Nathan Phelan cracks the ball to the back of the Clonmel Town net to open the scoring. | noelbrownephotographer.comBRO005
De La Salle 3 Clonmel Town 0
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Two goals from Nathan Phelan and one from Andrew O’Connor helped De La Salle into the next round of the SFAI Under-15 cup when they defeated Clonmel Town three-nil at Williamstown on Saturday morning last.
De La Salle went close to opening the scoring on nine minutes when Conor Whittle picked out the lively Andrew O’Connor, buy the centre forward saw his angled left-footed strike from 16 yards just go the wrong side of the posts.
O’Connor was the main threat during the early exchanges and he had a chance to give his side the lead again on 12 minutes when he got his head on the end of a Jamie Walsh delivery from the right but the striker’s header hit the side netting.
The home side were in front less than two minutes later when O’Connor turned provider for Nathan Phelan with a neat pass and when the latter burst into the penalty area he held his nerve to drill an unstoppable right-footed shot past visiting keeper Michael Boland from 14 yards.
Once in front it was hard to see how De La Salle would lose and despite wasting some decent possession on the edge of the penalty area they did double their advantage nine minutes before the break.
It was the turn of the goalscorer Nathan Phelan to set up Andrew O’Connor and although his first shot was blocked close to the goal-line, there was to be no denying the youngster as he hammered the rebound to the net from close range.
O’Connor almost grabbed his second on 36 minutes when he once again got on the end of a Walsh right-wing delivery; however his diving header whistled inches wide with keeper Boland beaten.
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