Second-half blitz hits Wilton hard
U16 CUP
Cherry Orchard 3
Wilton United 0
Daire Walsh
THREE goals in 11 second-half minutes proved to be pivotal at Jackson Park, Kiltiernan yesterday afternoon, when Wilton United were defeated by an impressive Cherry Orchard side in the U16 SFAI Cup Final.
Brendan O’Sullivan’s charges had competed admirably in the opening period of the contest, but following a successful Dean Dillon penalty for Orchard, the floodgates were well and truly opened at Wayside Celtic FC.
Cherry Orchard are highly-respected amongst the schoolboy ranks in Ireland, and with League of Ireland managers Liam Buckley and Pat Fenlon in attendance on the day, this was a big occasion for both sets of players.
The Springfield outfit has also overcome Carrigaline United and Corinthian Boys on their way to this decider, but courtesy of narrow victories against Mountview, St Joseph’s Boys and Galway Hibs, Wilton were in a confident mood ahead of their trip to Dublin.
With attacker Ronan Hennessy dropping deep to offer a helping hand in midfield, the Lee Road boys were keeping a tight rein on their Metropolitan opponents during the early moments of the game. Orchard were spreading the ball neatly across the park, but they were struggling to create clear-cut opportunities in the final-third of the field.
Josh Hogan and Emanuel Lawal were offering a strong attacking outlet in wide areas, however, and Wilton netminder Michael Oakes needed to be on his toes to collect a Shola Ayoola pull-back 14 minutes in.
Oakes was a steady presence for Wilton during the first-quarter of the action, and he was ably-assisted by the central defensive pairing of Tomas Sheehan and Colm O’Driscoll.
Yet, Oakes was forced into a fine stop on the stroke of 25 minutes when Josh Hogan’s cross on the left-wing was eventually met by the boot of Dillon. Orchard skipper Cian Collins also had an excellent opening from the subsequent rebound, but his strike floated past the target on this occasion.
This was a let-off for Wilton, but just past the half-hour mark, midfielder Brian Mulcahy’s towering header from a well-executed corner marginally cleared Mark Travers’ goal. A goal really would have galvanised the challenge of the Leesiders, but despite conceding territorial possession to Orchard at times, Wilton had reason to be pleased with their first-half display.
With the sides remaining inseparable upon the resumption, Wilton were firmly in the reckoning, and a fierce Dylan Scott drive from distance four minutes after the restart almost caught Travers off guard. The preceding final in the same venue between St Joseph’s Boys and St Kevin’s Boys required penalties before finally determining an overall winner, and the prospect of extra-time was very much alive as the play wore on.
However, the turning point in the tie occurred just nine minutes into the period, as Wilton’s O’Driscoll upended Hogan inside the 18-yard box. O’Driscoll was yellow-carded for this indiscretion, and after stepping forward for the resulting spot-kick, the ice-cool Dillon fired past the previously impenetrable Oakes.
This was a morale-sapping moment for Wilton, and just four minutes after this crucial opener, a rampant Orchard doubled their lead. Lawal had failed to connect with an enticing Hogan cross, but when left-back Dylan Rowe drilled the ball back into the danger zone, the increasingly-prominent Dillon poked home from close-range.
Wilton now found themselves in a very precarious position, and although they were doing their utmost to force Orchard on the back-foot, the Dubliners effectively placed the game beyond their reach on the hour mark.
Terrific foot work from the industrious Corrie Ndaba set the tempo for another foray into the Wilton half, and after Lawal had kept control of the ball in a tight area, Shola Ayoola was on hand to finish off his neat lay-off.
Orchard were really dictating the play at this stage in the encounter, and even though Wilton centre-forward Douwe van Sinderen beat Travers with an accomplished finish, the offside meant that his strike was ruled out.
Van Sinderen was also close with another effort on goal, but in spite of the energy offered by substitutes Arseni Lomanov and Sean Hayes, Orchard continued to stretch the Wilton defence. Oakes produced a brace of outstanding saves from Luke Boore, but Cherry Orchard had more than enough in reserve to ease towards a much-deserved success.
CHERRY ORCHARD: Mark Travers; Evan Farrell, Aaron O’Driscoll, Calvin Rodgers, Dylan Rowe; Josh Hogan, Cian Collins, Corrie Ndaba, Emanuel Lawal; Shola Ayoola, Dean Dillon.
Subs: Conor Maguire for Farrell (58), Sean Quinn for Ndaba (63), Brandon Perry for Hogan (69), Luke Boore for Ayoola (73), Joel Bekombo for Lawal (76).
WILTON UNITED: Michael Oakes; Robert Wyse, Tomas Sheehan, Colm O’Driscoll, Dara Costelloe; Dylan Scott, Brian Mulcahy; James O’Sullivan, Ronan Hennessy, Jordan Murray; Douwe van Sinderen.
Subs: Arseni Lomanov for O’Sullivan (64), Sean Hayes for Wyse (71), Colin Lemass for Costelloe (78).
Referee: Liam Wells (Dublin).