Rovers start in style
Two early goals set up clearcut win
SHAMROCK ROVERS GOREY CELTIC
SHAMROCK ROVERS put Gorey Celtic to bed before half-time as they kicked off their Wexford & District Schoolboys League Under-15 Division 1 campaign with a comfortable win at home in Enniscorthy on Saturday.
Rovers found the net twice before the ten-minute mark and again five minutes prior to half-time to give Celtic an almost insurmountable task in the second period.
It was backs to the wall stuff right from the off for the away side, and by the third minute Tadgh English had his shot well beaten away by Celtic netminder Odhran Kelly.
There was no such luck for Gorey from the resulting corner. Luke Boxwell capitalised on poor defending and saw his deflected shot creep into the bottom left corner as Rovers got their dream start to the league season.
Five minutes later there were still no signs that Rovers were missing their top scorer Tadhg McDonald, who was sidelined with an ankle injury, when English curled a sublime effort from the edge of the area into the bottom corner.
With Rovers threatening to run riot, Gorey needed a foothold in the game. James McGraynor gave them that with two speculative efforts on target before Celtic had two penalty claims rightly waved away by referee Kieran Dunne.
Rovers probably never reached the same level that they showed in the opening ten minutes at any other stage in the match, but they still generated enough chances to keep control of the tie.
Ben Rossiter and English tested Kelly further before the knockout blow came on the half-hour mark.
A long free-kick was fumbled by Kelly as Boxwell found himself in the right place at the right time once again, and he volleyed past the Gorey ’keeper from close range to give Shamrock Rovers a three-goal half-time advantage.
The second-half never really had the same intensity as the first period. Gorey tried, but never looked like troubling the central defensive pairing of Gary Kennedy and George Spencer.
On the other side of the bat, Rovers knew that their first-half performance had wrapped up the game and they merely went through their paces for the second 35 minutes.
George Spencer went close with his head from a corner, and Seán Cooney shanked his shot wide after an important regain in the Gorey half.
Lee Polglase was about the only Gorey player to test Paul Burns in the second period, but even that effort was comfortably matched by the Rovers netminder.
Rovers held on for their clean sheet and added their first league win to a host of S.F.A.I. Cup successes, as they continued their unbeaten start to the season.
Shamrock Rovers: Paul Burns; Evan Cullen, Gary Kennedy, George Spencer, Jamie Keeley; Tadgh Deegan, Darragh Farrell (capt.), Tadgh English, Seán Cooney; Ben Rossiter, Luke Boxwell. Subs. (rolling) - Mylie Fortune, Jason Oubuvko, Shane Doran.
Gorey Celtic: Odhran Kelly; Ben Ryan, Andrew Smith, Conor Kelly; Thomas Mythen, Cian Hughes (capt.), Michael McGonigle, Lee Polglase, Alan Connor; James McGraynor, Luke Leavy. Subs. (rolling) - Josh White, Noah Maher.
Referee: Kieran Dunne.