Touchline tussle with Carrick's William Walsh ans Crystal's Wayne Lee.
Carrick United 2; Waterford Crystal 1
The Division 4 Cup will sit proudly alongside the FAI Junior Cup in the trophy room of Tom Drohan Park in Coolnamuck following this latest triumph for Carrick United.
The names on the match card provided plenty to talk about as all of the players on view have enjoyed some wonderful moments in the game and all of them still enjoy the game every bit as much now as they did down through the years.
Honours have come to them down through the years but they still have a burning desire to win despite being in the 33 plus year bracket. The game cracked along at a good pace all through and provided lots of entertainment for the good attendance.
This was the last game to be played in Ozier Park before the old venue is upgraded. The Carrick victory meant that Waterford Crystal missed out on the double as they had already captured the league title a few weeks ago.
That fact will not worry the Carrick players however because they wanted some of the limelight enjoyed by the FAI Junior Cup winning side and you can bet your bottom dollar they celebrated every bit as much as the Premier League outfit, and rightly so. Super stuff indeed.
No goals
Carrick were the first side to attack after 5 minutes with a free kick taken by Willie Walsh but striker Pat Fitzgerald headed just over the crossbar. Five minutes later Crystal’s Richie Phelan picked out Frankie Cummins with a free kick but after out jumping Kevin O’Shea, Cummins headed the ball straight into the arms of the Carrick goalkeeper Steve Torpey.
Carrick went back o the attack and on 13 minutes Clem Sullivan took a long pass from John O’Neill but he shot into the side netting. Pat Fitzgerald had a decent chance on 25 minutes when he met a corner kick taken by Clem Sullivan but he headed wide from close range. John O’Neill and Clem Sullivan combined superbly just before half time but the latter shot wide.
Carrick lead
Waterford Crystal looked bright and sharp when the second half got underway and they began to put Carrick on the back foot. Jim O’Brien stuck a 35 yard free kick five minutes in which was blocked by Ronnie Hawkins. The ball rebounded to John Wyse who let fly at goal only for Kevin O’Shea to block his effort at the expense of a corner kick. Derek Gailbert then met a pass from John Wyse but he shot wide.
Somewhat against the run of play, Carrick took the lead on 42 minutes. Clem Sullivan sent in a free kick deep into the Crystal penalty area and the vastly experienced Kevin O’Shea, a veteran FAI Junior Cup campaigner with the club headed past goalkeeper Johnny Arrigan from 10 yards range.
Things got even worse for a shell shocked Crystal one minute later. Willie Walsh went charging into the penalty area before releasing the ball to Pat Fitzgerald who shot at goal. His effort was blocked but when the ball fell into the path of Clem Sullivan and he duly rammed home goal No 2.
In the last minute two Crystal players, Richie Phelan and Wayne Lee combined to set up Ian Walsh who scored but unfortunately from their point of view the sands of time had run out for them.
Carrick United: Steve Torpey, Ted McGrath, Kevin O’Shea, Gerry Walsh, Ronnie Hawkins, Jerome O’Shea, John O’Neill, Kevin Power, Willie Walsh, Pat Fitzgerald, Clem Sullivan. Sub: Jimmy Kelly for Fitzgerald (60 mins). Not used: Martin Power, Johnny Grace, Jim Burke.
Waterford Crystal: Johnny Arrigan, Richie Phelan, Jamie Flynn, John Wyse, Jim O’Brien, Gary Power, Micky Sheridan, Ian Walsh, Derek Gailbert, Wyne Lee, Frankie Cummins. Subs: Derek Kelly for Power (28 mins), Trevor Power for Sheridan (48 mins), Connie Hayes for Cummins (57 mins).
Ref: Jimmy McGrath.
