Newmarket Celtic tee up another final showdown with Avenue Utd

Premier Division Soccer League Cup Group B Round 1
Shannon Town 1 3 Newmarket Celtic

The first flagship silverware of the new Clare District Soccer League season will be contested by perennial title chasers Avenue Utd and Newmarket Celtic after the latter edged out neighbours Shannon Town in Lynch Park, Shannon on Wednesday evening.
Scheduled to be both side’s competitive bow almost three weeks early, this derby refixture was still a much-anticipated barometer of where they currently stand as the assimilation of fresh blood only added to the intrigue of both side’s first real test.
Far from showcasing their new talent, the home side, under former Newmarket Celtic coach Donal Magee, opted to remain steadfast to their tried and trusted, with left winger Jack Ryan the pick of that bunch as Town’s chief threat.
Newmarket Celtic meanwhile mixed old and new, with former Lifford playmaker Nathan Redenze (now Boaventura) an existing addition to an already multifaceted attacking arsenal while impact sub Gary Leahy emphatically finished the clinching goal when taking up from where his younger brother Darragh left off.
It took time for both sides to settle with Tadhg Noonan’s fifth minute attempt coming closest when just fired over the bar. The centre forward was instrumental in Celtic’s breakthrough in the 18th minute when Eoin Kelly’s elongated throw was flicked by the heads of Noonan and Harvey Cullinan to the net to give the visitors an early platform.
The hosts inevitably upped the ante but it took until much later in the half to gain a foothold as neither side could control an increasingly scrappy middle third. In the 35th minute a Kai Khetan attempt was tipped around the post while TJ O’Dwyer’s resultant corner was just headed over by Jack Ryan.
Noonan and Ryan would have further opportunities denied before the break but as the intensity dipped on the resumption, goals would finally ignite this derby in the remaining third of the contest.
A Nathan Boaventura corner was headed off the top of the bar and over by Ronnie McCormack in the 53rd minute but it took until the hour mark to raise the stakes as a Town counter-attack was moved through Khetan to Jack Ryan at the left edge to fire a powerful low shot to the far right corner of the net.
In truth though, it only seemed to poke the bear as Newmarket went in search of retribution with a superb Gary Cusack double save from Nathan’s free and Harvey Cullinan’s rebound a portent of what was to come.
It took until the 72nd minute for the visitors to snatch back the ascendency as substitute Lee Cregan was the initiator for Nathan’s deft flick into the box for Tadhg Noonan to finally open his account with a low shot under the advancing Cusack.
Jack Ryan again provided the main resistance when his strike came off goalkeeper Dermot Gannon and the left post much to Town’s frustration.
The derby was finally put to bed in the 84th minute when substitute Gary Leahy was somehow denied a debut goal, only to make full amends from the resulting Nathan corner the ball dropped for the Shannon native to emphatically finish to the top right corner of the net at the second attempt.
Newmarket’s reward is a mouth-watering reunion with fellow kingpins Avenue Utd for the Hugh Kelly Cup crown next month as their intense rivalry continues unabated in all competitions.

Shannon Town: Gary Cusack; Cody Waller, Stevie Carroll, Darragh Callaghan, Brian Monaghan; Charlie Morrison (Jamie Doyle, 73), TJ O’Dwyer, Colin Curran, Kieran Hackett (Cian Johnston, 73), Jack Ryan; Kai Khetan

Newmarket Celtic: Dermot Gannon; Eoin Kelly, Ethan Fitzgerald, Harvey Cullinan; David Lennon, Ronan McCormack (Evan Kelly, 62), Jack Kelly, Cian Foley, Aaron Rudd (Lee Cregan, 71); Nathan Boaventura, Tadhg Noonan (Gary Leahy, 76)

Referee: Shane Hayes