Cormac’s clinch title in style
AFTER A lengthy season, St. Cormac’s clinched the Division 2 title in emphatic fashion with a seven-goal drubbing of New Ross Town in their final league game played in New Ross on Sunday, with Brendan Burke grabbing a hat-trick.
The seven goals may have added an extra gloss to the silverware on display, but the scoreline could have been far greater had referee Michael Farrell decided on playing the full 90 minutes.
Instead he gave the long shrill of the whistle some 15 minutes early such was the one-sided nature of the game.
This was a real showdown for the Boolavogue boys. They needed a victory to clinch the title, as they had Cloughbawn playing Adamstown down the road, breathing down their necks hoping to avail of any slip-ups.
But this was never going to happen, as Cormac’s served notice of their intent from the kick-off, storming all over the opposition in search of that early breakthrough to settle the side.
They hadn’t long to wait to break the Town side’s resistance as they took the lead as early as the sixth minute when Mick Sweeney found the net with his inswinging corner-kick deceiving ‘keeper Danny Niekis and ending in the corner of the net.
While the home ‘keeper then thwarted Brendan Burke, he was beaten a second time just three minutes later when Sweeney shot home from close range to make it 2-0, and already the celebrations were beginning on the sideline.
While Town were defiant at the back to an extent, they had little to offer in midfield or up front, so much so that visiting ‘keeper Bobby Larkin hadn’t a single shot to deal with during the course of the game.
It was continuous attacking football from the champions in wait as they peppered the home goal.
Cormac’s made it 3-0 after 17 minutes. Seán Roche cut down the left and dinked a low cross into the patch of Brendan Burke who drilled a rising shot into the top right-hand corner of the net with the ‘keeper left with no chance.
It looked at this stage as if the Town side were only offering token resistance as they were being totally outplayed.
And Cormac’s struck again after 29 minutes when Burke was put in the clear by a lovely ball from Paul Doyle and he easily beat the advancing ‘keeper from the edge of the area, making it 4-0 which was how it remained to the interval.
The second-half followed much the same pattern with Cormac’s refusing to concede possession as they attacked almost continuously, adding a fifth just seven minutes in when Burke completed his hattrick with a simple tap-in after Seán Roche had split open the home side’s back four.
It could have been a procession of scores had Cormac’s availed of all their chances, as substitute Jamie Dempsey-Doyle added the sixth.
And it was fitting that one of their best players, Seán Roche, should complete the scoring with a fine individual effort, with the referee calling time leaving Cormac’s to celebrate promotion back to Division 1.
ST. CORMAC’S: Bobby Larkin, Stephen Lacey, John Ivory, Johnny Fitzgerald, Cormac Finn, Paul Doyle, Brian O’Loughlin, Mick Sweeney, Brendan Burke, Seán Roche, James Sweeney. Subs. - Mark Brady, Jamie Dempsey-Doyle, Matt Dunne, Michael O’Dowd, Niall Finn.
NEW ROSS TOWN: Danelis Niekis, Ciarán St. Ledger, John Byrne, Josh Doran, Gary O’Connor, Damien Rossiter, Shane Morrissey, Anthony Feeney, Keith Rossiter, Josh Power, Keith Bennett. Sub. - Paul Russell.
REFEREE: Michael Farrell.