Rangers rule in local derby
Victory versus Arklow Town
ARKLOW TOWN LSL GOREY RANGERS
GOREY RANGERS warmed up nicely for their fast-approaching TJ Murphy’s Premier clash with Shamrock Rovers and New Balance FAI Junior Cup quarter-final against Usher Celtic with a 2-1 victory over Arklow Town FC’s Leinster Senior League side in the Pat Kinsella Memorial Cup at Travers Insurance Park on Saturday.
Both the club’s first team and their Under-10s as well as the Tombrack United Under-14 girls saw action at the event that was enjoyed by all who attended and had a pleasant, community feel throughout.
The game was a tight affair, with both teams having big games on the near horizon. This weekend sees third-placed Rangers travel to face Rovers, who sit one place above them in the top flight.
The following weekend will see the Gorey Rangers club make the trip to Grangegorman IT to take on Usher Celtic in that FAI Junior Cup quarter-final.
It’s also cup quarter-final time for Arklow Town FC as they travel to Pearse Park Astro in Crumlin to take on Templeogue United in the last eight of the Lummy O’Reilly Cup on Sunday.
Saturday’s meeting got off to an exciting start when Arklow Town’s Jack Darcy almost opened the scoring on the sixth minute.
Gorey goalkeeper Seán Allen wasn’t able to keep hold of Jonathan Kelty’s curling strike. Darcy followed up with a rebounding shot but his effort was cleared before the ball could cross the line.
Arklow Town centre-back Thomas Lynch was proving to be a rock in the home side’s defence as he mopped up any threat posed by Rangers in the final third.
Both teams must have been happy to hear the referee signal for the water break on the 20-minute mark as both were struggling with the heat and, it being the first game in over three months, match fitness was to become vital towards the tail end of the game.
After the water break, Rangers nearly opened the scoring as their striker went on a great run, but left-back Lee Kenny put in a sliding tackle to prevent the ball from being squared across the goal-line on the 26th minute.
The home side took the lead on the stroke of half-time when Arklow centre-back Thomas Lynch got on the end of a Jonathan Kelty corner.
The passage of play began when Lee Kenny floated in a cross with a looping ball toward striker Jack Darcy. Seán Allen came out to claim the ball but couldn’t gather it and conceded a corner.
The follow-up corner was floated in by Kelty and was finished by Lynch who reacted first to slot the ball into the back of the net.
Rangers started to ask questions of the Arklow defence early in the second-half as Town ‘keeper Gary Browne had to pull off a great save from a Gorey corner which was going in the top corner before Browne tipped the ball over the crossbar.
Gorey Rangers equalised on the 53rd minute after a long-range effort found the back of the net. Gorey’s Joe Bolger got his head up and spotted there was an opportunity for a shot from outside the box.
Browne only saw his strike at the last second as there were many players in the line of sight of the ‘keeper which meant he could only watch as the ball floated past him into the bottom corner.
The home side gave opportunities to some youngsters after the second water break of the game, with players from the Under-17s getting some minutes against a tough opponent, which can only benefit them in the future going up against a top opposition like Rangers.
Gorey grabbed the lead on the 61st minute when Arklow failed to clear their lines and gave the opportunity to Stephen Moloney with a slotted finish from five yards out.
Striker Stuart O’ Neill was introduced with 15 minutes to go to try to grab an equaliser to bring the game to penalty shoot-outs. Town went close on a number of occasions but they just couldn’t find the back of the net as the game drew to a close.
Credit to Arklow Town and its volunteers who put on an entertaining event throughout the day and late on into the evening. It was a great family day out at Travers Insurance Park, with three games, live music from the Arklow Pipe Band and Black Cherry, burgers and hot dogs, which was all in aid of Ballyraine Day Centre in Arklow.
Arklow Town: Gary Browne, Cullen Walsh, Lee Kenny, Jack Somers, Thomas Lynch, Cormac Breslin, Nathan Cullen, Stuart Mills, Stuart O’Neill, Jonathan Kelty, Jack Darcy, Ryan Whelan.
Gorey Rangers: Seán Allen, Conor Casserley, Gary Murphy, Gavin O’Brien, Stephen Moloney, Ryan Cullen, Glen O’Brien, Stephen Kinsella, Adam Territt, Joe Bolger, Paul Brennan. Subs. - Mark Woods, David Behan, Gavin Griffiths, Dean Flood-Hayes.
Referee: Gavin Colfer.