St Vincent’s exit the cup after being put to the Sword

<p class=”p1″><span class=”s1″>Vincent’s Hospital FC exited the cup following a 2-0 defeat away to Swords Celtic. Playing in the top </span>Saturday division of the LSL, Swords enjoyed the tag of favourites going into the game.

<p class=”p2″>Vincent’s opened brightly, looking to establish their usual <span class=”s1″>passing game on a playing surface that can only be described as agricultural. Loose footing, erratic bobbles and unpredictable bounces left play scrappy at times. Despite this, Vincent’s were on top early and came close to taking the lead. Fionn Nally had the ball in the back of the net following a flowing move down the right, but the goal was disallowed on a marginal offside call. As often happens when playing top teams, Swords were ruthless in going ahead against the run of play. A darting run onto a through ball was well finished to make it 1-0. Sustained pressure followed as Swords looked </span>to double their lead, though aggressive defense from Darren <span class=”s1″>McMahon, Luke Harrington, Andrew Delaney and Kieran </span>Keane, kept the margin at 1-0 going into half-time.

<p class=”p2″><span class=”s1″>Swords applied further pressure in the second half, and were rewarded when a partially cleared corner fell kindly at the edge of the box to be smashed into the bottom corner. Facing a 2-0 deficit, Vincent’s got back onto the front foot. Peter Kelly, Patrick O’Connor, John Cosgrove and Ruairi Irwin showed poise on the ball, and Swords were constant</span><span class=”s1″>ly pressured all over the pitch. Vincent’s failed to capitalise on a number of half-chances, with Rory Durand coming </span>closest when his 25-yard free-kick hit the crossbar.

<p class=”p2″><span class=”s1″>The elusive goals never came, and in the end it was the quality of finishing that proved decisive. 2-0 the fi</span>nal score. Although nobody enjoys the taste of defeat, the <span class=”s1″>team can take confidence from a strong performance as </span>they look to future games.

<p class=”p2″><span class=”s1″>While travelling with a strong squad, player availability </span>was limited this weekend by two weddings, a ski trip, a wed<span class=”s1″>ding menu tasting (player to be named on request) and the </span>typical number fulfilling weekend on-call commitments.

<h3 class=”p4″>Vincent’s key performer</h3> <p class=”p2″><span class=”s1″>Peter Kelly has been earning rave reviews for his performances this season and the Greystones Family Doctors GP was again the heartbeat of the midfield effort. He con</span>sistently kept possession of the ball, linked play all over the pitch and made a number of vital defensive interceptions.

<h3 class=”p4″>What next?</h3> <p class=”p2″><span class=”s1″>Vincent’s turned their attention back to league action last week, resuming efforts to stay ahead of the chasing pack. We faced Fairview CYM on Friday, 23 February at St Benil</span>dus College in an 8pm kick-off, which ended in a 1-1- draw.

<h3 class=”p4″>Matchday squad</h3> <p class=”p2″>Sean Keane, Kieran Keane, Darren McMahon, Andrew <span class=”s1″>Delaney, Luke Harrington, Peter Kelly, Patrick O’Connor, Ruairi Irwin, Rory Durand, John Cosgrove, Fionn Nally, Martin Hayes, Luke Sheeran-Purcell, and Robert Trueick</span>

<h3 class=”p4″>Getting involved</h3> <p class=”p2″><span class=”s1″>Follow the St Vincent’s Hospital FC Facebook page, or </span>get in contact via email <span class=”s2″>svuhfc@gmail.com.</span>