CASTLE BAR CUP FINAL

Tralee Dynamos 1 Killarney Celtic 0

Article from Christy Leahy

This cup final was lost and won in a thirty second period midway through the second half. Killarney Celtic were on the attack and John Doyle had put the ball behind the advancing Dynamos defence and three of his team mates had successfully beaten the offside manouevre but for some reason best known to themselves all three stopped pursuing the loose ball. Dynamos custodian, Derek O'Shea, gratefully gathered the ball unchalllenged and delivered a long relieving clearance into the path of James Wall, who bore down on the Celtic goals. Michael Gustiav came off his line to narrow the angle as Wall continued his run, the keeper went down on the Dynamos man shot but failed to hold the ball and its momentum carried it all the way into the unguarded net.

From the outset it was obvious that there would not be a bagfull of goals in the game. Both teams had excellent defences, particularly in the central positions, and goal chances were going to be well earned. Three minutes into the game Pa McGrath delivered a free kick into the Dynamos penalty area where Derek o'Shea got a fist to the ball which went only as far as Brian Spillane and his snap shot was just wide of the far post. Minutes later and at the other end of the ground Spillane ended a good passage of play between Wall and James Sugrue with an excellently timed challenge. Celtic forced a number of corners and had claims for a penalty turned down when Eoin Cassidy appeared to drag a Celtic player to the ground as Stephen Hayes was about to take one of these. 

In the twenty fifth minute Wall showed how a free kick should be struck. From just inside the Celtic half his shot curled viciously as it headed for the goals, the Celtic keeper failed to reach it and the missile was just wide of the angle. Adrian Quirke shadowed his man with great intensity in the 30th minute and his determination was rewarded when he cleared his lines on the oppositite side of the pitch. For the remaining fifteen minutes of the half Dynamos pressure forced Celtic back into their own half and during this period Sugrue was tormenting the KIllarney defenders with his weaving runs up the right wing. Adrian Quirke dropped a ball into the Celtic box where Damien Diggins challenge on Gustifar was successful and when the keeper dropped the ball David Hayes was on hand to execute an effective clearance. Three minutes before the break Sugrue floated in a free from the right, James Wall got a head to it but his effort went over the bar, due mainly to pressure from Spillane. Alan Nagle, Pa McGrath and John Doyle brought some relief for Celtic when they launhced a good counter attack but Doyles shot was wide of the taget.

Two minutes into the second half hmade a vital save to deny Celtic. A John McDonogh corner was headed goalwards by Alan Nagle and it looked destined for the net but O'Shea's instinctive save pushed the ball over the crossbar.

James Wall picked out Billy Stack at the back post with an excellent cross field pass but instead of shooting first time STack tried to take on the defence which proved to be a fruitless exercise. Celtic were incensed with the officials in the 62nd minute. Vladimar Sirotiak was heading for goals and was taken down by Cassidy who was the last defender, it should have been a red card but after a long discussion with his assistant the referee, MIchael O'Connor showed the defender a yellow card much to the releif of the Dynamos bench.

The all important goal was scored in the 68th minute and immediately changed their formation, opting for three defenders and bringing in Missilimano for Mcdonogh but the Dynamos rearguard, driven on by O'Rahilly held their ground and kept their composure. With time running out Celtic were attacking in numbers, even to the extent of bringing their keeper forwardfor corners. They had a penalty claim denied in the dying minutes when a Dynamos defender appeared to handle the ball in the box but play was waved on and the Tralee side survived intense injury time pressure.

MAN OF THE MATCH; JAMES WALL
Position: Midfield
Commments; His overall play was excellent and he tormented the Celtic defence throughout the game with excellent runs, accurate passes and capped an all round great performance by scoring the only goal of the game.

MANAGERS COMMENT; Dynamos joint manager Colm Clifford ws obviously delighted at the win. His said their pride was hurt last year when they failed to win any silverware and they had set their sights on the treble for this season. This was the first, we are still in the Greyhound Bar Cup and league semi-final. When asked if he thought they were lucky to finish with eleven players on the pitch, he said (with a smile) "I suppose there were a few decisions that went our way, but when you get two evenly balanced teams with no lack of commitment from either side this is going to happen. THe important thing from our view is that Tralee Dynamos are back where they belong."

TRALEE DYNAMOS; 1. Derek O'Shea; 2. Adrian Quirke; 3. Damien Quirke; 4. Eoin Cassidy; 5. Maurice O'Rahilly; 7. James Sugrue; 8.Jamie McIntyre; 10. Damien Diggins; 13 Billy Stack; 15. James Wall.
KILLARNEY CELTIC: 1. Michael Gustiav; 2. Alan Nagle; 3. John McDonogh; 4. Brian Spillane; 5. David Hayes; 6. Gary Keane; 7. John D; 8. Pa McGrath; 9. Stephen Hayes; 10 Vladimar Sirotiak 11. Donald O'Sullivan