U-12 STALEMATE
Gorey Rangers held by St. Joseph’s
GOREY RANGERS huffed and puffed but couldn’t blow the St. Joseph’s defence down in Under-12 Division 1 of the Wexford and District Schoolboys Soccer League at Kilmuckridge on Tuesday.
The Ramstown boys came into the game with just three league fixtures completed but still took the field knowing a fourth victory of the season would see them leapfrog their opponents to the top of the table.
St. Joseph’s have played a whopping five more league games than their opponents, including a 6-0 defeat in the reverse fixture, but their eleven points was enough to have them tied at the summit with Forth Celtic.
The hosts, fearing another skittling, set up with a strong emphasis on defence. At the same time they looked to hit Rangers long. Quick balls to lively frontmen Lennon Smith and Conor Blake, and later Niall Furlong, gave the visitors plenty of problems.
Gorey’s style was markedly different. They were incredibly comfortable on the ball for a side so young. The excellent training they have received through the years was clearly evident as they stroked it around with ease, always looking for the free man.
However, football is a funny game and the two contrasting styles made for a fantastic match. It took a while for the sides to settle but when it did Rangers were first to create a decent chance.
Cian Levingston’s dead-balls were superb and it was one of his early corners that Evan Harpur nodded towards goal. Just when it looked like the ball might just creep by J.D. Masterson, M.J. Fox was in the right place at the right time to hook it off the line.
Levingston did great work on the right throughout the game, and it was his cross that Rory Martin sliced wide in the 24th minute. It was also his centre three minutes later, added to by Cathal O’Brien, that James Murray back-flicked inches wide.
At the other end, Rangers goalkeeper Cian Wilson was the coolest man on the park, allowing Lennon Smith’s 25-yard rocket to fly a foot left and wide of the post without any sign of panic.
The out ball that St. Joseph’s used so well in the first-half just wasn’t there as often after the break. Rangers penned their op- ponents back but couldn’t find the breakthrough goal.
Their best opportunity came with ten minutes left. Another Levingston cross pinballed around the hosts’ goalmouth before falling to O’Brien at the back post. He shot powerfully from an angle but could only hit the side-netting as St. Joseph’s held on for a hardearned point.
St. Joseph’s: J.D. Masterson; Brian Doran, D.J. Cullen, M.J. Fox; Brian O’Meara, Simon Roche, Shane Kehoe; Lennon Smith, Conor Blake. Subs. (rolling) - Louis Cullen, Niall Furlong, Matthew Calder, Mark Doyle.
Gorey Rangers: Cian Wilson; Evan Harpur, Max Meegan, James Kenny; Cian Levingston, Rory Martin, James Murray; Cathal O’Brien, Pádraig Weafer. Subs. (rolling) - Cian Waters, Daniel Keane, Curtis Kenny, Cian Finn, Rob Wall.
Referee: Tom Kearney. Under-11 Cup round three: North End 4, Bridge Rovers A 0. Under-11 Cup quarter-final: Bunclody 8, Camolin Celtic 2; Gorey Rangers 6, Shelburne 2. Under-11 Division 1: Forth Celtic 4, New Ross Town 2. Under-11 Division 1A: Wexford Celtic 3, Duncannon 3; All Blacks 4, New Ross Celtic 9; Gorey Celtic 4, Courtown Hibs 5. Under-11 Division 2: St. Cormac’s 4, Rosslare Strand 4; Rosslare Rangers 2, Glynn Barntown 2; Caim United 0, Curracloe United 1. Under-11 Division 2A: Corach Ramblers 1, Fethard Rangers 1; Oylegate United 4, Ballymurn Celtic 4; Tombrack United 0, Ferns United 5. Under-11 Division 3: Ajax Athletic 0, Bree United 8; Curracloe United B 0, New Ross Town B 3; Campile United 0, Forth Celtic B 1. Under-11 Division 3A: Rosslare Rangers B 1, Ballagh United 8; Wexford Bohs 1, Kilmore United 1. Under-11 Division 4: AFC Legia 7, Glynn Barntown B 1; Rathnure United 5, Bridge Rovers B 2; Gorey Rangers B 7, Cushinstown 2. Under-13 S.F.A.I. Regional Cup semi-final: All Blacks 1, Evergreen 1 (All Blacks won 5-4 on penalties). Under-13 Cup round three: Forth Celtic A v. All Blacks (off); Bridge Rovers 4, New Ross Town 4 (Bridge Rovers won 8-7
WEDS. MARCH 29 (all 6 p.m.)
Under-10 fixtures (see schoolboys website)
THURS. MARCH 30 (all 6 p.m.) Under-11 Cup quarter-final: Gorey Celtic v. Cloughbawn (N. Boland). Under-11 Division 1A: North End v. Duncannon (M. Colfer). Under-13 Division 1: Glynn Barntown v. Wexford Celtic (H. Morris); All Blacks v. Forth Celtic (S. Burke). Under-13 Division 2A: Killenagh v. Curracloe United (S. Hadley); Oylegate v. Shelburne (M. Hogan). Under-13 Division 3: Forth Celtic B v. Glynn Barntown B (D. Gaul). Under-15 Division 1: Wexford Albion v. Gorey Rangers (D. Donovan); North End v. Forth Celtic (J. Kelly). Under-15 Division 2: Camolin Celtic v. Glynn Barntown (M. Franklin); Duncannon v. New Ross Celtic (J. Diskin); Wexford Celtic v. Adamstown (M. Comiskey). Under-15 Division 2A: Fastnet Rovers v. Rathnure (L. Doyle); Shelburne v. Cloughbawn (B. Holohan).
SAT. APRIL 1 (all 10 a.m.) Under-10 fixtures (see schoolboys website) Under-12 Cup quarter-final: Shelburne v. Curracloe United A (11.00, W. Murphy). Under-12 Division 1: Moyne Rangers v. New Ross Town A (11.00, M. Hogan); Gorey Rangers v. Forth Celtic A (11.00, P. Cashman); St. Joseph’s v. Bridge Rovers (1.00, H. Morris). Under-12 Division 1A: All Blacks v. New Ross Celtic A (11.00, G. Jones); Gorey Celtic v. Courtown Hibs (12.15, O. Morris); Duncannon v. Blackwater (11.00, F. Sinnott). Under-12 Division 2: Fastnet Rovers v. Caim (11.00, L. Doyle); Glynn Barntown A v. Shamrock Rovers (11.00, M. Comiskey); Oylegate v. Rosslare Rangers (11.00, S. Vardy). Under-12 Division 2A: Bunclody v. AFC Legia (11.00, K. Farnyik); Corach Ramblers v. Ferns United (1.00, D. Jenkins); on penalties); Wexford Celtic A 7, Forth Celtic B 0. Under-13 Cup quarter-final: St. Leonards v. Glynn Barntown (off). Under-13 Division 1: Gorey Celtic 0, St. Joseph’s 2; Forth Celtic 0, Wexford Albion 3. Under-13 Division 1A: Fethard Rangers 1, Shamrock Rovers 0. Under-13 Division 2: Bunclody 1, Moyne Rangers 1. Under-13 Division 2A: Kilmore 1, Oylegate United 4; Killenagh Wanderers 3, Ferns United 1. Under-13 Division 3: Shamrock Rovers B 2, Wexford Celtic B 2; Gorey Celtic C 0, St. Joseph’s B 1. Under-15 Cup quarter-finals: North End 8, St. Cormac’s 1; Campile 2, Wexford Albion 3. Under-15 Division 1A: Bridge Rovers 3, St. Joseph’s 3; Blackwater 1, Ballymurn Celtic 6. Under-15 Division 2: New Ross Celtic 6, Glynn Barntown 0; Adamstown 1, Camolin Celtic 3; Wexford Celtic v. St. Cormac’s (off). Under-15 Division 2A: Enniscorthy Town 7, Curracloe United 1; Cloughbawn 1, Rathnure United 0; Forth Celtic B 0, Gorey Celtic B 0. Under-15 Division 3: Wexford Albion B 2, Gorey Rangers B 9; Kilmore United 1, Enniscorthy United 0. Under-12 Division 3: New Ross Town B v. Forth Celtic B (11.00, P. O’Rourke); Tombrack United v. Curracloe United B (2.00, S. Hadley); Cloughbawn v. Cushinstown (11.00, B. Holohan). Under-12 Division 4: St. Leonards v. Taghmon United (2.15, D. Egan); Campile v. Rathnure United (1.00, D. Egan); Forth Celtic C v. Stoney Rovers (1.00, D. Donovan); New Ross Town C v. Kilmore (12.15, P. O’Rourke). Under-14 Cup quarter-finals: North End v. Kilmore United (1.00, J. Kelly); Bridge Rovers v. Gorey Rangers (12.15, M. Kenny); St. Joseph’s A v. St. Leonards (TBC, M. Franklin); New Ross Town v. Rosslare Strand (1.30, J. Diskin). Under-14 Division 1: Duncannon v. Gorey Celtic A (12.15, F. Sinnott). Under-14 Division 2A: Adamstown v. Shamrock Rovers (12.15, D. Campion). Under-14 Division 3: Ballymurn Celtic v. Newpark (11.00, M. Colfer). Under-16 Cup quarter-finals: New Ross Celtic v. Campile (1.00, A. Tobin); Forth Celtic v. St. Cormac’s (2.00, A. Foley); North End v. Gorey Rangers (11.00, K. Dunne). Under-16 Division 1: Gorey Rangers v. Wexford Albion (3.00, K. Murphy). Under-16 Division 3: Bree v. Forth Celtic B (11.30, P. Redmond); Kilmore United v. St. Leonards (11.30, J. Stafford). Under-16 Division 4: Corach Ramblers v. Enniscorthy United (2.15, D. Jenkins); Gorey Celtic v. Bridge Rovers (11.00, J. Doyle); New Ross Town v. Wexford Celtic (2.45, J. Diskin).
TUES. APRIL 4 (all 6 p.m.) There will be fixtures in the Under-12 cup and league, Under-13 cup, and Under-16 cup and league, with full details in next week’s edition.
WEDS. APRIL 5 (all 6 p.m.) There will be fixtures in the Under-10 league, with full details in next week’s edition.