Shams On The March !

Man of the match Paul Walsh

Malachians Shamrocks continued their recent push up the table with a hard fought 3-0 win away to Tollymore Swifts 2nds at a sunny Falls Park on Saturday. The Shamrocks had several players missing through injury and began with Niall Devine and Patrick Turley, both making their Shams debuts, in a previously untried central defence partnership.

After the initial skirmishes the experienced Mals midfield partnership of Walsh and King began to get a grip on the game, bringing the ball down and bringing the wide midfielders of McVeigh, Feighan and Mickey Devine into the game. Both Ryan and King were unlucky not to get on the end of a number of crosses into the box early on.

Anderson continually pushed up from the back, making an extra midfielder, and from one of his crosses into the box King pulled the ball down ten yards out but the home keeper pushed his shot out for a corner which was cleared.

Both Marty Ryan and Walsh then hit drives from just outside the penalty area again after good link up play between Walsh and Anderson created the openings, but both shots were just off target.

Kevin Feighan then got to the bye line and pulled the ball back but McVeigh's shot was again pushed away by the home keeper, and at this stage it looked as if it might be one of those days. Tollymore did push forward when they had the opportunity but the Mals defence held firm and the closest the home team came to scoring was when a back pass from Devine bounced off his own crossbar.

Credit to the Shams however who did not become frustrated by the missed chances and continued with their passing style, and eventually almost on the stroke of half time got the breakthrough they deserved with a fine goal. Young Tony McVeigh picked up a loose ball on half way and found Fisher. A quick change of direction inside the full back took him into the penalty area where he eased passed another defender before flicking the ball passed the keeper at his near post for a finely taken goal.

H.T. Tollymore Swifts 0 Malachians Shamrocks 1

The half time break came at the wrong time for the Shams who had built up a good rhythm, and a scrappy second half saw the Tollymore side began to come more into the game without creating any real clear openings. When the home team did break, Devine and Turley dealt capably with any danger and started several counter attacks.

As the Mals continued to push forward both Ryan and McVeigh had efforts saved, and from one McVeigh cross Feighan forced the Tollymore keeper into a great instinctive save.

Gillen then replaced Devine, and was a danger from corners, and it was from a corner won by Anderson, that Mals increased their lead with ten minutes remaining. Although the corner was cleared, the ball fell to Niall Devine about 25 yards out, and his well struck shot slipped through the home keeper's hands dropping into the net. Quigley and McKay then replaced the hard working Feighan and McVeigh.

The second goal knocked some off the heart out of the home team who were still in the game up to this point. However in the last few minutes Mals could have added several more goals but had to be content with just one from Ryan. Anderson found him on the right side of the penalty area and he ran across several defenders before poking the ball high into the net from the six yard box.

This hard fought win takes the Shamrocks up to fourth place in the table, and in confident form going into next weeks crunch match with second placed New Santos who have only lost once in the league all season.

FT Tollymore Swifts 0 Malachians Shamrocks 3

MOM  -  Paul Walsh.