Murphy’s goal fires Forth into the top flight
FORTH CELTIC will mix it with the best clubs in the county next season after they beat New Ross Celtic in the Wexford Football League Premier Division promotion/relegation play-off in Ferrycarrig Park on Sunday.
The Murrintown men had to do it the hard way, coming from a goal behind in the second-half after Eoin Rhodes put New Ross ahead in the 50th minute.
Yet Danny O’Brien equalised 16 minutes later and Ryan Murphy slotted home the winner eleven minutes from time.
The New Ross boys can have no quibbles, as Forth were by far the better side and will add a squad with ample pace and athleticism to the upper echelon of Wexford soccer. What they will have to work on is set-pieces.
While the winners played almost all the football, they continually looked vulnerable from dead balls. They had a dozen opportunities to take a lead in the opening half an hour, but by the time the whistle came for the interval they had survived three huge set-piece scares.
The best of Forth Celtic’s chances fell to Lee Busher but with just Aaron Deegan to beat, he scooped the bouncing ball narrowly wide of the left post.
New Ross had offered little until Eoin Kehoe and Seán Culleton saw headers hooked off the line from successive corners in the 36th minute.
A long throw caused mayhem in the Forth box before the half-time whistle but Kehoe flashed over the crossbar.
However, the warnings weren’t heeded. Five minutes into the second-half, Ethan Butler’s corner found its way to Eoin Rhodes at the back post and he fired home to open the scoring.
Forth weren’t as consistently dangerous as they had been in the first-half and really created nothing of note until they equalised when Jamie Carty squared across the face of goal from the left and Danny O’Brien coolly slotted past Deegan.
Lee Busher almost put Forth ahead in the 70th minute, only to see the Ross stopper get across to save his goalbound header at the back post.
The boys in green did get what turned out to be the winner eleven minutes from time when Jesse Farrell and Ryan Busher combined to release Ryan Murphy, and he made no mistake with the classy finish.
New Ross threw everything they had at their opponents in the last few minutes. They went close when Eoghan Cashin cracked the foot of the post with a dramatic bicycle kick but there was no denying Forth Celtic their spot in the Premier Division.
FORTH CELTIC: Noel Simpson; Mark Doyle (capt.), Darren Jordan, Paul Cowman; Páuric Rossiter, Ryan Murphy, Danny O’Brien, Ryan Busher; Lee Busher, Jamie Carty, Ciarán Redmond. Subs. - Jesse Farrell for L. Busher (73), Paul Underwood for Redmond (90), also Gordon Simpson, Killian Murphy, Anthony Hayes, Michael O’Brien, Jack Roche.
NEW ROSS CELTIC: Aaron Deegan; Dave O’Connor, Brian Mullett, Keith Katus, Ethan Butler; Eoin Kehoe, Seán Culleton (capt.), Alan Rhodes, Darragh McDonald; Rory O’Connor, Eoin Rhodes. Subs. Eoghan Cashin for Kehoe (59), Keane Walsh for Culleton (70), Cian O’Grady for McDonald (85), also Adam Gracz, Colin St. Ledger, Daryl Walsh.
REFEREE: Marc Kelly.