Soccer: Dynamos make it through to the last 32

Statoil FAI Junior Cup fifth round
RATHKEALE 1 TRALEE DYNAMOS 3

Kingdom Newspaper extract.

TRALEE Dynamos are the only Kerry side to advance to the last 32 in the Statoil FAI Junior Cup following a comprehensive victory over Desmond League side Rathkeale in a game played at the Limerick venue on Sunday.

This means that Dynamos, who were beaten at the same stage last year by the eventual winners Westport United, have managed to go a round further and considering their crippling injury list, this is a fair achievement for one of Kerry’s leading sides.

They will now be the only Kerry, Desmond league or Clare side left in the FAI Junior Cup. So, they will be glued to the radio on Sunday morning next when the sixth round draw will be made life on the Robbie Irwin sports show on 2FM between 10am and 11am.

They will be looking for a home draw and this round is scheduled for the week-ending January 15 so Dynamos will be hoping that the likes of Eoin Cassidy and Adrian McHugh will be back to full fitness for it.

On Sunday, the Kerry side were always in control in this game but it took them a long time to put the game beyond Rathkeale’s reach. Dynamos will be pleased that despite the absence of so many regulars, their youth players have really come to the party and played a major role in this win.

Jamie McIntyre played well in the centre of the park with Mark Fitzgerald before he tired having played a full youth’s cup game the previous day. Then the introduction of Shane Carroll added pace to the front line particularly against a side that was playing so high up the pitch.

Adam Moss and Eoin Walsh also played and finished the game strongly for the Kerry side who will need to have the likes of Eoin Cassidy, Kevin McCannon, Tony Hennessy, Billy Stack, James White and possibly Samier back for the second half of the season.

This was a game where the play was end to end with some superb passages of play from both sides, with sweeping passing moves being the order of the day. However the difference between the sides was that Dynamos were strong at the back and made very few errors while Rathkeale could never pose a threat up front.

After the early exchanges it was obvious that Rathkeale were going to move to the half way line at every opportunity and they kept catching the Dynamos front men off side which was infuriating the visitors.

Dynamos soon saw the light and began to drive through the centre and so were able to beat the trap and also with James Sugrue skipping down the wing, Rathkeale were forced on the back foot at times as they were being caught out.

In fact, Dynamos should have taken the lead in the 25 minute when Rathkeale keeper Burns took down Dynamos Maurice O'Rahilly for a penalty and only received a yellow card despite being the last man back.

To add insult to injury Burns saved Kerins spot kick. Dynamos took the lead in the 37th minute when Mark Fitzgerald found James Sugrue who played a one two with Chris Kerins and Adrian McHugh scored at the near post.

It was all Dynamos in the second half and they doubled their lead in the 65th minute when Shane Carroll latched onto a back heel from Kerins and having taken the ball round the keeper he squared for winger Paul Daly to make it 2-0.

In fact the introduction of Carroll added pace to the attack and he swung the game decidedly in Dynamos favour with some excellent running as the visitors midfield which now had Maurice O’Rahilly and Mark Fitzgerald in the engine room began to squeeze the life out of the Rathkeale challenge.

It was all Dynamos at this stage and Chris Kerins and James Sugrue combined for the lads to make it 3-0 in the 70th minute and the game was over as a contest.

However in the 88th minute a dubious free kick awarded to Rathkeale saw Maurice O'Rahilly slice the ball into his own net in attempting to clear.

Rathkeale: O Burns, J Dalton, M O’Sullivan, S Giltenand, P O’Dea, A O’Shea, P Russell, C Rohan, B O’Riordan, S Burns, R Hogan Subs: K Nolan, R Hogan.

Tralee Dynamos: D Raggett, P Williams, D Crotty, M O’Rahilly, B Fitzgerald, J Sugrue, M Fitzgerald, J McIntyre, P Daly, A McHugh, C Kerins.

Subs: E Walsh, S Carroll, A Moss.