Gorey march on to quarter-final
GOREY RANGERS CASTLEBAR CELTIC 4 0
GOREY RANGERS capitalised on a dramatic opening to push on for a hugely impressive victory over Mayo champions, Castlebar Celtic, when the sides met in their FAI Junior Cup seventh round game in Ramstown on Sunday.
It was a grim opening for the visitors, so much so that it was going to take something extra special for them to even get back into the game, let alone fashion a result.
They conceded the opening goal when failing to clear on their end line after just five minutes, and their cup dreams really fell around them two minutes later, when ‘keeper Danny Kirby advanced outside his area as home centre-forward Adam Territ ran on to a long ball.
The Gorey attacker played the ball wide, and seemed to have lost control, but Kirby followed through with his tackle and took the centre-forward out of the game.
Referee Lee Kill immediately brandished the red card to the dismay of the visiting supporters, leaving Castlebar not alone a player down but also trailing by a goal, all of this happening during an action-packed opening spell.
As a result, Castlebar were forced to withdraw central midfielder Gerry Hunt, with Derek O’Sullivan taking over the goalkeeping mantle.
They continued battling but their numerical disadvantage eventually took its toll as the Wexford side never relinquished the initiative for the remainder of the game.
While it may have been a difficult decision, one could not take from the Gorey Rangers display. They played with real composure, spraying the ball around, stretching the depleted visitors, and as the game developed they were always going to create the opportunities.
Given that it was a huge cup game, with a quarter-final reliant on the result, it was important for either side to get a promising start.
Gorey pressed from the kick-off but the goal opportunity arose out of a situation where the visitors failed to clear a ball on the end line, leaving the hard-working Stephen Kinsella to put the ball across the face of the goal, with Gavin O’Brien having a simple tap-in from a few metres out.
The hosts were doing their best to play a passing game, showing a willingness to push players forward, which scarcely allowed the visitors time to settle.
Castlebar were caught as they pushed forward in an attack in search of an equaliser, leaving them stranded at the back and resulting in ‘keeper Kirby having to advance outside his area, eventually leading to the red card which all but decided their interest in this game.
There was nothing nasty about the challenge but it was completely mistimed, and it knocked much of the passion out of the game, as Gorey took total control.
Castlebar substitute ‘keeper Derek O’Sullivan denied Adam Territ and Paul Brennan with fine saves, but at the opposite end the visitors were unable to get a single direct shot on goal.
With the game now in its 27th minute, Gorey all but secured their quarter-final passage when Territ ran on to a long clearance out of defence to shoot low past advancing ‘keeper O’Sullivan, making it 2-0, a lead they took into the interval.
Castlebar did manage to step up the chase during the opening ten minutes on the resumption, but they were unable to create a worthwhile chance, with home ‘keeper Seán Allen not having a direct shot to deal with.
Having weathered that initial second-half storm, Gorey regained the initiative with Stephen Moloney and Glen O’Brien dominant in midfield, while Paul Brennan and Adam Territ were lively up front. And with Gavin O’Brien and Jonathan Savage dominant at the back, there was only going to be one result.
When Castlebar lost their most influential player, Aidan Walsh, after 61 minutes with a knee injury, their whole game fell apart, as the home side added two late goals.
A Mark Woods corner-kick went across the goal into the opposite corner of the net, while Jonathan Savage fired home the fourth after his initial effort was blocked. GOREY RANGERS: Seán Allen; Conor Casserley, Gavin O’Brien, Jonathan Savage, Ryan Cullen; Stephen Moloney, Glen O’Brien, Stephen Kinsella, Paul Brennan; Adam Territ, Dylan Vickers. Subs. - Mark Woods for Terrett (71), Joe Bolger for Vickers (88), Ethan Vickers for O’Brien (92), David Christie for Kinsella (93), also Gary Murphy, David Behan, Gavin Griffiths.
CASTLEBAR CELTIC: Danny Kirby; Rory Nevin, Joseph O’Reilly, Aidan Walsh, Mark Hooley; Gerry Hunt, Liam Whyte, Ben Murphy, Jordan Loftus; Jason Hunt, Liam Flatley. Subs. - Derek O’Sullivan for Hunt (7), Gareth Dunne for Hooley (45), Stephen Walsh for Walsh, inj. (61), Nicky Canning for Nevin (90), also Ethan Minela, Larry Hay, Battso Hay.
REFEREE: Lee Kill (Kilkenny League). Assistants: Jason Moore, David Connolly.