Isong blitz leaves Rovers empty-handed after Under 14 Cup Final
ST KEVIN’S BOYS…………………………………5
SHAMROCK ROVERS…………………………….2
By Daire Walsh
THE OUTSTANDING Mark Tarzan Isong hit four goals at Home Farm FC on Sunday as Shamrock Rovers came off second best to St Kevin’s Boys in the Under 14 SFAI Skechers National Cup decider.
It looked promising for the Hoops when Darragh Harrison broke the deadlock on 17 minutes. Yet Isong eventually opened his personal account and courtesy of devastating scoring blitzes either side of the interval, Kevin’s were emphatic winners in the end.
Rovers did claim a late consolation through substitute Leon McClaren to ensure their day out in the Whitehall venue at least finished on a positive note. Kevin’s had earlier defeated the same club in the U12 Cup showpiece and here Isong stamped his authority on this contest.
Attacking midfielder Jack Allen had forced a low save out of Rovers custodian Cian Dillon. Originally set to feature as an outfield player, Dillon was named between the sticks in a direct swap with full-back Tristan Donnelly.
In spite of Harrison’s best endeavours, Kevin’s were dominating possession during the early exchanges. The pace of Nickson Okasun was causing problems for Rovers up the left-wing.
His enticing delivery did fall at the feet of Isong, but the centre-forward fired straight into the hands of Dillon. Immediately, Rovers broke forward at the opposite end and Harrison coolly fired beyond the reach of Ryan Maher.
This lifted the spirits of the Hoops and they grew in confidence as a result. Naj Razi was a busy presence in a midfield three and he was marginally off-target when the ball broke to him off a corner.
The Tallaght boys were hoping to hold out until the interval, yet, Isong restored parity with a rebounded effort in the 26th-minute.
He was perilously close to doubling his tally moments later, before finally getting it right in the final minute of the half.
Kevin’s now found themselves in the box seat and, within two minutes of the restart, had effectively placed the final outcome beyond doubt. Firstly, the explosive Okasun cut inside from the flank to fire a past the outstretched arms of Dillon.
Okasun then turned provider for Isong on 37 minutes – the front man completing his hat-trick with an assured finish.
This left Rovers with too much of a mountain to scale, although it wasn’t for the lack of trying on their part, but there was never any indication that Kevin’s were ready to drop their levels of intensity and application.
And their fifth of the tie inevitably arrived inside the final-quarter. Danny McGrath’s precise through ball got Isong back on the front-foot and after embarking on a blistering solo run, he slotted home.
McClaren was added to the mix by the Rovers management in the closing stages and he made the most of his cameo appearance as he hammered a low shot past Maher deep into second half stoppage-time.
ST KEVIN’S BOYS: R Maher; A Moloney (J Okagbue 54), J Lyons, S McCarthy, A Coyle (C Errity 66); R Kelly (S Fagan 21), D McGrath (S Brady 68); S Brady (R Kelly 59), J Allen (JPL Vieira 50), N Okasun (Jack Allen 53); MT Isong (S Brady 66).
SHAMROCK ROVERS: C Dillon; T Donnelly, A Bouderbala, J Sullivan, C O’Sullivan; T O’Dowd, N Razi, D Harrison (L McClaren 66); O McGlaughlin, R Ritchie (D Harrison 69), P Geraghty.