Great Scott! Roycroft nets brilliant debut hat-trick for St Fiacc’s

Scott Roycroft hit a hat-trick on his return to his boyhood club to write himself into the latest chapter of the intense rivalry between these two clubs that has dominated Carlow Soccer over the last two seasons. They will go on to face Premier side, Vale Wanderers in the second round. They were far the better side and controlled the game against a Burrin side who were missing the majority of their squad. They will have felt like they could have gotten more goals, they had the chances but just failed to convert them. Burrin to their credit held on for large periods of the game and dug in and made life difficult for Fiacc’s.

It took Roycroft just three minutes to settle in in new colours as he found himself in one on one and with plenty of time, put the ball beyond Craig Doyle in the Burrin goal to open the scoring. Dylan Williamson and Bob Mulholland both had efforts saved. Burrin went close as a cross from the left just missed Jamie Fitzgerald’s head. With 12 minutes gone, Burrin equalised as Callum Murray struck from just outside the box and hit into the right hand side of the net, despite Craig Doyle getting a hand to it. A minute later, Jayden Denieffe-Kelly, brother of New Oak superstar, Dean, hit a free from the left but it was headed across the box with Walsh hitting over from the left. With 15 minutes gone, a Mark Morrissey free slightly to the left was hit into Doyle. Six minutes later, a long range effort was hit wide on the left. John O’Shea’s corner from the left was cleared whilst Roycroft hit an effort over the bar. Just after the half hour mark, Roycroft hit his second to put Fiacc’s ahead again. Six minutes before half-time, an O’Shea corner from the right was headed across the box and was cleared. Three minutes later, Roycroft had an effort from the right, saved.

Fiacc’s started the second half the way they left the first and with eight minutes gone, Ricky Lawler hit a cross from the right into Joao Salvador who headed wide at the far side. Roycroft had an effort saved before O’Shea got onto the end of a cross from the left and hit it wide at the near post. A Walsh corner from the left was cleared before a Roycroft effort from distance was saved one handed. Just after the hour mark, a David McHugh free was hit over the bar. O’She had a corner from the left cleared before going close with a chance of his own after getting on the end of a cross from the left but hit it straight to the ‘keeper. With 15 minutes to go, Doyle in the Burrin goal kicked the ball straight to Dylan Willamson down the left and he dribbled past the defenders to fire in a shot. Three minutes later a Burrin free from the left was hit across the face of the box. With nine minutes to go, a free from halfway was cleared. Walsh went close to adding a fourth but thwacked an effort off the crossbar. With three minutes to go, Roycroft got taken down in the box and he stepped up to take the resulting penalty, hitting in into the bottom right hand corner. He should have had a fourth and Fiaccs’ fifth when he found himself through but he hit his effort wide on the right.

St. Fiacc’s: Craig Doyle, Joao Salvador, Jake Haughney, Bobby Dowling, Ricky Lawler, Jayden Denieffe-Kelly, Dylan Williamson, Bob Mulholland, Scott Roycroft, Dylan Walsh, John O’Shea. Subs: Leo Hurley, Cody Nolan, Adam Kerfah, Conor Dunne, Calin Iancu, Michael Loughman, Dale Byrne.

Burrin Celitc: Craig Doyle, Oisin Nolan, Eddie Tobin, Ryan Clarke, David McHugh, Christopher Sutton, Callum Murray, Daniel Whelan, Jamie FitzGerald, Mark Morrissey, Jamie Goodwin. Subs: Jamie Maher, Dylan Cunningham, Edward Hourihan, Davy Francis.