Wicklow Town cruise past Arklow United
WICKLOW TOWN cruised past Arklow United with impressive eight-goal victory last Saturday morning at Ferndale Park.
The visitors started the game with putting extreme pressure on their opponents as it was clear to see Wicklow Town were looking to start the game in the best possible way with an early goal.
Wicklow Town winger Scott Sheridan and right full back Harry Hodgenson were combining well on the right hand side as Hodgenson would bring the ball out from defence and find Sheridan in space on the right wing who kept threatening the Arklow defence with his accurate crosses into the penalty area, but his team mates were unable to threaten goalkeeper Cian McLoughlin early on.
Town thought they had opened the scoring on the 14th minute when Craig Anderson rounded the keeper but couldn’t manage to slip the ball into the corner of the net as his finish went inches wide of the post.
It wasn’t long before Town had their first of the game with a bullet volley from Dylan Kavanagh on the 18th minute. A well delivered corner form Mark Whelan met the left foot of Kavanagh and he finished excellently into the top of the net to put his side 1-0 up in the game.
United were finding it hard to get into the game and spent majority of the first half in their own half trying to keep out a dominant Wicklow Town side, and their dominance continued early in the second half with an early goal from Jack Fox on the 52nd minute. Town broke on the counter attack with Fox and Noble breaking from their own half and Noble delivered the ball across the goal line to Fox who easily finished the attack.
Kavanagh grabbed his second of the game with a great long range effort 30 yards out. The attacker won back possession in a dangerous position before firing a low long range strike that flew into the corner of the net.
Wicklow Town nabbed their fourth of the game on the hour mark with an easy finish from five yards out from Scott Sheridan after Kavanagh squared the ball across the goal line to make it an easy finish for Sheridan on the 67th minute.
The goal of the game came on the 71st minute when Cian Kelly struck a curling shot right on the edge of the side-line. Kelly was at least 40 yards out but still managed to lob the goalkeeper who was standing just a fraction off his line. A great strike from the midfielder with great vision to see the opportunity with the Arklow keeper off his line.
A minute later United grabbed a goal back with a superb finish by striker Jack Kavanagh but unfortunately it didn’t impact the game as Town scored another three goals before the final whistle. Kavanagh wrapped up his hat-trick with five minutes to go with a mistake at the back from goalkeeper and defence meant Kavanagh could finish into an empty net.
Two final goals from Scott Sheridan and Nathan Sullivan finalised the result as they tucked away the 7th and 8th goal of the game.
A great three points for the away side who dominated the game since the first whistle but credit to United who didn’t give up throughout the game and kept attacking their opponents up until the end of the game, but in the end Town were much to clinical in-front of goal for the Arklow side.
Arklow United: 1. Cian Mc Loughlin,
2. Jamie Flynn, 3. Oran Walker, 4. Leigh Nolan, 5. Leon Barnes, 6. Conor O’ Brien,
7. Phil Erasmas, 8. Ethan Curran, 9. Jack Jack Kavanagh, 10. Robbie Fowler, 11. Josh Whitmore, 12. Oliver Polad, 13. Dylan Smith. Wicklow Town: 1. Chris Doyle, 2. Harry Hodgeinson, 3. Mark Whelan,
4. Callum Kelly, 5. Jamie Noble, 6. Jack Fox, 7. Scott Sheridan. 8. Craig Anderson, 9. Nicholas Flood, 10. Dylan Kavanagh, 11. Nathan Sullivan, 12. Troy Sutton, 13. Ryan Whelan, 14. Jack Meaney, 15. Cian Kelly.
Referee: Carl Doyle.