WICKLOW 0 

DUNDALK 3 

A fine second half  display saw Dundalk pick up their first Group B win in the 2023/24 SFAI U15 Inter-League competition.

After a scoreless first period on the all-weather at Travers Insurances Park in Arklow on Sunday afternoon, the visitors scored two quick-fire goals just after the interval to claim a deserved victory over a spirited Wicklow side.

The match was played in difficult conditions. The swirling wind played havoc with the ball amid squalid rain at times. 

Having succumbed 5-0 away to the NECSL last month in their opening fixture last month, the home team held their own – with the wind at their backs – in the first period in which the away outfit did have the better of the play. 

But Dundalk’s squad depth also proved a factor as the players brought off the bench contributed to the triumph.

Tagdh Rooney flashed a fifth minute low drive just off target for the visitors when getting in behind the host defence. 

Wicklow’s Alexander McCall did likewise from distance in the 25th minute when his shot from outside the box dropped narrowly wide. 

Rooney was then denied by home custodian Aidan Farrell who made a parried save in the 28th minute.

With the advantage of the strong breeze after the restart, the positional switch of Shane Toner from the left flank to a more central role proved crucial for the Louth League.

He latched onto a 39th minute left wing ball to race through up the middle and fired in a stunning 16-yard left-footed volley on the run to the net.

It became 2-0 just four minutes later.

Pushed up the field for the second half as a more attacking left-sided role, Kai Crummy’s low end line centre found the unmarked Josh King to tap in at the back post.

The victory was rubber stamped four minutes from the end of normal time.

Substitute Daniel Hanna struck a free wide left toward goal. Farrell made the initial save. But Crummy reacted first to the rebound to prod the ball over the line close in.

WICKLOW: Aidan Farrell; Oscar Doyle, Jamaal Abdool, Adrian Rybaltowski, Abdul Alham; Alexander McCall; Jack Conyard, Cody O’Neill; Cian Levins, Girogio Morgillo-Fidyk; Daire de Hora.

SUBS: Brandon Tyrrell Mitchell, Aaron Hrofman, Cameron Crowe, James O’Keeffe, Alex Zevatskyi, Wolsey Sloan Kelly.

DUNDALK: Jason Bratz; AJ Powell, Ronan Duggan, Kenny McKenna, Kai Crummy; Shay Woods, Finn McEneaney, Ollie Connolly; Josh King, Shane Toner; Tagdh Rooney.

SUBS: Daniel McKay; Sean Duffy, Cahir McShane, Myles Kenny, Conor Brennan, Daniel Hanna, Jakub Perkowski.

REFEREE: Tony Doran (Wicklow ISRS).

Report by Paul Dowling