WICKLOW ROVERS

Shamrock Park in Rathnew was the place to be on Tuesday night as both our under 12A’s and 13A’s were in Premier Cup Final action.

First up was the 12A’s and what a performance they gave. They gave every ounce of energy to the cause playing some great football against an excellent Arklow Town A side. It was Rovers who took the game to league champions Arklow and were probably a little unlucky not to go in at the break at least a goal up. Sean O’Meara and Tom Hodgkinson both went close with efforts with Hodgkinson a persistent torment to the Arklow rearguard.

There was very little between these two teams. It was going to take something special to win this game and that’s what happened when Arklow scored a wonder goal with just a few minutes left on the clock.

Credit to Rovers they never gave up but luck wasn’t with them on the night. Congratulations to Arklow Town on their cup success. Hard luck to Colin, Jenny and the lads, you done yourselves proud with an excellent performance, everyone gave two hundred percent and with a little luck it might have swung our way.

Wicklow Rovers under 12A’s and everyone at Wicklow Rovers AFC would like to wish Arklow Town player Adam Lacey a speedy recovery from an injury he sustained in Tuesday’s final, get well soon Adam.

The under 13A’s also took on Arklow Town A in their Premier Cup Final and these two sides know each other inside out. Over the years it is either one or the other that takes the honours and with Arklow already claiming the league title the lads went out determined to grab the cup. In a highly competitive game with no quarter given it was Rovers who drew first blood when Sam Brown fired them ahead, a lead they maintained till the interval.

The second period saw the early stages of the half very even with action going from end to end. The lads increased their lead after forty minutes when Sam Brown’s cross found Mark O’Brien on the edge of the eighteen yard box who fired an unstoppable thunderbolt to the top right hand corner of the net, a goal worthy of winning any cup final.

Arklow gave themselves hope when they pulled one back with a quarter of an hour to go. Arklow piled the pressure on the Rovers back line with Rovers looking dangerous on the break.

The Rovers rearguard held firm with Andrew Nolan also making a couple of good saves as the lads saw out the remaining minutes to claim a well deserved victory. It was hard to pick a man of the match as every player was excellent on the night, they battled for every ball and when they lost it they made sure they battled back to win it for their team, a big cheer echoed around Shamrock Park when team captain Luke Dease received the trophy. Congratulations to Jerry, Mick and the lads on a great season.

On Friday the under 12A’s played their second final of the week and were very unlucky to lose out 2-1 after extra time to Arklow Town A, Tom Hodgkinson scored their goal with every player giving a hundred percent on the night, congratulations to Colin, Jenny and the lads on a great season. Our under 13B’s who are already assured of their place in the division 1 shield final defeated Greystones United 2-1 in the Rocky Road on Wednesday night, Ben Free and David Lally hit their goals. On Sunday they played their last group game away to Coolboy Rgrs losing 3-1 with David Lally scoring their goal, what this result means the lads must wait till Greystones and Coolboy play-off to see who they will meet in the final.

The club are currently inviting applicants for the following managerial positions within the club for the 2016/17 season: 1. Leinster Senior First Team; 2. Leinster Senior Second Team; 3. Under 18 Team. Anyone interested in the above positions should contact club secretary Rob Free for an application form at 085-8153424 or by email at robfreemax@gmail.com Closing dates for the above applications is Friday the 1st of July.

The dates for our annual summer soccer camp are week 1 from Monday 4th July to Friday 8th July, week 2 from Monday 11th July to Friday 15th July. The camps will run from 10 am to 3 pm daily, each participant will receive a jersey, ball and a medal. The cost of the camp is €65 with discount for a family with two or more kids. There will also be a girls only section in the camp.

All participants should bring a packed lunch, a drink, boots, shin guards and a rain jacket. Anyone interested in taking part should contact Johnny Dunne at 087-7802098 or Willie O’Brien at 086-1696911.

Alternatively you can contact any committee member or message the club Facebook page. Registration forms can be downloaded from the club website at www.wicklowrovers.com Keep an eye on our club facebook page for dates on registration days.