Large crowd sees Duleek go top of table

THERE was a large crowd in attendance to watch Duleek continue their title chase in Division 1 on Sunday afternoon.

The Tollstone was bathed in sunlight as the hosts beat bottom side Walshestown to make it four wins from five and move top of the table, albeit on goal difference.

The visitors, though, hit the front inside the first 50 seconds. From the start Walshestown retained possession and moved the ball down the left wing. A slip by Sean Kennedy allowed a cross from the left and the ball was turned home by Harry McCarthy from just inside the box.

The game developed into a very open contest and Duleek did level on nine minutes.

A brilliant cross-field pass from Dylan O’Boyle was headed down by Matthew Noone into the path of Karl Dyas and he smashed home the first of two goals. Since the start of the season, O’Boyle has had a goal involvement in all but one of Duleek’s league games.

The hosts almost hit the front minutes later when a cross from the left saw Dyas’ glancing header just go wide of the far post.

Walshestown were unlucky not to be awarded a penalty late in the half when Robbie Daly was beaten for pace and a coming-together in the box between him and a striker was deemed an accidental clash.

The visitors enjoyed a more dominant end to the half as Daire Moore was kept busy in the Duleek goal, but the home side were more direct in the second half and they took the lead three minutes after the restart.

An inviting cross from Bobby Brady on the right wing saw Dyas power a header into the ground and it bounced up and into the roof of the net, over the flailing arms of the Walshestown keeper.

Two minutes later Brady whipped in a similar ball from the right, only this time the headed goal attempt went straight at the keeper.

The introduction of Blessed Omorojor gave Duleek an injection of pace and the tricky midfielder went on an incredible solo run which saw him almost jink through the Walshestown defence.

The scoring was finished on 79 minutes when a fantastically struck Sean O’Halloran free kick was brilliantly saved, but Dylan O’Boyle was quickest to react to smash home the security goal for Duleek.

In the final minutes James Burke almost scored his first goal of the season, only to see a low drive come back off the base of the post.

DULEEK: Daire Moore, Sean Kennedy, Leon O’Leary (Ben Boyce), Robbie Daly, Callum Cooney, James Burke, Karl Dyas (Blessed Omorojor), Sean O’Halloran, Dylan O’Boyle, Matthew Noone, Bobby Brady (Kyle Byrne).