Tag Archives: Clare soccer

Derek Dormer reports as Avenue United sweep Cork side St Mary’s aside on an 8-0 scoreline Travelling away in Ireland’s most prestigious cup competition is never easy especially to Cork opposition but Avenue made little of this as they swept aside the challenge of St. Mary’s to book their place in round six of the FAI Junior Cup. Only five minutes in and David Russell’s charges had the dream start when centre-forward Ronan Kerin rose highest to head home a well-taken Jamie Roche corner. This early goal rattled the home side and Avenue, dominating possession, were unfortunate not to increase their lead when hitting the crossbar on 17 minutes from a super Roche effort. On 30 minutes a magnificent 30-yard rocket from Dylan Casey rattled the post and one began to wonder was it going to be one of those days. This fear was put to bed two minutes later when a lovely team move which included superb link play …

INCREASING the number of girls teams in Ennis is high on the agenda of the new chairperson of the Clare schoolboys/girls league (CSSL). Ennis woman Deirdre Shannon was confirmed to the position at the recent annual general meeting of the CSSL. Shannon, who succeeds Brendan Wall in the chair, was nominated by Hermitage and seconded by multiple clubs and was unopposed on the night. She is the first woman chairperson in the league’s history. Shannon took her first steps in coaching with Park United and has overseen underage teams at club and county level over the past 12 years. She is the coordinator of the emerging talent programme (ETP) in Clare. In her address to delegates, Shannon thanked members of the outgoing committee for their work in putting the running of the underage game in Clare back on stable footing after some turbulent years. She then outlined her vision for her first year in the chair which coincides with Ireland …

Ivan Smyth rounds up a selection of the action from the Maloney Hardware Premier Division Kilrush Rangers 2 Shannon Town 0 Kilrush Rangers secured their third league win in a row as they leapfrogged Shannon Town. Michael Clair’s side moved to sixth place in the league in what has been a promising conclusion to the opening half of the season. After losing their opening four games of the season, Kilrush Rangers have now won three on the spin. This was a very lively encounter with plenty of good open attacking football by both teams. Despite the endeavours of both outfits, neither side could create a guilt edged chance in the opening period despite both outfits being keen to play on the front foot. With the game goalless at half time, the start of the final period would prove decisive for both of these sides. The second half was only five minutes old when Kilrush Rangers took the lead. Striker Danny …

Newmarket Celtic, Bridge United and Shannon Town are all in action this weekend in the Fourth Round of the Munster Junior Cup. All three sides enjoy home comforts as they aim to reach the Last 16 of the competition. This is the first round where they will be facing teams from outside the county. Newmarket Celtic face a tricky test against a Killavilla United AFC team that are top of the North Tipperary and District League having lost just one of their nine league games to date. This game will be played on Sunday with a kick off of 2pm. Paddy Purcell’s side have been in excellent form so far this season, progressing to the Fifth Round of the FAI Junior Cup along with remaining unbeaten in the league. They drew with Avenue United last weekend after winning their opening six league games. They also eliminated the Ennis side from this competition after Harvey Cullinan’s double saw them come from …

Both Avenue United and Newmarket Celtic will be away from home in the fifth round of the FAI Junior Cup. Avenue United will face a trip to Cork as they come up against St Marys FC. Meanwhile, Newmarket Celtic will also be on the road for their fifth round tie. They will play either Raheny United of Dublin or Offaly side Clara Town. David Russell’s Avenue United side secured an emphatic 4-0 win over Tuam Celtic last weekend to reach this stage of the competition. The reigning Maloney Hardware Premier Division champions proved too strong for their Galway opponents. Ronan Kerin’s brace alongside efforts from Tomas Hehir and Gary Roche powered them through. Avenue United will be aiming to replicate last year’s run to the Round of 16 as they face a St Marys FC outfit that progressed to this stage after securing a 1-0 win over Wilderness Rovers FC (Tipperary). Tiernan Daly grabbed the only goal of that tie …

Ivan Smyth rounds up action from three games in the Maloney Hardware Premier Division starting with Tulla United’s 8-2 beating of Mountshannon Celtic A Dan Withycombe hat trick ensured Tulla United secured a vital victory as their hopes of avoiding a relegation battle received a boost. This result is worrying from a Mountshannon Celtic perspective as they now sit at the foot of the table with no points from their opening seven games. A positive result before the Christmas break is simply a necessity if they are to battle back from a difficult start to their campaign. After defeating Shannon Town in the opening game of the season, Tulla subsequently lost their next five league games despite some encouraging Cup results. However, they had yet to replicate that form in the league until last weekend. The winners did the damage in the opening half as they opened up a 5-1 lead. Dan Withycombe opened the scoring before Liam McInerney quickly …

Newmarket Celtic and Avenue United have learned who they will face in Round Four of the FAI Junior Cup. Paddy Purcell’s side will face Shelburne United from Wexford while Avenue United will travel to Galway as they were paired with Tuam Celtic. Newmarket Celtic progressed through to this stage after a comfortable 3-0 win over Shannon Town last weekend. Two goals from Eoin Hayes, who recently represented his country as the Republic of Ireland qualified for the UEFA Regions Cup, ensured Newmarket avoided an upset. They overcame Classic FC in the second round of this competition when securing a facile 4-0 win. A Darragh Leahy hat trick coupled with a strike from Dean Hegarty saw Newmarket progress. In the opening round of this competition, Newmarket travelled to Kerry as they faced Mastergeeha FC. The Clare side secured a 4-1 win as Harvey Cullinan, Davy McCarthy, Dean Hegarty and Sean Perrill all found the target. Meanwhile, Avenue United face an away …

Ennis Dons edged a hard fought derby to take the first silverware of the season. On a wet as windy night in Frank Healy Park, Ryan Jennings’ header early the second half ultimately proved the difference between the sides. The goal appeared to give Dons renewed energy and belief, qualities that were required to withstand everything Hermitage threw at them in the game’s final moments. This was a sold all round team performance from Ennis Dons with the individual moments of quality supplied by Jack Devitt at fullback, Kingsley Maokombe and Barry Woods in midfield. In an entertaining and fast paced contest, there was little to separate the teams. Hermitage had enough chances to take the lead and will reflect on those periods either side of half time when they played their best football. Much of what was good about Tage flowed from the performance of Davie Keenan who quickly set about making his mark on the final. Keenan already …