MSL soccer: Ringmahon Rangers beat Rockmount to land Keane Cup

Ringmahon Rangers 3

Rockmount 1

Ringmahon Rangers picked up their second piece of silverware this season when they beat Rockmount 3-1 to land the 50th Anniversary Keane Cup final at Turner’s Cross on Saturday.

An Eoin Murphy goal had given Rockmount the lead midway through the first half, but Glen Towler had the Mahon side level at the break, and second-half goals from Tony Whitehead and Darragh O’Shea helped Ringmahon to victory, adding to their Donie Forde Trophy success earlier in the campaign.

Ringmahon have been excellent all season, challenging for trophies on multiple fronts, and they were well worth their victory, shaking off that Rockmount opener to take control of the game with Gearóid Morrissey and Roy Kenny running things in the middle of the park for the winners.

Rockmount were without the services of key players Danny Aherne and Cian Murphy, and Ringmahon’s strength in depth showed in the end with O’Shea scoring the insurance goal off the bench.

Ringmahon had the first shot in anger four minutes in when Anthony O’Donnell broke forward from his left-back slot into the penalty and fired inches over at the far side of the goal.

Two minutes later Ringmahon went close again when, from an Anthony McAlavey corner on the left, the ball broke for Whitehead close to goal, but his backheel went inches wide.

Rockmount tested Ringmahon keeper Eric Grimes shortly afterwards when Murphy’s free kick just inside the Ringmahon half on the left broke for Kieran Kenneally whose snap-shot was easily dealt with by the Ringmahon stopper.

The game switched to the other end on the quarter-hour mark when a long clearance out of the defence by Ringmahon invited Ethon Varian to race clear of his man, but he pulled his shot from the edge of the area wide of the post.

The game was finely balanced at this point and Rockmount went close two minutes later when Corey Galvin broke on the right and fed Kenneally inside the area, but his shot went wide at Grimes’ near post.

The deadlock was broken on 20 minutes when Rockmount captain James O’Connell’s burst inside the area was halted illegally by Grimes; referee Darren O’Sullivan pointed to the spot and Murphy scored from the resulting penalty.

Rockmount had the momentum, but the goal was a wake-up call for Ringmahon who slowly began to take a grip on proceedings.

Just after the half-hour mark Adam Delurey whipped in a free kick from the right, just outside the penalty area; Varian got a head on it but couldn’t direct the ball on target and it went wide.

Former Rockmount man Nathan Broderick then had a chance from a tight angle inside the penalty area on the right, but Oisín Barry saved at his near post.

Ringmahon continued to press and seven minutes before half-time had another effort on goal; McAlavey played a free kick down the left for Delurey whose cross broke for Whitehead 15 yards from goal, but he fired wide.

Ringmahon were back on level terms two minutes later when, following a good move on the left, O’Donnell drilled the ball from the left into the danger area and it fell for Towler in space and he drove the ball past Barry.

All square at the break, Ringmahon tightened their grip in the second half and enjoyed a lot of possession with man of the match Morrissey particularly influential early on.

Eight minutes in, following good build-up play, the midfielder forced Barry into a save with a shot from distance and two minutes later a similar effort took a deflection for a corner.

Just after the hour mark Ringmahon nosed in front, the goal born out of another good strike by Morrissey from distance which forced Barry into a fine save, and when the ball was recycled Ringmahon won a corner. From McAlavey’s short flag kick, he received a return pass before whipping in a cross that broke for Whitehead who crashed the ball home from 12 yards.

Rockmount were up against it now, though they did go close to drawing level shortly afterwards when Galvin broke into the box on the left and fired into the side-netting.

It was Ringmahon, though who were asking most of the questions and they were winning the battles in all sectors of the pitch. They made sure of victory with seven minutes remaining when, after another good move on the left, Kenny provided a killer pass in behind the Rockmount defence for O’Shea to run on to and bury the ball in the corner to seal a memorable victory.

It will be a quick turnaround for Ringmahon, with a big league game against champions Midleton to come on Wednesday ahead of next month’s Intermediate Cup final as well as games in the Beamish and O’Connell Cups to come as they chase a clean sweep of domestic trophies.

RINGMAHON RANGERS: Eric Grimes, Glen Towler, Adam Delurey, Christopher McCarthy, Anthony O’Donnell, Anthony Whitehead, Gearoid Morrissey, Roy Kenny, Ethon Varian, Anthony McAlavey, Nathan Broderick.

Subs: Cameron Harlson and Darragh O’Shea for Broderick and Delurey (both 78), Alan Greaney for Varian (84), Philip Keane for Towler (89).

ROCKMOUNT: Oisín Barry, Martin Connolly, Ian Mylod, Adam Crowley, Jonathan Hannafin, James O’Connell, Eoin Murphy, Shane Barry, Kieran Kenneally, Niall Hanley, Corey Galvin.

Subs: Brian O’Mahony for Murphy (25), Jack O’Sullivan for Galvin (85), Luke Greaney, Jonathan McSweeney, and Ryan Hakeem for Kenneally, O’Connell, and Crowley (all 92).

Referee: Darren O’Sullivan, assistants, Allan Martin, Michael Deasy, fourth official, Robert O’Leary.