Ace finisher Anna seals it for depleted Tombrack
ARKLOW TOWN TOMBRACK UNITED
THE UNDER-14 girls of Tombrack United and Arklow Town FC turned on the style to get the Pat ‘Gouch’ Kinsella memorial tournament under way on Saturday in Travers Insurance Park in Arklow.
Seven goals and plenty of thrills and spills were produced in beautiful weather in what was the first competitive game of soccer in the Garden county since lockdown began, with the Co. Wexford side holding off a strong comeback from Arklow Town to secure the win.
What makes Tombrack United’s victory even more noteworthy is that manager William Dixon had only ten players at his disposal for this encounter against an 18-player Arklow Town panel who elected to play their full eleven with rolling substitutes, and the visitors were still able to hold their own over the 80 minutes of exciting action.
Key to the Tombrack United win was the talent and performance of Anna Dragusan who bagged all four goals for the visitors and created any amount of opportunities and looked lethal once the ball was anywhere near her feet.
It wasn’t a one-player performance, however. Given that Tombrack United had no players to call on to replace the ten starters, it was shoulders to the wheel for William Dixon’s side, and from Leanne Walsh in the goals to Megan Hayes wearing 11, this was a superb showing from a very capable young side.
The visitors fell behind after 20 minutes when Arklow Town’s main scoring threat, Erin Bardon, fired home past Leanne Walsh.
Tombrack had been asking questions of the home side up to this point, but the excellent Amber Byrne in the Town goal was proving very hard to beat, with great saves made from shots by Allie Byrne, the strong Kym Dixon, and Megan Hayes.
Dixon was having her work cut out for her with the presence of Town’s Bardon, but the Tombrack defender proved to be well up for the challenge, and, indeed, faced a number of different players over the course of the 80 minutes and was not found wanting.
Anna Dragusan started to dominate after the Town goal and had the game level ten minutes later after troubling Amber Byrne on more than one occasion with shots, creating space with her silky football skills and wonderful spatial awareness.
The second-half brought plenty of creative football, with chances galore. Erin Bardon was picked out by a stunning Caoimhe Appleby ball but fired wide and then watched as her wicked shot flew over the crossbar.
At the other end, Dragusan was still causing all sorts of problems, and Amber Byrne was having to be very alert to thwart the Tombrack terror.
But there was very little the Town ‘keeper could do when a defensive blunder left her all alone with Dragusen, and Tombrack took a deserved lead with eleven minutes gone in the second-half.
The Tombrack attacker had her hat-trick after 16 minutes of the second-half, and then the warm day and the lack of substitutes and the fact that they were facing eleven players began to take effect as Arklow Town came back fighting.
Bardon made it 2-3 after 25 minutes, and Ciara Lancaster nearly levelled moments later but for a great save from Leanne Walsh and quality defending from Kym Dixon.
Tombrack were still threatening at the other end. Megan Hayes brought a fine save out of Amber Byrne, as did Eabha Guinan, and Caoimhe Appleby saved a certain goal from Anna Dragusan with a fine block.
Dragusan bagged her fourth with moments left in this game as she used her strong running to power down on Amber Byrne’s goal before toe-poking home to the bottom corner.
Town gave it one last burst and were rewarded with a fine goal from the hard-working C.J. Smith, but they ran out of time and it was victory for Tombrack after a very entertaining clash of two committed sides.
Dragusan was the class act on display but she had any number of quality colleagues, with Lara Murphy, Ciara Kenny, Kym Dixon, Emer Roche, Allie Byrne and the rest all shining bright on a beautiful day in Arklow.
Dixon’s side now turn their attention to their domestic league where they have crunch games against Ross and Coolboy Rangers, with a league crown very much within reach.
Arklow Town FC: Amber Byrne, Amelia Szydlo, C.J. Smith, Farrin Wolohan, Caoimhe Appleby, Amber Cronin-Kenny, Ciara Lancaster, Aibhe Cullen, Keeva McNamee, Aoise Dunning, Hannah Fox, Claire Ginty, Emily Hughes, Holly Preston, Erin Bardon, Jessica Scanlon, Jorja Murphy, Grace Kelly.
Tombrack United: Leanne Walsh, Kayleigh Roche, Lara Murphy, Ciara Kenny, Kym Dixon, Emer Roche, Allie Byrne, Eabha Guinan, Anna Dragusan, Megan Hayes.
Referee: Joe Byrne.