Round-up of all the local soccer action
DESPITE making a dream start to their under-15 Leinster Plate semi-final on Sunday afternoon, Wicklow DSL have been knocked out by a superior Midlands SL side that came from behind to advance to the Subway decider.
It looked like it would be Wicklow’s day after Oisin Keegan had swept home a well-worked opener inside the first 60 seconds.
Midlands regrouped and came back stronger, however, to go into the half-time break in front, before the exciting Conor Bracken sealed the win with a late goal in the second.
Closed within the walls of the large all-weather pitch in Arklow, no wind would play a factor on what was a cold afternoon. Whatever team would come away with the win would have to rely on what they could do with the ball on the ground.
It would be Wicklow who would take advantage of a lax start on the part of Midlands, to race into an early lead.
With less than 60 seconds on the clock, Niall O’Shaughnessy released Ruairi Jenkinson down the left-hand side.
Jenkinson brilliantly spun his defender to reach the by-line, before cutting the ball back to Keegan, who had the simple task of stroking the ball into the back of an empty net.
It was as good a start as Wicklow could have hoped for, but also seemed to awaken Midlands from their slumber.
The dangerous Kiefer Kelly flicked the ball around his marker down the left wing to send himself one-v-one with Fionn Doyle in the Wicklow goal. His subsequent strike was tame, however, and Doyle was able to gather.
That chance, as well as a wellsaved strike from Conor Bracken following a loose ball in midfield, foreshadowed the Midlands comeback, which kick-started with just over ten minutes left in the half.
After referee Keith Neville adjudged that Conor Bracken had been fouled on the edge of the area, substitute Alex Rooney took the shot on, only for the ball to deflect off the wall and fly past the helpless Wicklow goalie.
The visitors had their tails up and took the lead as the game entered injury-time at the end of the first-half. Bracken, a constant menace for the Wicklow defence, skilfully turned the ball around full-back Finn Byrne.
Bracken took the ball past two of the Wicklow central defenders, before sliding the ball past the onrushing Fionn Doyle to grab the 2-1 lead at half-time.
Despite a change at half-time – goalkeeper Charlie Ward coming in for Niall O’Shaughnessy, with Fionn Doyle being moved up front – Wicklow were unable to fashion any chances against a well-drilled Midlands side.
In fact, it was Midlands who looked likely to extend their lead, only for Ward to save phenomenally down to his left-hand side after Darragh Prendergast had played a 1-2 with teammate Cillian Geary.
Wicklow were unable to respond to this profound scare, and Midlands would seal the deal just three minutes later.
With eight minutes left on the clock, the impressive Alex Rooney reversed the ball into Joe Keogh on the edge of the area.
He then worked the ball into Bracken, who buried the ball into the top left corner to secure Midlands’ passage into the Leinster final.