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On a deplorably wet morning, the players were drenched before the starting whistle was blown. As the rain came down in stair rods, the 2 sides went all out attack. This was obviously going to be an old fashioned blood and thunder Cup tie. It was incessant ebb and flow. The first goal came after 14 minutes when Kilnamanagh broke forward and scored. Within 3 minutes, it was the perfect riposte when Joe Martin delivered a beautiful ball forward for Marcus Clinton to run onto, and he finished with aplomb (see action). Within minutes, Celtic got their noses in front when the indefatigable James Cremin raced into the box and bravely got his shot in despite the attempts of 4 defenders to thwart him (see action). It got even better shortly after when Abdullah’s trickery on the left hand side saw him jink by a couple of players, he looked across the pitch and spotted Marcus free on the right, and Marcus unselfishly delivered the killer pass into the box which James once more bravely got to before sliding the ball home (see action). Kilnamanagh however were not here to get drenched, and they bounced back, and within 7 minutes they were level with 2 quick-fire goals. Sadjo Barry had been introduced and, from a beautiful pass from Niall Moloney, he made an immediate impact when he raced forward and expertly slid the ball past the despairing dive of the visitors’ keeper (see action). Almost from the kick off, Kilnamanagh broke forward and they shot home to bring the sides level again. The game had well gone over the regulation time in the first half when Kilnamanagh edged in front again which gave them a 5-4 advantage at half time.
The half time pep talk just asked the lads to maintain their commitment and focus. The whole 11 man squad had made a significant contribution to a pulsating first half.
The second half was equally exciting as both sides went for the jugular. Rhys McLoughlin had made important saves despite a very greasy ball which was like a bar of soap. Oliver Moore was at his best and was taking no prisoners. Kevin Balaban was showing his qualities in the middle of the defence. Joe Martin showed the quality in his left peg as he continually set up attacks with precision balls down the flanks. When Sebastian Balaban was introduced, he had his best game of the season so far showing some fine touches and always keen to deliver a pass. Abdullah seemed inspired as he made many exciting runs with the ball and he too is aware of what possibilities there are for attacking, and his assist for one of Marcus’s goals was a perfect example. Andrew Maguire showed his versatility, playing on the flank in the first half, and then when called upon in the second half, he showed his worth in defence. Niall Moloney was enjoying operating on the flank, and he combined well with his defenders and was instrumental in setting up Sadjo for his goal. The team is fortunate to have natural strikers in James, Marcus and Sadjo, each of whom have a sharp eye for goal, give them a sniff and they will punish a defence.
Celtic were grafting hard in the second half without bearing fruit. Marcus was narrowly wide with a great effort after fine approach play by Niall on the left and James in the middle. Niall himself saw his shot on goal blocked. But 10 minutes into the half, Marcus finally was rewarded with his second goal as he rifled home from the right hand side of the box (see action). This titanic contest was delicately poised at 5-5 with 15 minutes left. But Kilnamanagh struck from distance and the ball flew into the net through a crowded goal mouth and it was 6-5 to the visitors. James got in a shot from the edge of the box but his effort flew just over the crossbar. As Celtic tried in vain to get the goal to take the game to extra time and possibly penalties, the visitors seemed to spend more time rolling around on the ground which was surprising as there wasn’t a heavy tackle in the game. The game ended with the Tallaght side going through to the second round of the Cup. It will be back to the bread butter stuff of league football next week, and more excitement to look forward to from a great bunch of lads who have made much progress. Training as usual on Monday at 6pm.