Late O’Brien header keeps Castle’s unbeaten start going
Castle Rangers Mark O'Brien sneaks by Wolfhill's Sean Meaney and Brendan Wheatley. All Photos: Thomas Nolan
An 81st minute header from Kyle O’Brien gave Castle Rangers a huge win over newly promoted Wolfhill. With both sides unbeaten going into the game, it promised to be a tightly contested game, and it proved so with only the header from the man who left them earlier this year to go to Pat’s, only to rejoin them just weeks later separating the two sides.
The goal came just minutes after a huge save from Adam Duggan in the Castle goal denied Wolfhill a certain goal. A draw probably would have been a fair result, but Castle dominated and created more chances but without ever really threatening the Wolfhill ‘keeper. Wolfhill grew into the game as it went on.
Castle went close early on as Craig Bowden found himself in space down the right and fired in a cross but nobody was waiting to fire home in the middle and Wolfhill cleared with ease. Luke Bailey went close, getting on the end of a long throw from the right but he couldn’t control the ball and it was deflected wide. His resulting corner from the right was cleared.
With seven minutes gone, Bailey hit a shot off the left hand post. With 20 minutes gone, Wolfhill went close from a Bernard Wheatley effort from the left but he put it wide, as he got onto the end of a long ball. A minute later, a Wolfhill effort was put over the bar. With 20 minutes to go until half-time, James Keating’s corner from the left was cleared.
A minute later, Michael Keogh had an effort saved from close range. Luke Brennan had an effort deflected into the ‘keeper. On the half hour mark, a Jake Snoddy long ball was played into Bowden who couldn’t control the ball and put it wide. Two minutes later, a Travis Timmins free from the right was cleared. Keating had a corner from the left saved before Timmins had a free, saved.
Luke Brennan fired an effort from the left into the ‘keeper. With three minutes to go until the break, Brennan fired an effort from the right over the bar.
Straight after the break, a Castle corner from the left was cleared before was hit across the box and wide. With four minutes gone, a long ball from the left was played into Dan Farrell at the back post but he couldn’t get onto the end of the ball in time. A corner from the left was headed wide by Wheatley at the back post.
A Timmins free from the halfway line was hit into the ‘keeper. Wolfhill went close through a Michael Keogh cross who found Ceilum Darcy at the back post but he couldn’t get on the end of it.
On the hour mark, a Cian Connolly corner from the right was cleared. A minute later, Keating was denied a certain goal as his effort flew towards the top right hand corner of the goal and it required a brilliant save from Adam Duggan in the Castle Rangers goal to deny him.
The resulting corner from the right from Connolly went wide. Keating found himself in 1 on 1 but Duggan in the Castle goal beat him to it. With 20 minutes gone, a Bailey corner from the left was hit over the bar by O’Brien.
Six minutes later, Bowden hit an effort from the right over the bar. A Dylan Salter corner from the right was hit wide on the near side. Connolly went close for Castle as he fired in a cross from the left into Mark O’Brien in the middle who hit his effort over the bar.
Cathal Fleming went close for Wolfhill from distance but put his effort wide on the left. With nine minutes to go, an O’Brien effort from the left was saved.
Two minutes later, Wolfhill were hit with a sucker punch as one of their players received a second yellow and got sent off. The resulting free from the right was hit by Bailey and was met by the head of Kyle O’Brien at the back post who headed into the far top corner over the ‘keeper.
Adam Duggan, Travis Timmins, Gerard Brennan, Matthew O’Donovan, Kyle O’Brien, Jake Snoddy, Mark O’Brien, Dylan Salter, Craig Bowden, Luke Brennan, Luke Bailey.
Pearse Phelan, Nicholas Vadan, Cian Connolly, Conor Byrne, Gerard Timmons, Brandon Farrell, Ryan Cotter.
Kevin Young, Mark George, Ger Bonner, Niall Brennan, Ciaran Carroll, Sean Meaney, Bernard Wheatley, James Keating, Michael Keogh, Ceilum Darcy, Dan Farrell.
Colin Campion, Conor Kealy, Noel Leach, Cathal Fleming, Padraig Buggy, Conor Knowley.
Nathan Bannon
