Tag Archives: Clare soccer

The Clare District Soccer League (CDSL) will hold its first domestic finals this coming weekend with the Liam Cleary sponsored league cup finals. First up on Friday evening, Ennis Dons will take on Hermitage in the Second Division Cup final at Frank Healy Park (kick off 7.30pm). Ennis Dons have started the season in impressive fashion, reaching the final of this competition while also currently sitting on top of the Brian Pyne Tiles Second Division. They have played more games than anybody else in their league but they did record an impressive 4-0 win over Shannon Hibs B in their last league outing. Meanwhile, Hermitage FC racked up nine goals in their three group games in this competition, gaining two wins and a draw from their three encounters. They have won one, drawn one and lost two of their league games to date but in a one off game, they will be aiming to produce an early statement win. On Saturday, …

A weekend filled with Munster Junior Cup action threw up plenty of interesting ties as Tulla United suffered a surprise defeat while Avenue United survived a scare. Ray Quigley’s hat trick helped Shannon Olympic produced the result of the round as they beat Tulla United 4-2. Quigley’s trio of goals alongside Jay Regan’s strike helped the Shannon side claim a notable scalp against their Maloney Hardware Premier Division opponents. Fionn Ryan and Craig McNamara’s goals were not enough to prevent Tulla falling to a surprise defeat. Avenue United came away with a 2-1 win over Coole FC in a keenly contested encounter. The reigning Maloney Hardware Premier Division league champions were forced to battle hard for the win as an own goal and a Conor Hehir effort saw them through to the next round. Meanwhile, Newmarket Celtic secured a 3-0 win over Brownies Barbershop Third Division side Fairgreen Celtic. Paddy Purcell’s side progressed after Ian Collins opened the scoring before …

Newmarket Celtic and Avenue United continued their winning ways as the pair picked up 5-1 wins over Tulla United and Kilrush Rangers respectively. Meanwhile, Bridge United were held to a draw against a resurgent Shannon Town as Mark Colbert’s side saw their winning start to the league come to an end. Coole FC moved up to fifth place after their second league win on the bounce as they defeated a Mountshannon Celtic side who are still searching for their first points of the campaign. Newmarket Celtic moved two points clear at the top of the Maloney Hardware Premier Division with a big win over Tulla United. The league leaders struck twice in three minutes during the opening half with Eoin Hayes and Darragh Leahy finding the target. Mike Moloney’s side hit back when Dara Ryan netted after Newmarket failed to deal with a corner. Newmarket Celtic led 2-1 at half time before their strength in depth helped them power to …

Newmarket Celtic’s Vice Chairperson Liam Murphy states the club is striving for continuous improvement on and off the pitch. The comment comes as Newmarket Celtic as the club launched the next phase of its development with plans firmly in place for a new clubhouse which will enhance the facilities in place at the Ennis Road venue even further. Under the plans, the clubhouse will include four dressing rooms and a meeting room which can double up as a gym space. There are also plans for wheelchair accessible toilets, a referee’s room and additional car parking spaces. Murphy believes the new developments can help not just the club but the local community. “Newmarket is a big community and we don’t just see ourselves as a football club. We are a part of the community. This is more than just a football club. We serve a large area and we always strive to provide the best for all our teams, from underage …

After a sporting weekend which saw Mark Rodgers produce a spellbinding four goal display while Shane O’Donnell showcased his class once more, it is unfortunate that the biggest talking point from the weekend was in fact not the action on the field. The nasty ankle injury suffered by Inagh Kilnamona centre back Jason McCarthy, who was forced to wait almost an hour for an ambulance to arrive, overshadowed his side’s SHC quarter final encounter with Éire Óg. Meanwhile, Kilkishen Celtic AFC player Paddy McInerney broke his tibia and fibia in a game against Shannon Hibs in the FAI Junior Cup and the 38-year-old was forced to wait an hour and a half for an ambulance to arrive. A nurse from Shannon, who attended the game, helped to comfort the player until the medical personnel arrived and transported him to hospital. A freak accident saw McInerney suffer the cruel blow with both himself and Jason McCarthy left with long waits before …

Avenue United started their FAI Junior Cup campaign in style as they inflicted a 6-0 defeat on fellow Maloney Hardware Premier Division side Tulla United. Six different players got their name on the scoresheet for David Russell’s side as they continue to respond impressively to their opening round league defeat to Lifford AFC. Tulla United had pulled off a surprise by dumping Lifford AFC out of the Munster Junior Cup but that result only served to refocus Avenue minds ahead of this Cup showdown. The reigning Maloney Hardware Premier Division champions secured an impressive triumph with Eliaz Kunz, Ronan Kerin, Cullen McCabe, Mark Roche, Tomas Hehir and Nneji Nnabuike all managing to find the target as Avenue dominated this tie. This result will not define Tulla United’s season as they try to build on the encouraging form they had shown before this game. Mike Moloney’s side have shown that they can mix it with most sides in the Maloney Hardware …

A tribute to Frank Healy, who was a key figure in Clare soccer, before his passing in 2015 is set to be unveiled this Sunday at the home of Fern Celtic. His wife Eileen and the Healy family are installing a memorial bench for Frank at the club’s home ground in Tiermaclane on Sunday afternoon. Frank was instrumental in the purchasing of the grounds as he spent countless hours maintaining the facility to a high standard. There is no doubt that the former Chairman of the Clare District Soccer League would be delighted to see the continued development of the grounds with children and adults alike both benefitting from Frank’s hard work. Frank’s son Timmy alongside Leonard Meaney helped to establish the club in 2001. He took a keen interest in Fern Celtic’s continued growth, which he contributed immensely towards. His daughter in law Catherine Healy told The Clare Champion that Frank held a strong passion for soccer within the …

The CDSL season prepares to swing in to action once more with a revamped league format for the upcoming campaign. With Ennis Town unable to field a team next season, only nine clubs will play in the Moloney Hardware Premier Division ahead of the upcoming 2022/23 season. This means that 10 teams will compete in the Ann Romer Flowers First Division, nine sides in the Brian Pyne Tiles Second Division and seven clubs will be represented in the Brownies Barbershop Third Division. The Maloney Hardware Premier Division kicks off next weekend while clubs in the First, Second and Third divisions begin their season with the League Cup competitions. CDSL officials are hopeful of playing more games on Friday and Saturday evenings throughout the season, once both clubs are able to field on the day in question. With the GAA Club season having commenced, the CDSL are hoping this move allows clubs to field their best players. At the time of …