Shamrock Rovers and Rosslare Rangers to meet in decider

SHAMROCK ROVERS took on Fastnet Rovers in the first of the Richie Dwyer Memorial Over-35 soccer league semi-finals on Saturday in a fabulously manicured Casey Park.

From the off it was the Enniscorthy men who asked most of the questions and, with Fastnet content to keep their defensive shape which has served them well to date, it looked like the Shamrocks would need an early goal to settle them down.

Shamrock Rovers enjoyed the lion’s share and half chances early on from Peter Marsden and Garrett Larkin.

When the goal did come it was Mars- den who was quickest to pounce on the rebound following a save from Dermot Reville in the Fastnet goal, and on the balance of possession alone, one would have to say that it was a deserved lead.

The second-half began much as the first-half finished, with Shamrocks probing and controlling a lot of the ball, and not long into it the Vinegar Hill men doubled their lead as a short back pass was seized upon and finished to the net by Tom Crofts.

And shortly after it was 3-0 as the ball was bundled home from close range following a defensive mix-up.

Fastnet now had to push men forward to try to salvage something from the game, but Shamrocks exploited the space at the back and added two more before the final whistle from Colin Sheehan and a great strike from Peter Marsden to secure their place in the final.

The second semi-final paired Forth Celtic and Rosslare Rangers together. Rangers were coming here off the back of an impressive win at Campile on Monday, whilst Forth survived a penalty shoot-out in the quarter-final against last year’s winners, Taghmon United.

Again, both teams started rather tentatively but it was Forth who took an early lead when a long ball over the top was not dealt with by the Rosslare ‘keeper, and Stephen Daly was on hand to finish and give Celtic the early advantage.

Forth continued to press, with Rangers struggling to maintain possession for any length of time.

The tight pitch meant time and space were at a premium and a lot of tough but fair tackles were a feature early on.

Rosslare settled a bit better and forced a corner in the 25th minute, and they found themselves back on parity after another goalkeeping error which led to the equaliser.

Shortly after Rangers had a free-kick and a header went just over before the half-time whistle sounded.

The second-half wasn’t long started when Rangers took the lead. A Derek O’Connor long-range effort defelected off an unfortunate Forth defender and the ball looped over the ‘keeper as he looked on helplessly.

From then on Rangers sat back a little and were happy to play on the break. Chances from Stephen Daly and Anthony Hayes couldn’t get Forth level as Rangers held on to take their place in the final.

Fixtures - Friday, August 3, Shield semi-finals (7.30 p.m.): Rosslare Rangers v. Fastnet Rovers at All Blacks; St. Leonards v. Forth Celtic at Campile.

Saturday, August 4, Cup semi-finals in the New Ross Celtic grounds: Duncannon v. Campile United, 5 p.m.; Shamrock Rovers v. Taghmon United, 7 p.m.