 minutes, and when Daire Keenan did brilliantly to control the ball and add a third from distance, St. John’s had one hand on the cup.
Mindful that they were three down against Moore United and managed to turn things around to win the Premier Division, Keith Reynolds’ side were ultra-professional in the second half, although they did miss three excellent chances to extend their lead inside the opening ten minutes of the restart.
The dismissal of striker Gavin Hegarty for a second bookable offence didn’t help Glen Celtic’s cause, allowing Keenan to complete his hat-trick, including a goal from the penalty spot, in the final ten minutes.
Afterwards, captain Simon Leonard, who was superb in central midfield for the winners, said he hoped that the victory would inspire a younger generation of St. John’s players to follow in his side’s footsteps.
