Tough night for Town men

Inchicore prove too strong

ARKLOW TOWN FC INCHICORE ATH FC 0 3

IT was a night to forget for Arklow Town FC when they fell to the visiting Inchicore Athletic FC at Bridgewater Centre Park last Friday night in the Leinster Senior League Senior 1A Sunday league.

For 39 minutes their hopes of following up last week’s superb victory over Templeogue United FC were alive and well and they were asking plenty of questions of the visitor’s defence – mainly from set pieces it has to be said, with Andrew Maher operating in a lonely role up front when it came to open play.

However, the tone of the game changed somewhat after 35 minutes when Inchicore got what was really their first shot off in anger at Keith Manley’s goal. And like buses through the Dublin suburb, Inchicore’s chances started to come thick and fast where there hadn’t been any, and it was their third one that unlocked the Arklow Town FC defence.

An Arklow Town attack was launched by Jonathan Doyle with a dinky ball into Andrew Maher but the Town striker endured a torrid evening at the hands of the unforgiving Mark Donohue and Adam Mitchell and, on this occasion, it was Mark Donohue who wrestled Maher off the ball and away went the Dubliners on the attack.

A neat ball from Darren Howe to winger Sean Maher allowed Maher to square the ball to striker Corey O’Rourke whose first touch took him past Lee Kenny and O’Rourke slipped the ball past Keith Manley and it went into the net off the knee of Jonathan Doyle to give the visitors the lead, against the run of play it has to be said.

Arklow Town started well. They were full of energy and potential but they did lack a threat up front. With Andrew Maher seriously outnumbered, the home team had to rely on set pieces to provide them with any real threat on Patrick Reilly’s goal.

Ross Hanley had the first real chance but his effort from a free rocketed over the Inchicore crossbar. Lee Kenny’s corner was cleared well by the sturdy Inchicore defence while an excellent Jonathan Doyle cross earned Town a corner but, again, Inchicore cleared the danger resolutely.

Another Town free, this one from Gavin Doyle, was swung in dangerously but no home player committed themselves and it tailed harmlessly wide of Patrick Reilly’s post.

And then Inchicore started to connect.

They brought a fairly abrasive attitude to this game and it plenty of Paul O’Brien’s patience and levelheadedness to maintain control of this game but maintain it he did; a stern word here and there and a deserved yellow card or two softened the cough of some of the more outspoken visitors to the Bridgewater Centre Park.

But once the Inchicore men started to play Arklow Town were in trouble. Corey O’Rourke looked like a handful from the start and when his shot found the net after 39 you knew that Town were in trouble.

In fairness to Gavin Doyle and William Kavanagh’s men they put up a respectable fight in the second half. After four minutes, Darragh O’Leary nearly sent the home support wild but his cheeky effort at a lob on Patrick Reilly was just off target. Had he made it work it would have been a moment of pure magic.

Town tried substitutes. They sent in Quantain O’Reilly, Jack Darcy, Daragh Culleton and Joseph Ledwith into the fray but, ultimately, it would have little or no effect on the final score, although Jack Darcy’s header did come back off the crossbar after 88 minutes with the score at 0-2.

After 74 minutes, the Arklow Town defence were filleted like a fish and substitute Daniel Geraghty gave Keith Manley no hope when he was released into space by a sublime ball.

Inchicore kept pressing and were lethal on the counter and on 90 minutes they put the icing on the cake when Corey O’Rourke finished from a Corey O’Rourke ball to make it 0-3 to the visitors and complete a night to forget for the Arklow Town FC men.

1. Keith Manley,

2. Cullen Walsh, 3. Jonathan Doyle,

4. Jack Somers, 5. Lee Kenny, 6. Gavin Doyle, 7. Liam Moore, 8. Darren Dempsey, 9. Andrew Maher, 10. Ross Hanley, 11. Daragh O’Leary. Subs: Quantain O’Reilly for J Doyle (57min), Jack Darcy for L Moore (60min), Daragh Culleton for C Walsh (60min), Joseph Ledwith for D O’Leary (70min).

1. Patrick Reilly, 2. Sean Plunkett, 3. Leon Fahey Byrne, 4. Mark Donohue, 5. Adam Mitchell, 6. Darren Howe, 7. Conor Bolton, 8. Dean Power, 9. Corey O’Rourke, 10. Craig Smithers, 11. Sean Maher. Subs: Daniel Geraghty for D Howe (64min), Gerrard Marshell for M Donohue (75min).

Paul O’Brien

Leszek Adamczak,

Robbie Kearns