We beat UCC 4 – 1 in the Mardyke last night to record our 7th straight win in the league. We started the game well and had a chance to take the lead after just 30 seconds. Chris Cleary caught a defender in possession and played in Tadhg Collins who shot just wide. I didn’t take us long to find the opening goal though. In the 10th min Barry Lawlor played Cleary in down the left and his cross to the back post was perfect for Collins to nod home. We were well on top now and almost added a second in the 25th min. The ball broke to Paul Dawson in the area but his shot came back off the post. Cleary picked up on the loose ball and played it back to Michael Murphy whose shot clipped the top of the crossbar. UCC drew level in the 35th min after a defensive mix up and despite having another couple of half chances, we went in at the break level. UCC had a good 5 mins at the start of the 2nd half but after that it was mostly one way traffic. We took the lead in the 65th min. Lawlor’s free kick was flicked on by Trevor O Connor and fell nicely for John Lehane who finished at the back post. 5 mins later we made it 3-1 and again it was a set piece. Lawlor’s free kick was met by the head of Collins to notch his second of the day. The points were sealed with 10 mins to go when a Lehane free kick found Cleary in the box to slot home. Best for us on the day were Eamon O Keeffe, Danny O Riordan and Tadhg Collins.
Team: Piotr Oziast, Finbarr Corcoran, Eamon O Keeffe, Tim Kiely, John Lehane, Chris Cleary, Paul Dawson, Danny O Riordan, Michael Murphy, Barry Lawlor, Tadhg Collins
Subs: Trevor O Connor (55th min), Brian Murphy (55th min), Adrian O Connor (80th min), Eric Hickey, Donagh Murphy
A winning start to the 2nd half of the season! Every game is a cup final from here on.