CLUB
BRAY BOWLS
Both Bray teams were in action last weekend in the Winter League with Bray ‘A’ defeating Leinster ‘B’ by 4-1 in Bray to keep hold of second place in their section with one game to go.
That game will take place on February 18 away to Greenhills who are one point behind Bray following their magnificent victory away to the leaders Dun Laoghaire.
It will be a winner take all shoot out in the foothills of the Dublin Mountains.
Bray ‘B’ were away to the league champions Leinster ‘A’ and experienced a tough day at the office where the experience of the champions proved too hot to handle. Both teams have a free weekend coming up.
There was a limited number of games over the weekend with the weather curtailing the majority of the scheduled matches.
In 11-a-side action only two games beat the weather, the under-12Bs travelled to the Bog Meadow where they took on Enniskerry in the quarter-finals of the Division 2 cup. In a five-goal thriller the lads came out on top on a 3-2 score line.
On what was a tricky pitch both sides gave it their all, the heavy conditions made it hard for both sides.
This turned into a typical cup tie with both teams battling the conditions as well as their opponents.
Nothing separated the sides at the break with the score 0-0 at half time. Rovers went in front through Mikey Nolan and increased their lead shortly after when Peter Dunne added the second. Enniskerry pulled one back before Harry Tobin Kelly raced through to nab the insurance goal.
Enniskerry scored a consolation goal in injury time but the lads held on for a deserved victory and a safe passage into the semi-finals.
The other game to beat the weather was the under-13 girls who took on Cambridge from Ringsend at the Whitegates. In a close tussle the girls came out on top by the narrowest of margins winning 1-0.
It was a tough battle with no quarter given by either side and it was a game that saw both defences control the game for the majority of the game.
It was going to take a moment of magic to unlock either defence and thankfully that came from Rovers leading scorer Molly Sweeney.
Molly cut in from the right wing weaving her way past the Cambridge rearguard before coolly placing the ball past the keeper, a goal richly deserved for Molly’s persistence against a stubborn Cambridge defence.
Rovers did have chances to put the game to bed, the Rovers keeper and back three were outstanding through out and were a major contribution in gaining an excellent three points.
Our Last Man Standing competition kicked off over the weekend, on Saturday we saw 24 players make their exit from the competition at the first hurdle.
The biggest casualty at the weekend was Liverpool whose recent bad form continued when they lost 2-0 away to Hull resulting in 12 players going out of the competition. Crystal Palace’s embarrassing 4-0 drubbing at home at the hands of Sunderland saw an additional seven players fall by the wayside.
Southampton’s 3-1 home defeat to West Ham meant 3 players went out, while 1 player each went out on Arsenal after they lost out to Chelsea in a London derby and Middlesbrough as they went down narrowly 1-0 away to Tottenham.
Of the teams that helped their backers through to round 2 it was the most popular choice of the weekend Tottenham who had the largest number of players on tender hooks. Their narrow 1-0 win over Middlesbrough saw a massive 77 players progress to the second round.
Also on Saturday the blue side of the Mersey didn’t let their supporters down as they saw off Bournemouth in a goal fest winning 6-3 to see 18 players safely through. Watford’s 2-1 home win over Burnley saw three players move on to the next round, Chelsea’s derby win over arch rivals Arsenal helped two players through while two players also progressed thanks to West Brom’s narrow 1-0 win over Stoke.
West Ham’s 3-1 away win over Southampton completed the amount of players who progressed through from Saturday’s action with one player making it through on the back of the Hammers.
On to Sunday and the second most popular selection really made their 43 players sweat, Manchester City scored a late winner to defeat Swansea 2-1 when a draw looked on the cards.
Manchester United completed round 1 of out competition when they easily accounted for last season’s champions Leicester City winning 3-0 which saw a further 8 players make it through to round 2.
What it means is that 24 players exited the competition at the first hurdle to leave 154 players to battle it out to be the last man standing.
The club’s weekly junior soccer academy continues every Saturday morning [weather permitting] under the watchful eye of senior club coach Johnny Dunne.
The academy takes places on the all weather pitch on the club grounds at the Whitegates and is open to all kids from the age of three years to eight years. The academy starts at 11am and finishes at 12.
There is no need for registration so you can come along to any week that suits.
Come along and learn the skills of football while having fun and enjoyment, it’s a great way of meeting new friends as you learn the skills as you get prepared for the introduction to participate in organised league football in the coming years. Mountain Bike Challenge - A great start to the season for club member Derrick Evans who travelled all the way to Glenveagh National Park in Donegal on February 5 to compete in the Gartan Mountain Bike Challenge.
On a bitterly cold but dry day, Derrick came home first in the demanding 60km race. Derrick is no stranger to competing at the top end of these adventure races, but this was a great achievement so early in the year and bodes well for the rest of his season. SERC would like to thank Derrick and Jellylegs Coaching for helping to prepare the club’s race squad for the upcoming season with their team training plan.
Liam Curly selected for Nicholas Roche Performance Team (NRPT) - SERC would like to congratulate local lad, Liam Curly who has been selected for the prestigious NRPT for the year ahead. Liam has been a member of SERC throughout the underage system and the club is delighted for him that his natural talent, dedication and hardwork have paid off.
The NRPT team is made up of some of the best junior riders (U18) in Ireland and will see Liam train and compete both in Ireland and abroad against the best up and coming cyclists in Europe. The team is set up to give these young riders the experience and knowledge to allow them make the next step into senior cycling and possibly a professional contract.
SERC would like to congratulate him and his family on this accomplishment and wish him the best for the future.
Conor Short and Eoghan Cooke selected for Leinster Cycling U14 - Well done to Conor Short and Eoghan Cooke whom have been selected on the Leinster Cycling U14 team to represent their club and province at the upcoming National Academy/Selection weekend in Castlebar on February 25 and 26. This is a great achievement for the two lads and SERC wishes them all the best in this event and for the rest of the season.
Last weekend saw many of our WDSL matches called off due to extremely inclement weather conditions.
One of our teams that did get to play was our U14A team who faced local team Arklow Celtic. A great 4-3 win from Town sees this team through to the Semi Final of the Cup. Well done all.
Our LSL Saturday Team welcomed UCD to our Astro facility in Bridgewater Centre Park on Saturday evening.
A great game of football from the outset which saw Town taking the lead within five minutes of the opening whistle and going into half time leading 2-1 nil.
The second half saw UCD creating chances for themselves resulting in a 3-3 brace scoreline at the final whistle. Goalscorers for Town on the night were Darren Dempsey, Stewart O’Neill and Shane Roche.
Our U17 DDSL Team preseason tournament continues with the team hosting Ardmore on Sunday afternoon. Town won this match 4-0 which sees them two points clear at the top of their group table.
Our Goalkeepers Training sessions resume next Friday night (having been called off last Friday due to weather conditions).
These sessions are specialised goalkeeping training for all our Club Goalkeepers and have proved invaluable to these players who hold an integral position on the pitch.
They are overlooked by IPK Acadamy Director Ian Fowler who brings with him a wealth of experience having trained with a number of top flight Clubs over the years. Sessions are completely free of charge to all our Goalkeepers.
Our Little Astros Club continues every Saturday morning at 10am until 11am in Bridgewater Centre Park.
Aiming at children aged between four and seven years years old, it provides a fun introduction to football in a very safe and secure environment overlooked by fully qualified coaches. Sessions are free of charge and newcomers are always welcome.
ATFC Bingo is held every Thursday night in our main clubhouse in Lamberton.
A great night is guaranteed with plenty of cash prizes on offer on the night. Do come up and join in. First number is called at 8.30pm.
Please check out our Facebook page at The Town- Arklow Town FC for all match reports, pictures and news happening within our Club.