Youth Cup hots up with last eight action
THREE GAMES that were well contested saw St. Joseph’s, North End and Ross Celtic emerge victorious in the Youth Cup quarter-finals.
Bunclody were always going to make life difficult for the Kilmuckridge lads, but home advantage and an irrepressible fighting spirit proved too much to overcome.
Joseph’s were strong at the back, with Gary Murphy and Alan Goff in the centre flanked by the dependable O’Leary brothers, Kevin and Tomás.
Seán O’Sullivan and Karl Curry did well in midfield, although the key figures in that department were Paul Nangle and Vinny Roche who really ruled the roost.
Nangle fired the eventual winners into the lead just after the half-hour mark, but David Halpin, Dylan Kehoe and Chris Atkinson tried all they knew to get Bunclody back into contention on the re-start.
When St. Joseph’s were reduced to ten men on the hour, it led them to up the tempo and regain control, with Gary O’Leary leading the line on his own up front.
The result was put beyond doubt in the closing minutes when Vinny Roche made it 2-0 and secured that semi-final spot for the home side.
It was no surprise that the New Ross derby between Celtic and Town produced a keenly-fought affair, although the absence of the latter’s star player, Paul Rossiter, was a huge blow to their prospects.
Aaron Deegan opened the scoring for Celtic when he forced home Stuart Power’s corner kick on 15 minutes, and Richie Fitzgerald added a second following good work by Colin St. Ledger and Power.
The underdogs rallied in the second-half, with Nicky Sinnott and Philip Drohan posing plenty of problems before Martin Kinsella halved the deficit.
Ross Town were unfortunate not to share the spoils, after striking the crossbar in each half, but Celtic held on for the bragging rights and a 2-1 win.
North End also made it through to the penultimate round with a 3-2 success in a lively clash with Moyne Rangers.
Lee Gaynor opened the scoring, but a Brendan Dunne brace left Moyne 2-1 up at the interval.
Two from Diarmuid Byrne gave North End the edge, with David Miller very influential at midfield.