The gap is narrowed on leaders Gurteen
LEADERS Gurteen Celtic are now only two points clear of their nearest challengers following last weekend’s series of games in the Sligo Southern Hotel Super League.
Gurteen Celtic weren’t playing and so the chasing pack had an opportunity to close the gap. Second-placed Cartron United certainly made hay – they were 7-2 winners over bottom of the table Real Tubber at MacSharry Park last Sunday afternoon.
On target for the winners, who were 4-0 ahead at half-time, were Josh Gilligan, who bagged a hat-trick, Steven Patton (2) and Dylan Monaghan. James King’s own goal completed their tally.
Eoin Walsh scored twice for Real Tubber, who are having a difficult season with just one win from 14 games. Cartron United are now two points behind of Gurteen Celtic, who have a game in hand.
Arrow Harps, who are third in the standings, won 3-1 away to Ballymote Celtic. All four goals came in the first-half. Arrow Harps were 3-1 ahead at half-time. Their first-half goalscorers were Ben Tuohy (2) and Patrick Kenny, with Malachy Healy scoring for Ballymote.
Arrow Harps are in the title mix, just three points off the leaders, but they have played a game more.
Champions MCR FC, in fourth place, are building momentum – last Sunday saw them win for the sixth time this season when they won 5-2 against Cliffoney Celtic at MacSharry Park.
MCR were 4-0 up at the break. Their four goalscorers included Jordan Harte (2), Bradley Fowley, Aliou Manoh Sesay and Donagh Crowne. Jack Davitt scored twice for the hosts in the second-half.
Ominously for the others who have silverware ambitions, MCR are just five points off the summit and have a game in hand.
Glenview Stars defeated Manor Rangers 3-2 at Forthill’s O’Boyle Park. Glenview came from behind to take the spoils here – they went 2-1 down when Cathal O’Connell scored for the visitors after 54 minutes. Two goals from Cathal Davey turned things around for the hosts.
It was 1-1 at the break – David Lynch’s goal for Glenview was later cancelled out by Brian McDonald, who converted a penalty.
Also on Sunday last, Calry Bohs won 2-1 at home against Strand Celtic. A brace from Cian Oates had the hosts 2-0 ahead – he scored in each half – and Leo Doherty pulled a goal back for Strand after 81 minutes.
Former champions Carbury FC were 5-1 winners over St John’s FC under lights at MacSharry Park on Saturday night.
The first-half ended all square on one goal each – Niall Brennan scored for Carbury and Conor Brennan was the St John’s goalscorer.
Carbury took over in the second-half as Cian Kilcoyne and
Gareth Kelly each scored twice.
IN THE Sligo Pallets Premier League there was a rare result as leaders Aughanagh Celtic recorded their first draw of the campaign. Last Saturday night they drew 3-3 away to Dromahair FC.
The promotion hopefuls needed a late brace from Dylan McDermott to salvage a point – he scored twice in the last five minutes.
Dromahair were on the cusp of shocking the leaders as goals from Alan Kavanagh, who scored twice (one of these goals was a converted penalty), and Cathal Kerrigan had them 3-1 ahead by the 64th minute.
Aughanagh opened the scoring through James Kiernan after 25 minutes but within a minute Alan Kavanagh levelled for the home side.
The next day, Sunday, second-placed Merville
RESULTS
Played on Friday, January 26
Sligo Bay Lobsters Women’s Cup
SEMI-FINALS: Kilglass-Enniscrone United 0, Gurteen Celtic 3; Arrow Harps 1, Glenview Stars 5
Played on Saturday, January 27
Sligo Southern Hotel Super League
ROUND 15: Carbury FC 5, St John’s FC 1
Sligo Pallets Premier League
ROUND 19: Dromahair FC 3, Aughanagh Celtic 3
Sligo Bay Lobsters Women’s Shield
SEMI-FINALS: Ballymote Celtic 2, Valley
Rovers 0; Calry Bohs 1, Real Tubber 4
Played on Sunday, January 28
Sligo Southern Hotel Super League
ROUND 15: Glenview Stars 3, Manor
Rangers 2; Cliffoney Celtic 2, MCR FC 5; Cartron United 7, Real Tubber 2; Calry Bohs 2, Strand Celtic 1; Ballymote Celtic 1, Arrow Harps 3
Sligo Pallets Premier League
ROUND 19: Strand Celtic Reserves 1, Merville United 2; Kilglass-Enniscrone United 2, Valley Rovers 1; Coolaney United 2, Ballisodare
United 1; Carrick Town 2, Ballygawley Celtic 2; Calry Bohs Reserves 2, Benbulben FC 4
FIXTURES
Saturday, February 3
TOP TIER: Action from the Sligo Southern Hotel Super League fixture between Carbury FC and St John’s FC at MacSharry Park last Saturday night. Carbury won 5-1.
United punished Aughanagh’s stutter as they won 2-1 against Strand Celtic Reserves at Ballisodare’s astroturf pitch.
Top scorer Tyler Stallard scored twice for Merville. His second goal, which came with 12 minutes of normal time left, proved to be the winner. In between these goals from Stallard was a goal by Matthew Mulholland for Strand Celtic Reserves.
Merville are now only three points behind Aughanagh, although the latter have played a game fewer.
Coolaney United, who are third in the standings but 10 points away from Aughanagh, won 2-1 at home to Ballisodare United. Adam Grace put the visitors in front after two minutes but Stanley Harte equalised for Coolaney.
Calry Bohs Reserves v Colemanstown
United (Galway) (2pm) (R Zoschke); Valley
Rovers v Killala FC (Mayo) (Astroturf pitch, Cleveragh, 7.30pm) (S McGarry)
Connacht FA Men’s Connacht Cup
Cartron United v Strand Celtic (MacSharry
Park, 7pm) (Eric Rainey)
FIXTURES
First named team has home advantage unless otherwise stated. The referee for each fixture is denoted in brackets.
Sunday, February 4
Sligo Southern Hotel Super League
ROUND 17: Glenview Stars v Real
Tubber (11am) (D Basquille)
Connacht FA Men’s Connacht Cup
GAMES START AT 2PM: Cliffoney Celtic v
Carbury FC (P McLoughlin); Athenry ‘A’ (Galway) v Arrow Harps (2pm) (TBC); Ballisodare United v Moore United (Roscommon) (O McLoughlin); Ballina Town v MCR FC (2pm) (TBC)
Connacht FA Men’s Connacht Shield
GAMES START AT 2PM: Loughrea Rams
‘B’ FC (Galway) v St John’s FC (TBC); Cois Fharraige (Galway) v Aughanagh Celtic (2pm) (TBC); Merville United v Mervue United ‘B’ (Galway) (T Butler); Glen Celtic (Galway) v Calry Bohs (TBC); Dynamo Blues FC (Galway) v Manor Rangers (TBC); Cloonfad United (Mayo) v Benbulben FC (TBC)
ROUND ONE – GAMES START AT 2PM: Gurteen Celtic v Maree Oranmore FC (Galway) (C Gunning); Yeats United v Athenry FC (Galway) (J Griffin); Valley Rovers v Calry Bohs (J McMorrow)
Alan Duggan scored for Coolaney in the second-half to secure their 10th win in 15 games.
North Sligo’s Benbulben FC won 4-2 against Calry Bohs Reserves at Dromahair’s astroturf pitch. The winners led 3-1 at half-time thanks to goals from Oisin Gilmartin (2) and Daniel Watters.
Andrew Callaghan scored for Calry Bohs Reserves in the first-half, with Calry Bohs Reserves also missing a penalty when David Devaney failed to score.
Oisin Gilmartin completed his hat-trick after 61 minutes for what was his 12th goal of the season. Calry Bohs Reserves scored again in the closing stages through Conor Devaney.
Aughanagh Celtic Merville Utd Coolaney Utd Ballisodare Utd Benbulben FC Ballygawley Celtic Dromahair FC
Calry Bohs Res Strand Celtic Res Kilglass-E’crone Utd Valley Rovers Carrick Town
TOP SCORERS
P W D 15 13 1 16 12 1 15 10 0 14 9 1 18 9 1 16 9 1 19 7 1 16 6 2 18 5 3 18 5 3 16 5 0 17 1 2
L 1 3 5 4 8 6 11 8 10 10 11 14
F 52 54 50 43 60 42 55 45 41 38 28 18
A 23 32 30 26 47 32 69 48 46 47 57 69
Diff +29 +22 +20 +17 +13 +10 -14 -3 -5 -9 -29 -51
Pts 40 37 30 28 28 28 22 20 18 18 15 5
SUPER LEAGUE
9 GOALS: Jake Drewe (Glenview Stars); 8 GOALS: Donal Gallagher (Cartron United), Ben Tuohy (Arrow Harps); 7 GOALS: Dylan Martin (Strand Celtic), Dylan Walsh (Gurteen Celtic), Cian Kilcoyne (Carbury FC); 6 GOALS: Conor Brennan (St John’s FC); Darragh McGoldrick (St John’s FC), Malachy Spratt (Carbury FC), Thomas Sweeney (Gurteen Celtic), Dylan Monaghan (Cartron United).
PREMIER LEAGUE
23 GOALS: Tyler Stallard (Merville United); 13 GOALS: Alan Kavanagh (Dromahair FC), Daniel Watters (Benbulben FC); 12 GOALS: Oisin Gilmartin (Benbulben FC); 10 GOALS: Stephen Mullan (Dromahair FC); 9 GOALS: Andrew Callaghan (Calry Bohs), Ronan Martin (Kilglass-Enniscrone United), Sean Stenson (Coolaney United).
Carrick Town and Ballygawley drew 2-2 at Boyle Celtic’s pitch. James Mackey scored twice for Ballygawley and the second of these goals brought the visitors level after 49 minutes.
Carrick scored twice in the first-half courtesy of Callum Canning and Gary Regan.
Meanwhile, Kilglass-Enniscrone United won 2-1 at home against Valley Rovers. The hosts’ goals came from Matthew Geraghty and Robert Jacob, with Michael McCormack on target for Valley Rovers.
THE Sligo Bay Lobsters Women’s Cup final will be contested by league champions Glenview Stars and Gurteen Celtic, who were league runners-up, following their respective semi-final wins last Friday.
Glenview Stars were 5-1 winners over Arrow Harps at MacSharry Park. They were 4-0 up at half-time. Their goals came from Sarah O’Boyle (2), Dahanna Feeney, Gemma McDonagh and Shanarah Burns. The Arrow Harps goalscorer was Sarah Kiernan.
In the other semi-final, which took place at Ballisodare’s astroturf pitch, Gurteen Celtic defeated Kilglass-Enniscrone United 3-0.
Katie Walsh scored twice for the winners and their other goal came from Claudia McGovern.
Glenview Stars and Gurteen Celtic will meet in the final on Saturday week, February 10. MacSharry Park is the venue – kick-off 3pm.
THE Sligo Bay Lobsters Women’s Shield semi-finals took place last Saturday. Ballymote Celtic defeated Valley Rovers 2-0 at MacSharry Park in Sligo town. Scoring for Ballymote were Marie Donohoe and Sarah Jane Loughlin, who netted a spot-kick.
Also at MacSharry Park, Real Tubber were 4-1 winners against Calry Bohs. Shona Mahon bagged a hat-trick for Real Tubber, with Laura Surlis also scoring. The Calry Bohs goal came from Tess Longworth. Real Tubber and Ballymote Cetic will joust for the Shield on Friday next, February 9 (MacSharry Park, 7pm).