WDSL MATCH REPORT – U13 PREMIER LEAGUE
WDSL MATCH REPORT – U13 PREMIER LEAGUE
WICKLOW ROVERS A
ARKLOW UNITED
A blistering start saw Wicklow maintain their winning opening to the 2024 WDSL season in the U13 Premier League.
Under the floodlights at Whitegates on Thursday evening, Rovers proved too strong for a spirited Arklow outfit.
Having defeated Coolboy Rangers at the same venue last month, an eight-minute Mikie O’Neill hat-trick effectively sealed the points by the 12th minute.
To their credit, United tried to keep playing football. They never gave up which should be admired. But they came up against a superior attacking side.
Playing in blue, the home team utilised their pace upfront with simple ball's up the middle.
They went ahead in the fourth minute when Simon Lynch’s effort was parried by Cian O’Connor, with O’Neill pouncing on the rebound close in.
The clock was still in the fifth minute when O’Neill broke clear after great work by Freddie Kavanagh.
The striker completed his treble by the 12th minute when netting off Daniel Clarke’s set-up after a free kick.
Rovers finished with a flourish in the closing stages of the period.
Kevin Yan teed up substitute Finn Murphy to drill in low from the edge of the box in the 26th minute.
Then in the 28th minute, Lynch assisted sub AJ Long who made no mistake from a low 20-yard drive.
Then Kavanagh got on the scoresheet in the 29th minute when capitalising on a scuffed clearance.
The second half was just four minutes old when Will Castrey burst from his own penalty area to play a long ball to release Lynch who found the net after beating the offside.
Seven minutes later, Murphy registered his second of the contest after a fine solo run.
However, just three minutes after, Arklow pulled one back.
The ball got put back into the danger zone after a corner wasn't dealt with. And Oskar Dominic blasted into the roof of the net.
But having had the opening say, O’Neill had the final say with 12 minutes to go. He intercepted a free kick to roll in his fourth of the encounter.
WICKLOW ROVERS A: Ben Morrissey; James Carroll, Will Carey, Jack Collins, Freddie Kavanagh; Simon Lynch; Eoghan Daye, Hank Murnane, Kevin Yan; Mikie O’Neill, Daniel Clarke.
SUBS: Finn Murphy, Harry Kavanagh, AJ Long, Harry Waite.
ARKLOW UNITED: Cian O’Connor; Austin Reilly, Alan Kapera, Oisin Timmons, Alex Holt O’Brien; Nico Mazurek, John O’Keefe, Oskar Dominic, Luke Meehan; Fionn Kelly-Farrell, Tommy Byrne,
SUBS: Scott Carley, Aidan Hempinstall, Matthew Dodson-Smith, Ben Moran, Caoimhin Murphy.
REFEREE: Tony Doran.
Report by Paul Dowling
