The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Tralee Celtic win derby and Premier B title after beating Avenue on penalties
DENNY PREMIER B LEAGUE FINAL REPLAY
Tralee Celtic 1 Mitchels Avenue 1 (Tralee Celtic won 5-4 on penalties)
TRALEE Celtic wrote themselves into the annuals of local sporting history at Mounthawk Park on Sunday when they were crowned Premier B champions and in the process captured their fifth consecutive league title which is an achievemnt of phenomenal proportions.
The club has come a long way since the days FAI CEO John Delaney lined out with them and they are now back playing the game at the very highest level and will be a match for any side in Premier A next season.
This remarkable record has not been achieved but for a colossal amount of work behind the scenes by management and players.
This was always going to be a tight game with Tralee Celtic using their trademark passing game while Mitchels Avenue were set up to defend deep and hit on the break at any given opportunity.
Tralee Celtic were well on top for most of the game and could have been out of sight well before the final whistle but for poor finishing and some fantastic goalkeeping by Chris Hegarty in the Mitchels Avenue goals.
Celtic had a couple of early chances but efforts by Anthony Murphy and Stevie O’Mahony were saved by Hegarty.
He was called into action again in the 25th minute and he made a fine save from a Fergal Moynihan shot.
After a period of sustained pressure Tralee CeltIc went ahead in the 34th with an excellently crafted goal.
John Farragher started the move out on the right wing and fed the inrunning Billy Stack who delivered a beauty of cross for Fergal Moynihan and he rose high in a crowded goalmouth and headed the ball to the roof of the net.
Totally against the run of play Mitchels Avenue equalised in the 44th minute.
It came from a great cross from David Hennessy which found Scott Hennessy at the back post and he glided a looping header over the head of Celtic keeper Gary Kissane and it was 1-1 at half time.
Celtic again dominated play in the second half but were finding it hard to crack a Mitchels Avenue defence where David Hennessy and Peter Murphy were in top form.
John Farragher was taken down by Chris Hegarty in the 59th minute as he tried to hook the ball over him but the free kick was wasted by James Sugrue.
Then Mitchels Avenue put a rare attack together with sub Graham O’Leary delivering a sublime cross to Scott Hennessy and he was denied by a good save by Gary Kissane in the Celtic goals.
Now both sides started using their benches as in an effort to try and break the deadlock.
Celtic bombarded the Mitchels Avenue defence in the concluding stages of the game and it looked as if they would engineer a winner.
Fergal Moynihan tried to chip the keeper but failed and the ball was cleared.
Then sub Jordan Murphy had a great chance but his shot was saved by Hegarty and a second attempt was taken of the line by David Hennessy.
In the final minute of the game Celtic were denied twice after Hegarty made two unbelievable blocks to deny Fergal Moynihan.
With the game deadlocked after 90 minutes it progressed to extra time.
Celtic went closest to scoring in the first period of extra time after Jordan Murphy linked up with Fergal Moynihan who delivered a great cross to sub Aidan O’Sullivan but he headed over the top from 6 yards.
Celtic must have thought they had a certain goal in the second period of extra time when a Fergal Moynihan shot from inside the box took a wicked deflection off a defender but Avenue keeper Chris Hegarty pulled off a wonder save displaying tremendous agility and reflexes to adjust his body to push the shot to safety.
Mitchels Avenue had a late half chance to steal the game but Scott Hennessy was denied by a good save by Gary Kissane.
With stalemate prevailing after extra time it progressed to a penalty shoot out.
Celtic were faultless in the shoot out with Fiachra Dunne, Michael Prendiville, James O’Mahony, Fergal Moynihan and Stevie O’Mahoney converting their shots.
Meanwhile David Hennessy, Sean O’Reilly, Chris Hegarty and Graham O’Leary scored for Mitchels Avenue.
However their fourth penalty by sub Anthony O’Connor was saved by Gary Kissane and consequently Celtic were crowned Champions.
The tremendous record they have achieved in winning 5 successive league titles will take a long time to be equaled if ever. TRALEE CELTIC: Gary Kissane, Billy Stack (Jordan Murphy, 83 min), Derek O’Connor, James O’Mahony, Stephen O’Sullivan (Aidan O’Sullivan, 71 min), Stevie O’Mahoney, Fiachra Dunne, James Sugrue, Anthony Murphy (Stephen Moriarty, 55 min), John Farragher, Fergal Moynihan,
MITCHELS AVENUE: Chris Hegarty, Peter Murphy (Danny O’Shea, 84 min), Ruairi Keane (Graham O’Leary, 71 min), David Hennessy, James O’Sullivan, Aaron O’Connor, Scott Hennessy, Sean O’Reilly, Robert Lynch, Brendan Coffey (Chris O’Sullivan, 79 min), David Courtney (Anthony O’Connor, 115 min).
REFEREE: Anthony Morrison
Celtic manager Moriarty delighted with Cup win
SPEAKING after the game the manager of the Tralee Celtic side Gary Moriarty said he was delighted with the win.
“It was always going to be hard against Mitchels Avenue as we know each other so well and know our strengths and weaknesses. It is brilliant to win five league titles in a row. I never thought when I took over the team five years ago that we would win every division in the KDl and that is a record we can be very proud of. Whatever division you play in you can only play what is in front of you and we had to put in a lot of hard work to get where we are now. All the lads worked hard for this and put in a lot of time and effort”
The Celtic boss says that he is now taking a break from management and will hand the reins over to somebody else.
“I am finishing up now and allowing someone with greater experience to lead the team into Premier A. The lads are trying to get me to stay on but I have my mind made up,” he said.