Luke remembered as Tipperary soccer club pay their respects to family of former player

Clonmel Credit Union League Division 1

Old Bridge 3 – 1 Peake Villa

Old Bridge FC opened their league campaign on Sunday on an emotional day, when a presentation was made to the family of the late Luke McSweeney who passed away in the recent tragedy in Clonmel, Luke being an Old Bridge player.

The game itself was played in tough conditions, with torrential rain falling during the first half, a sharp contrast to the very warm weather of the previous days. But it didn’t affect the home side when they took the lead in the 20th minute after a brilliant counter attack when under pressure.
To Villa’s credit they kept the heads up and were rewarded on 37 minutes when Luciano Carelli scored to make it 1-1 and the teams went in at the break level.
Bridge were the stronger team after the break and had some good chances early on but David Purcell was in fine form in the Villa goal. The second period belonged to the home side, and after some good pressure they took the lead with 20 minutes left. That left Villa chasing the game, and as often happens they were left open to a counter attack, which Old Bridge exploited and fired a third goal to end the tie with a home win.

St Michael’s 3 – 3 Cullen Lattin
Saints’ seconds team really gave youth its head on Sunday, with a starting eleven all made up of players twenty years of age or younger, and they put in an excellent performance against an older and more experienced Cullen team who began the day at the top of the First Division table.
After a patchy start, where Max Riordan had a good chance for the visitors who were slow into stride, Josh Flannery got in on six minutes to give the home side the lead with a good finish.
It took only two minutes to add the second, when Antonio Rea did well to lay off a ball for Flannery to strike home again from the edge of the area.
Cullen Lattin finally began to get back into the game and brought out some good saves from the Saints ‘keeper. But still it was the hosts who were unlucky not to add to their tally before the break, with Rea a constant threat up front. Cullen improved in the second half with the introduction of Colin Marnane and Darragh O’Brien, and got a goal back in the 54th minute when Max Riordan found the net from a tight angle. They levelled the game four minutes later when Mikey O’Brien found himself unmarked in the area and fired home. Flannery missed a header from a Cathal Berrigan free kick just after the hour mark, and the Saints were left to rue the miss when the away side took the lead in the 68th minute after Eoin Doocey was deemed to have committed a foul and Mikey Stokes converted the penalty.
Michaels brought on a raft of substitutes near the end and one of them, Evan Hawkins, got an equaliser in the final minute of the game to make it 3-3, and ensure a deserved share of the spoils.

Galbally United 2 – 3 Vee Rovers
After relegation last season, and an opening game defeat this season, Vee Rovers finally got their long journey back to Premier League football up and running by coming from behind to beat an in-form Galbally United side on Sunday afternoon.
The game was played in very warm conditions, that both sides struggled with, and chances in the first half were at a premium.
The home side finally fashioned one of note however and took the lead ten minutes before the break, when Jordan Dineen found the net after some good build- up play. They kept that lead at the break, and doubled it ten minutes into the second half when Dineen scored his second goal, getting on the end of a Kieran Sheehan cross to beat the ‘keeper from close range.
That looked like being it for Rovers, but they kept battling and found a way back into the game when they were awarded a penalty just after the hour mark, and the spot kick was converted by Shane McGrath.
This was a turning point in the game and the visitors began to dominate, finally getting a deserved equaliser ten minutes from time when Dylan Flynn flashed a shot to the net.
Both teams then went for the winner and the game flowed up and down the pitch. It looked, however, that they were going to have to share the spoils until the final minute, when Vee fashioned a final chance that was finished by Bob Childs, much to the delight of the travelling supporters, a goal that was enough to win the game and take the three points on offer.