03 December 2007

Tullamore Rovers 2, Portlaoise C 3.

C.C.F.L Shield 1st Round

Tullamore Rovers 2, Portlaoise C 3.

Portlaoise C progressed to the next round of the C.C.F.L Shield with a narrow victory over Tullamore Rovers in a match that was played in atrocious conditions on Sunday morning. The wind and rain swept in throughout this cup tie making it tough for both teams. Tullamore Rovers got first blood ten minutes before the break when Mick Kilmartin crossed for Derek Dolan who swept the ball home to give the home side a deserved lead. The away side were back in the game five minutes into the second half when after a quick breakaway, goalkeeper Jimmy Keenehan and defender Jimmy O’Brien did their best to best to snuff out the attack but the forward squeezed the ball home from eight yards. Tullamore Rovers pilled on the pressure in the second half but the condition of the pitch began to deteriorate badly suiting neither team. JP O’Leary came close and Phil Evans seen his shot from thirty yards miss just to the left. More chances came Rovers way after Mark Kelly crossed for James Carty but he was unable to his shot away and Ronan Kelly had his drive from ten yards blocked following a corner. Midway through the second half Rovers regained the advantage. Billy Harvey broke out of defence but was fouled on his way toward goal. The resulting free kick was badly dealt with by the Portlaoise defence and the ball was headed home by Dolan for his second. Rovers held that advantage for fifteen minutes before they were caught out with a free kick after failing to play the offside trap effectively. Portlaoise found the wining goal five minutes before the end when another free kick swerved from left to right in the gusting wind before finding the back of the net. Defenders Deano Tyrell and Billy Harvey pushed forward for Rovers in the dying minutes in search of the equaliser but the home side ran out of time.
Tullamore Rovers: Jimmy Keenehan, Billy Harvey, Jimmy O’Brien, Deano Tyrell, Phil Evans, Derek Dolan, Ronan Kelly, Mark Kelly, James Carty, JP O’Leary, Mick Kilmartin. John Cusack.