AC Rise To Bobcats Standard

Wednesday Division 3

     The Bobcats suffered their first defeat of the season when they went down to AC Standard, who produced their best performance of the season. Tim O'Connor produced a master class in finishing as he scored 4 goals of Standard's goals, 3 of which were of superb quality. Both O'Connor and David Barry were excellent up front for AC and were strong on the ball and were a constant menace to the Bobcats defence. 2 other players stood out for the winners, Julius Leke was very efficient in midfield and passed the ball well, while Niall Gannon was very strong in defence. O'Connor scored 2 very similar goals either side of half time to put his side in the driving seat, where both times he turned his marker on the left wing and then hit the back of the net with 2 great finishes, both from awkward angles. His fourth was his best goal, an excellent volley again after another quick turn. Bobcats pushed hard and had plenty of possession but AC defence stood up to all that was thrown at them and they finished comfortable 7-4 winners.
Balaga Tongo also had a comfortable 4-1 win over Rosies in their make up game that was cancelled a few weeks ago. John Duggan was Balaga best player, not for the first time this season and ran the game from the middle of the park. Eoin Kennedy was again dangerous in front of goal and scored twice in the 2^nd half to settle this tie. Derry Nagle and Alex Daly were Balaga's other goal scorers. Colin Murphy was on the mark for Rosies.Last Wednesday the Could Have Beens also gave their best display of the season as they beat Hit or Miss 9-4. Derek O'Brien, Ken Hourihan and man of the match Peadar Horgan were best for the Have Beens and scored a brace a piece. Cal O'Mahony and Mike Holland were also on the mark. This win moves them off the bottom of the table, although only on goal difference.Rosies lost out by the odd goal in nine to AC Standard who have now won 2 games on the bounce to move 3 points clear of Hit or Miss. A Julius Leke hatrick proving the difference between the 2 sides in a really tight game. Martin Higgins also scored a hatrick for Rosies, who should have got something from the game having been up 2-0 at the break.

Wednesday Division 2

Nualight edged closer again to winning this division when they beat Deportivo 4-0. Kieran Buckley and Mark Scanlon with 2 goals a piece, This game was tight for 45 minutes until Scanlons two goals put them in control. Buckley was again excellent for Nualight. Robbie Doyle made some good saves in goal for Deportivo to keep the score fairly respectable. Next Weeks top of the table clash is a crucial tie in the title race with Nualight 6 points clear of CUH. Its a must win game for CUH with time running out and only 4 games left.

Schuf FC lost ground in the race for 2^nd place as they also went down 4-0 to CUH. The Wilton lads played some excellent football and controlled the game after Cathal O'Sullivan put them ahead after 10 minutes. The reliable poacher Ivan Weir was on hand again to score twice. Rory Barry who is having a great season for CUH was their other scorer. Schuf tried hard but lacked quality on the night and did not hold the ball long enough to really threaten CUH.

Johnny Boys Utd comfortably overcame Dynamo Tonduff in a one sided 2^nd half when they ran in 5 goals. An injuiry to one of Tonduff's best players clearly did not help their cause. Colm Walsh was best for Johnny Boys and looks like an excellent player.

Dutch Luck For Exiles

Thursday Division 3

     The Exiles took a giant step towards their 2nd Footy title as they beaten their main rivals Panicyakios 2-1. Dutchman Jarrin Koopman sealed their win with a late winner when he calmly slotted home from close  range. Exiles did well in this extremely tight game to come out on top having come from behind. Missing from their line up was the very influential Jeremy Delea, but Koopman who has been their most consistent player over the last few years, filled his boots very successfully getting the man of the match from their midfield. Mark Kirwin and Mark Ryan also did very well for the Exiles and were most threatening to the Panicyakios defence. Rory O’Sullivan used all his experience as he marshalled the Exiles defence superbly. Paul Stanton did likewise for Panicyakios, but they could have done with him in midfield as they lacked penetration while in possession. Current top scorer in this division, Peter Reidy added to his tally to open the scoring with a well taken first half goal to lead 1-0 at the break. Mark Ryan levelled for Exiles mid way through the 2nd half.With both these sides expected to win their remaining 5 games, Panic will now look to their East Cork neighbours, and 3rd placed Shanty United to do them a favour in the 2nd last game of the season on April 10th when they take on the Exiles. Shanty Utd cannot be discounted from the title race either, and are now 6 points off the lead after their 7-4 win over The Barrells. Sean Casey scored a hatrick for Shanty who always looked comfortable and led 3-1 at the break. Pat Coleman did best for The Barrells and also scored a hatrick.The Flying Column had an 8-5 win over Black Gold, but left it late to secure the win as they ran in 3 late goals with the game tied 5-5 with 10 minutes on the clock. The Middle Eastern lads played very effectively on the counter attack throughout the game and scored 5 times on the break, with the Column dominating possession. Alan Mullery was best for the Column with the skilful duo Ahmed alSahow and Majed Aleid best for Black Gold. All these 3 players scored a brace a piece.The evergreen Jack Russell was Whitfords best player as the overcame Men Utd to stay in 4th place. Russell impressively scored a hatrick to help his side seal the win. The game was tied 1-1 at the break but Whitfords passed the ball better in the 2nd period and deserved their win.

Thursday Division 2

All results went the way of the Sons of Pitches as they went top of the league for the first time this season. They beat league leaders Mount Oval 2-1 in a pulsating clash. Michael Deasy did well for the Pitches when he was deployed effectively at centre forward where he held the ball up very well. Deasy opened the scoring and Ken O’Connor doubled their advantage to lead 2-0 at halftime. The hard working Phil Healy replied for he Oval who had the better of the 2nd half but the Pitches held on for the valuable points.The JT Specials had  an amazing comeback against title contenders River Plate. The Carrigaline boys looked comfortable and led 4-1 midway through the 2nd half, but the hugely impressive Dan Hegarty scored 4 times to lead an amazing comeback. The Pitches have now beaten two of the top three teams, and if they could find more consistency they could be contenders with the likes of Hegarty and Dan Carpenter in their side.The Cowboys also had a 5-4 win over Hardly Athletic, with Shane Murphy scoring a late winner. Both sides played some excellent football in a very open game. Danny Meade scored the goal of the game with the Cowboys opener. Barry O’Hanlon and Ger Dolan were best for Hardly and were on the scoresheet, who were unlucky not to take anything from the game. Cork Celtic and FC Copen badly played out another open but close game with Celtic edging it. Peter Carroll was excellent for Copen Badly and scored both the games best goals with two superb volleys. Shane Cahill was also excellent for Celtic and scored 4 times.   This division is very close only 6 points separating the top 5 teams and some good footballing teams in the bottom half, and very capably of upsetting the teams above them.

Buckley Strike Earns Nualight Precious Points

Wednesday Division 1

Nualight moved a step closer to winning their first league title as they beat fellow contenders Johnny Boys Utd 1-0. A second half strike from Kieran Buckley was just about enough to earn his side all 3 very important points who now move 7 points clear of 2nd placed Schuf FC. Defences were on top in this game as was reflected in the scoreline. Buckley brought his impressive tally to 17 for the season. Substitute keeper Damien Galvin also did well for Nualight and made some important saves. Colm Walsh and Kevin Finn were best for Johnny Boys who pushed hard for an equaliser until the final whistle but Nualight stood firm in defence and were always a threat on the counter attack especially with Rowan Meegan’s pace.

Schuf overcame last placed Dynamo Tonduff 6-4 in a very entertaining game with plenty of excellent finishing from both sides. Tied 2-2 at the break, some gaps started to appear as both sides tired and Schuff took more advantage than their opponents. Ian McCormack scored a brace for Schuff as did Colin Hammond for Tonduff. Dave Murphy again pushed his side hard but just came up short against Schuff who made more of their possession. Darren Lynch and man of the match Aidan McGuinness perhaps the difference between the two sides as they helped most to hold on to the ball better and deserved their victory.  

A cracking encounter took place between CUH and Deportivo, with the Wilton lads shading this 7 goal thriller. Rory Barry really stepped up to the plate for CUH and scored a hatrick and was a deserving of man of the match. Sean Sheehan was CUH’s other scorer while Bernard Parkes, John O’Brien and Noel Murphy were on the mark for Deportivo.  

Wednesday Division 2

Rosies deservedly pipped the Could Have Beens 3-2 to go level on 7 points but still find themselves bottom of the table. Alan Forde with the games best goal from a very tight angle just reaching a 50-50 ball before the keeper did and flicked in around him and into the net. The reliable Colin Murphy scored twice for Rosies. He pounced on a loose ball and buried the games opener after 10 minutes. Rich Breen levelled for the Could Have Beens, with a very well worked goal just after halftime. Denis Collins earned his side a penalty with a brave challenge which was dispatched to give his side the lead. Murphy’s equaliser was rather fortuitous as the ball took a lucky deflection that left him with a tap in, but it gave them the impetus to go on and win the game which they did thanks to Forde’s excellent goal.

Hit Or Miss did more hitting than missing last week as they beat Balaga Tongo 7-3. The skilful Jason O’Sullivan with a brace for Hit or Miss, and  Jurgen Bukowski scored twice also. Cormac Murray deputised in goal for the winners and did very well playing more as a defender rather than a goalkeeper while Joady Sinnott scored a spectacular header from 10 yards for the games best goal for. Derry Nagle tried hardest for Balaga who never really got going in the 2nd half after they led 3-2 at the break. Perhaps too many changes during the match upsetting their rhythm. Owen Kennedy and John Duggan and Nagle were on the mark for Balaga.

Dreamers And Bocas Upset Form Book

Thursday Division 1

Chris Hayes was man of the match in one of the Dreamers better performances this season as they held the Net Busters to a 3-3 draw. Hayes was in excellent form and scored a brace to put a dent in the Net Busters hopes of success this season. This game was tight throughout with the score tied 1-1 at half time. A point a piece was fair to both sides.

Boca Seniors had their first win of the season as they toppled the Thirty Somethings 2-0. This result also severely dents the Somethings chances as they now find themselves 9 points off the pace. The Bocas had their strongest team out yet this season and it showed as they looked comfortable throughout the game. A goal in each half from Ronan O'Sullivan and Joe McAulliffe did the trick.

Ezy FC took another giant step towards the title as they did really well to come from 2-0 down to beat the Booze Buddies 4-2. Paul Smith Lyons was best for Ezy in a midfield defensive holding role but was on the score sheet twice . Ezy played some superb football especially in the 2^nd half.

Ger Brady and Owen Kinsella were on the mark early on for The Booze Buddies who were out of the blocks quicker. Andy O Mahony and Steve Dwyer were Ezy's other scorers.

Thursday Division 2

Mount Oval and River Plate played out a very tense and exciting 3-3 draw. This result suits the Oval better as it keeps The Carrigaline lads 2 points behind. Only 4 points separate the top four teams, so this leagues looks to be really tight and a hard one to call, at the half way stage of the season.

Peter Meade scored the games best goal for River Plate to put his side 2-1 up, with a beautiful low drive that went in off the post after some skilful midfield play by man of the match Kevin Wilmott.

Oval's centre forward Dave Hogan was a real handful for the River Plate defence and was a constant threat throughout. Adam O Sullivan marshalled Mount Ovals defence very well for the hour.

The Sons of Pitches lost out on the chance to go joint top, but came unstuck against the JT Specials who gave their best performance of the season and deservedly took the 3 points on offer. Dan Hegarty was brilliant and scored a great hatrick for the Specials in their 5-3 win. James O Loughlin was best for the Pitches who brought it back to 3-3 but could not hold down Hegarty in the Specials forward line as he went on to score twice in the last 10 minutes.

Cork Celtic were too strong for The Cowboys and won 6-2. Glen Kenny scored a hatrick for Celtic who got off to a quick start and were 4-1 up at the break.

Hardly Athletic overacme FC Copen Badly 5-3 in a very open but closely fought game with both sides throwing caution to the wind and concentrated on attacking. Barry O Hanlon was the best player on the pitch for the hour and scored twice for the winners. His teammate Ger Dolan did likewise as did Peter Carroll for Copen Badly.

Thursday Division 3

Shanty United proved too strong for the Whitfords and comfortably won 7-3. Michael O'Reilly was most impressive for the winners here and scored 3 excellent goals, the second of which was a superb individual effort. The Whitfords did play some excellent football but failed to take some good chances earlier in the game which they paid for later on.

Paniacyakios had a very comfortable win over the Flying Column who are struggling this season with injuries. But Panicyakios were excellent with Peter Reidy and Paul Stanton in top form. The Exiles stayed in touch with a 5-0 walkover over Black Gold, who did not show up in the horrendous weather. Its looks like its between the top two at this stage, with Shanty and Whitfords capable of upsetting the form book when on their game.

The Barrels had too much fire power for a weakened Men Utd side and won 7-3. Pat Coleman and Phil Wade were best for the Barrells. Dean Long also chipped in with 2 goals.