Castleknock Celtic  1   Quay Celtic Dundalk  1 (a.e.t.)

  Castleknock won 4-3 on penalties

SFAI Menton Seery Cup

 9th Nov. 08

The match commenced on a very heavy pitch although fortunately the wind and rain which had made conditions almost impossible in the previous game had subsided somewhat just prior to kick-off. Castleknock won the toss and elected to play with wind at their backs in the hope of building a lead. Quay Celtic played a high defensive line early on which played into Celtic's hands as on a number of occasions in the first 20 mins Castleknock's speedy front runners were released by quick passing through the defence. Demi Dare took advantage on one of these occasions when he ran on to find the net with aplomb to put Castleknock 1-0 up.

There were a number of other opportunities before the break but Castleknock failed to add to their tally. In the prevailing conditions 1 goal was a precarious lead and the line could sense that the home side were in for a tough 2nd half. So it proved as Quay Celtic took the initiative with the wind at their backs and pinned their opposition back for long spells  The Castleknock defence stood firm for the most part but with about 10 mins remaining Quay Celtic found the breakthrough following a rare piece of slackness in the Castleknock backline. This gave the visitors a huge boost but the home side held firm right up to the final whistle and extra time beckoned.  

Both teams went for it over the course of the additional 20 mins but neither could find the breakthrough and so the dreaded penalties would decide the day. It looked all over for Castleknock when they missed their first 2 spot kicks but 3 excellent pressure kicks from Aidan McGivern, Kevin Miller and Barry Neville and a crucial stop by Celtic keeper Stuart Rocca left the score at 3 a piece. Now it was down to sudden death. At this point the tension around the pitch was palpable as a sizeable crowd had gathered to watch the drama unfold. The pressure proved too much for the unfortunate Quay Celtic player whose effort was confidently blocked by man of the match, Stuart Rocca, who had made crucial saves at critical times. Then up stepped Sean Mulvihill to win the day for the Dublin side with a super pressure strike. 4-3 on pens and a place in the 4th Round. 

The lads will play better than they did today but in circumstances that required everyone to stand up and be counted, they can be proud of the determination and fighting spirit they had to show to grind out a result against tough opponents who were up for the battle. This was a team performance more than anything and everyone stood up on the day but special mentions to Barry Neville and Emma Boyle for particularly outstanding contributions.