CASTLETOWN CELTIC 1
LYRE ROVERS 4
GER McCARTHY REPORTS
LYRE Rovers got off the mark in the PremierHiSpecCars.com Premier Division with an emphatic 4-1 victory away to Castletown Celtic on Monday evening.
Two clubs missing a host of first team regulars produced an entertaining clash under floodlights in Castletownkenneigh.
Lyre’s greater scoring threat delivered four goals and a welcome three points. Goalkeeper Sean Ryan’s goal and Roy O’Driscoll’s brace were the highlights of a merited Rovers win.
As for Castletown, the hosts battled gamely but, shorn of so many first team starters, were unable to halt a Lyre attack that netted three times during a dominant second half.
At kick-off, both sides appeared anxious to pick up their first win of the new West Cork League campaign. Lyre suffered a 4-0 loss away to reigning champions Clonakilty Soccer Club in their season opener while Castletown were defeated 3-0 away to Togher Celtic.
A lively start saw the home team dominate territory and ask early questions of Lyre’s back four.
But it was Rovers who carved out the game’s first scoring opportunity after five minutes. Kieran Fitzpatrick flicked on goalkeeper Sean Ryan’s clearance but Niall Barrett could only find the side-netting from a tight angle.
Their opponent’s response was swift with Eoin O’Reilly firing inches over and Sean Ryan called upon to make a save a minute later.
The score remained unchanged at the quarter hour mark thanks to two diligent defences and a strong wind that made life difficult for both sets of players.
Rovers looked to central midfielders Aaron Ryan and Thomas Clifford for inspiration while Donnacha Nugent and Jack O’Callaghan were at the hub of Celtic’s best moments.
The visitors enjoyed a purple patch as Keith Nyhan tested Castletown net-minder Oisin O’Leary and a Finn Moroney daisy-cutter narrowly missed the target.
Chances kept coming as Jack O’Callaghan and Kieran Fitzpatrick sent long range attempts wide at either end. Next, Rovers’ Keith Nyhan scraped the crossbar with a dipping effort from 18 yards and Conor O’Neill headed Aaron Griffin’s corner wide.
A game crying out for a goal saw Rovers’ gradual improvement rewarded after 40 minutes.
Another intricate Lyre passing move ended with Aaron Ryan releasing Kieran Fitzpatrick. The Lyre striker still had plenty to do but planted a low shot into the bottom corner for a 1-0 interval lead.
Stephen Moore missed an opportunity just before the break and his Castletown team-mates committed additional numbers forward at the beginning of the second period.
Lyre continued to look the more likely to score, and doubled their lead six minutes after the restart.
The goal was an unusual one in that it came from the boot of the visiting goalkeeper. Sean Ryan was on the edge of his area when his booming clearance landed in Celtic’s penalty box and bounced over Oisin O’Leary.
That second goal kickstarted a dominant Lyre spell. O’Leary made a terrific stop to deny Kieran Fitzpatrick a certain goal before Niall Barrett curled a shot wide after 58 minutes.
An overworked Castletown defence was unable to stem the tide as substitute Roy O’Driscoll came off the bench and made an instant impact. O’Driscoll scored twice in as many minutes to make it 4-0 and put the result beyond doubt with less than half an hour remaining.
To their credit, Celtic kept pressing and Niall O’Halloran brought the best out of Sean Ryan after 75 minutes. The width of an upright prevented Eoin O’Reilly from netting after an excellent run and shot from the Castletown midfielder.
Undeterred, the home side’s increased pressure resulted in a consolation goal eight minutes from the end. Jack O’Callaghan was brought down in Rovers’ area resulting in the award of a penalty. O’Callaghan recovered from that foul and coolly found the bottom corner to complete the evening’s scoring.
Castletown Celtic: Oisin O’Leary, Darren Coughlan, Cian Buttimer, Sean Hennessy, Eoin O’Reilly, Stephen Moore, Niall O’Halloran (captain), Jack O’Callaghan, Darragh Kelleher, Donnacha Nugent, Eoghan O’Callaghan.
Subs: Tiernan O’Driscoll, Finbarr Lordan, Shane Corcoran, Colin O’Leary.
Lyre Rovers: Sean Ryan, Aaron Griffin, Barry Kirby, Conor O’Neill (captain), Finn Moroney, Thomas Clifford, Rohan Powell, Keith Nyhan, Kieran Fitzpatrick, Niall Barrett, Aaron Ryan.
Subs: Roy O’Driscoll, Alan McKennedy, Alan Brickley, Shaun Mannix.
Referee: Sean Doyle.
