’Well have silverware in their sights

NEWFOUNDWELL DULEEK 4 0

NEWFOUNDWELL are still chasing silverware on a number of fronts after they cruised through to the Kilmessan Shield semi-finals at DIFE last Tuesday night.

Premier rivals Duleek proved no match for the league title contenders, although it wasn’t until the second half that the ‘Well’s superiority was reflected in the scoring stakes.

Just the one goal separated the teams at the half-way point, thanks to Ian Devine who cut inside from the flank and rifled a shot past Keith Martin.

The away side’s best spell came in the early stages of the second half when Barry Kavanagh was twice denied by Brown, while another chance for Cormac McGroggan also went abegging.

However, the next goal went to Newfoundwell on 55 minutes. Alan Murphy and Cormac Reid were the creators with some neat play in midfield and the ball was eventually transferred wide to Ryan Connor who got in behind the Duleek defence and finished into the bottom corner.

Duleek continued to press for a way back into the tie, but their hopes were effectively extinguished when a beautifully constructed team move led to a third Newfoundwell goal.

The build-up began in their own half and involved seven or eight passes, with Paddy O’Boyle eventually playing the ball down the flank to Kenny Hurley whose cross was volleyed past Martin from the edge of the box.

Fittingly it was Devine who put the icing on the cake, wrong-footing the Duleek centre-half inside the box before firing decisively to the Duleek for his hat-trick goal and 16th of the season.

The ‘Well have been handed a home draw against another Premier side, OMP, in the semi-finals, while the outstanding quarter-final ties are Muirhevnamor v Trim Celtic and Torro United v Ardee Celtic.

While the Kilmessan is probably the least important of the competitions they remain involved in, it’s one the Drogheda side have taken very seriously in the past, defeating Navan Cosmos in the 2015 decider and losing to the same opposition in the final last year.

From Duleek’s point of view, they face a relegation dogfight when league action resumes in early January. NEWFOUNDWELL: Ronan Brown, Paddy O’Boyle, Kevin Bull, Daryl McDonagh, Alan Murphy, Cormac Reid (Adam Brady), Ryan Connor, Craig O’Connor, Brian Kermode (Adam O’Connor), John Kermode (Kenny Hurley).

DULEEK: Keith Martin, Robbie Daly, Caelan Duff, Jamie Flaherty, Bryan Murphy, James Burke, Colin Woods (Killian Brodigan), James Guilfoyle (Craig Brodigan), Matthew Noone (AJ O’Brien), Cormac McGroggan, Barry Kavanagh.