Tipperary Soccer: It's an all-Celtic battle in Youths Cup final
TSDL Youths Division 2 Cup semi-finals
Slievenamon Celtic 3 – 0 Moyglass United
This game went ahead in wet and windy Ballypatrick on Saturday, with near rivals Slievenamon Celtic and Moyglass United vying for a place in this year’s Division Two Cup final.
The home side settled quickly, playing into the wind and played some nice football to open an opportunity for Alex Hanrahan, who made no mistake in lashing a piledriver into the top corner from 20 yards inside the first ten minutes.
They continued to press for the second but James Ryan in the Moyglass goal was in inspired form, pulling off two great saves to deny Cian Phelan and Aaron Costin.
The visitors eventually began to come back into the game and were always a threat on the break, almost snatching an equaliser just before half-time, only for a smart save from Oisin Lavin to keep the score at one nil.
Playing with the elements in the second half, the hosts kept the pressure on but could find no way through Ryan in the visiting goal, as he continued to impress. But halfway through the second period a speculative cross- -come shot from the impressive Joseph Cummins found its way to the back of the net to give Slievenamon that bit of breathing space they were looking for.
Moyglass continued to battle, looking for a way back into the game but couldn't breach a rock-solid Slievenamon rearguard. In the closing stages a great strike from Aaron Costin from just inside the box made it three to Celtic to see them advance to the final.
Clonmel Celtic 0 – 3 Bansha Celtic
Clonmel Celtic’s youths’ poor run of form continued as they slumped to a 3-0 defeat to rivals Bansha Celtic on Saturday afternoon in Clonmel.
The home side made a slow start and Eoin Byrnes took advantage of a defensive error to fire the visitors ahead on eight minutes. Befitting a side lacking in confidence, Celtic’s response was poor, and Alex Harold Barry doubled the visitors’ lead on the half-hour mark, an advantage they held at the break.
The hosts rallied a little in the second half but failed to create clear chances in a performance that was well below par. Bansha made the game safe when Adam Hennessy scored late on, as they ran out 3-0 winners.