Table-toppers Clonakilty Soccer Club in top form for showdown with champions Drinagh Rangers

Clon and Drinagh go goal crazy ahead of crunch Premier Division tie

BY SEÁN HOLLAND

CLONAKILTY Soccer Club's latest five-star performance solidified their position as the PremierHiSpecCars.com Premier Division table-toppers.

The league leader’s ninth win in ten games saw them hammer Mizen Hob A 5-1. Clonakilty's Liam Anthony White set the tone early, netting the first goal in the 26th minute. Mizen Hob levelled with a goal from Ryan O'Neill in the 28th minute. However, high-flying Clonakilty quickly regained control, and Chris Collins emerged as the star of the match. Collins followed up on his Beamish Cup match winner against Clonakilty United the previous weekend with a seven-minute hat-trick, finding the net in the 74th, 76th, and 81st minutes. White added to the tally with another goal in the 79th minute, with the result putting Clon eight points ahead of Togher Celtic in second place.

Next up Clon is a huge tie against defending champions Drinagh Rangers next Sunday morning. Clon lead Drinagh by 12 points, but the latter has three games in hand.

Togher emerged victorious on Sunday with a 2-0 win over Dunmanway Town. The breakthrough for Celtic came in the 24th minute when Brian Horgan scored. Togher secured their victory late on with a second goal in the 90th minute, courtesy of Paudie Crowley.

In a closely-contested clash, Sullane and Lyre Rovers played out a 1-1 draw. The first goal came in the 38th minute when George Lowrey of Sullane found the back of the net. However, Lyre responded just before half time, with Oisin O'Sullivan scoring in the 45th minute to level. Third-place Sullane will now be able to call upon some of their Cill na Martra players as they look to make a title charge in the second half of the season.

In a goal-laden encounter, Drinagh Rangers overcame a poor start against Beara United to eventually secure a convincing 7-2 victory. Beara took an early lead with goals from James Harrington in the fourth minute and Ben Sullivan two minutes later, catching Drinagh off guard.

However, Drinagh quickly turned the tide in their favour. Barry O'Driscoll (H) pulled one back in the 21st minute, which was quickly followed by goals from Tom McQueen in the 25th minute and Harry Carey in the 30th minute, giving Drinagh a 3-2 lead by half time. The second half saw Drinagh continue their dominance. Barry O'Driscoll (H) secured his brace with a goal in the 57th minute, with Robbie McQueen netting soon after the hour mark. Drinagh’s final two goals came by the way of Mark Grace in the last ten minutes to help the Canon Crowley side secure all three points.

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Castletown Celtic remain nine points ahead at the top of the  O’BrienWaterServices.com Championship after securing a narrow 3-2 victory over Aultagh Celtic. Shane Corcoran netted twice for Castletown in the 11th and 33rd minutes, with Sean Crowley adding another in the 28th minute leaving the league leaders in a comfortable position at the break. Aultagh fought back with goals from Colm O'Neill in the 65th minute and Ronan Lynch in the 87th minute, but Castletown held on for the win.

The team closest to Castletown, Kilgoban Celtic, also emerged victorious on Sunday with a 4-2 win over Sullane B. Celtic opened up a 4-0 lead with Callum McElhinney, Calvin Cronin, Eoin Bowden, and Jakub Ratajczak all on target for Kilgoban. Tomas Keane and Daniel Dineen found the net for Sullane B late on, but Kilgoban's early lead proved decisive.

Spartak Mossgrove and Baltimore FC couldn’t be separated as they played out a 1-1 draw. Joe Kenneally scored for Spartak in the 54th minute, while Peter O'Driscoll equalised late on for Baltimore in the 82nd minute, ensuring the teams shared the points.

Castlelack secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Aultagh Celtic B, with Brian Lordon finding the net in the 82nd minute to secure the three points for Castlelack.

Clonakilty United bounced back after their Beamish Cup loss by claiming a convincing 3-0 win against Ardfield FC. Niall Barrett opened the scoring five minutes before the break, with Jimmy Halligan and Donal Buckley both finding the net on the resumption of the second half, securing a comfortable victory for Clonakilty United.

Drinagh Rangers B enjoyed a 2-0 win against Skibbereen Celtic. Caolan O’Driscoll and Jack McCarthy scored in the 31st and 39th minutes, respectively, ensuring a clean sheet and three points for Drinagh Rangers B.

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The Drinagh Rangers B team that drew 1-1 with Aultagh Celtic in the Albany Fusion Home WCL Championship League.
(Photo: @DrinaghRangers on X)

In the only 23/24 WCL Women’s Cup fixture of the weekend, Mizen AFC faced Lyre Rovers. Despite Mizen taking an early lead with Lorna O’Callagahan's goal in the third minute, Lyre Rovers dominated the match. Caroline Buttimer, Melissa Wilson, Mairead Connolly, and Meadhbh Coomey all scored for Lyre Rovers, securing a comprehensive 4-1 victory.

Drinagh Rangers A have opened up a four-point gap at the top of the Albany Fusion Homes WCL Womens 7s Premier Division after a 2-0 win against Inter Kenmare FC. Lorraine O’Neill found the net twice in the 22nd and 29th minutes, guiding Drinagh Rangers to victory.

Clonakilty United dominated Beara United with a convincing 9-0 victory. Sarah Hanley (4), Becky O'Sullivan (2), Ciara Murphy (2), and Shannon Hanley Murphy all contributed to Clonakilty's impressive goal tally.

In the two Albany Fusion Homes WCL Women's 7s Championship games this weekend there was nothing to separate the sides in action. Drinagh Rangers B and Aultagh Celtic battled to a 1-1 draw. Caoimhe Hurley scored for Drinagh, while Danielle Jackson found the net for Aultagh resulting in the shared outcome.

A six-goal thriller saw Skibbereen AFC and Castlelack play out an exciting 3-3 draw. Skibbereen's goals came from Ava Brownie, Paulina Saniewska, and Aoife Daly, while Castlelack’s Kara McCarthy, Abbie Sheehan, and Chloe Horne ensured a high-scoring encounter.