2 : 0 Lead Thrown Away in 2nd Half

The omens were certainly not with "The Town" on Saturday 29th September 2007 as the confusion caused by the double-booking of our pitch by the League continued right through to the kick off against Tymon Rovers FC. The Club's Development Officer, Ian M. Kane, endeavoured to sort out this mess by accommodating both the "A" Squad and the "B" Squad with matches scheduled for 12.30hrs and 14.30hrs. But despite calls to the secretaries of both opposition clubs, the Referee and the two Divisional Secretaries of the League, agreement could not be reached and in the end, both matches were cancelled. The two Squads were advised by text of the cancellation. Then at the eleventh hour, Tymon Rovers FC confirmed that they could field a team for a 14.30hrs match against the "B" Squad in Division 3A. Ian then set about rearranging the referee and confirming matters with the Divisional Secretary of the League. All was OK - match on. Then suddenly on Saturday morning panic set in as the "B" Squad Manager, Yahaya Shehu, discovered that he could not field a full team. Thanks to the Shankill based members of the "A" Squad - Joe Clancy, Gary Leonard, Declan Daly, Jonathon Corcoran and Dean Kelly, along with other "A" Squad members, Ian M. Kane, Kevin Plunkett and goalkeeper, Daniel Wildes, we were back to full strength for the 14.30hrs kick off. For much of the first half the game was a very evenly matched affair with neither side making any decisive breaks until the first goal for "The Town" came from Dean Kelly. Early in the second half the tallest player on the pitch William Murrayho (pictured above) delivered the second for "The Town" from an excellent header. For most of the players in this team facing Tymon Rovers it was the first time they had ever played together and this caused some confusion and indecision which lead to two easy goals for the opposition. Final score: DLTFC 2 : Tymon Rovers 2 (Referee Alan Turner). The Board wishes to thank the members of the "A" Squad who made themselves available at very short notice for this match to assist the lads and the Manager of the "B" Squad. Good on ye lads!!

Bad Day for "The Town" as Both Teams Concede 5 Goals

Both teams from Dún Laoghaire Town FC were playing away in Crumlin on Saturday 22nd September - the "A" Squad against Transport FC at the Transport Club ground and the "B" Squad at Brickfields Park against Blackforge FC. It was the "B" Squad's first match under their new Manager, Yahaya Shehu, who took over from Abrahim Abdul-Wahid on Tuesday 18th September 2007 - his appointment is due to be confirmed at the new Board meeting. But is was not a good day for the lads of "The Town" as both teams were heavily outmatched as each conceded five goals with the "A" Squad only managing to score one in reply. The "B" Squad were level at two all at halftime with goals from Gelsom Gomes and Timson Aigbe, but the second half proved disastrous with a further three goals for Blackforge FC. The only Dún Laoghaire goal for the "A" Squad came from the reliable boot of Joey O'Reilly and again the opposition proved the stronger and more focused side scoring five goals against a team reeling from the sending off of Jay Kane midway in the second half. Both benches agreed that the sending off was very harsh and as if to cap matters for "The Town", the "B" Squad also lost a valuable player to a red card as Bruno de Carvalho was forced out of the game in Brickfields. To make matters worse the"B" Squad had to find a replacement for goalkeeper, Derek McAsey, who unfortunately had to sit out the second half through injury. Following a request by Yahaya, two players from the "A" Squad were released by Manager Japo Kelly for the "B" Squad game and, indeed by all reports, both André FitzPatrick and Kenneth Gorry gave a good account of themselves during the second half at Brickfields. The "A" Squad match was also the first game for two more signings from the Shanganagh area, Declan Daly and Jonathon Corcoran. Final scores: Transport FC 5 : DLTFC "A" 1 and Blackforge FC 5 : DLTFC 2. (pictured above, Kevin Plunkett recovering from a knock in a tough game against Transport FC). Finally, the Club very much appreciated the kind assistance it received from the renowned local artist and arts educator, Veronica Heywood, you helped with the transport of players between the two Crumlin venues.

Abrahim's Last Match in Charge

The "B" Squad was at home on Saturday 15th September to Palmerstown United for Abrahim Abdul-Wahid's last match as Manager before he departs for Swansea to study for one year. Indeed, Abrahim's departure will also mean that he will resign from the Board of Directors after five years of service to the Club. Unfortunately, the match was not what Abrahim had planned as his going-away present as the lads failed to capitalise in a match that they clearly dominated for the first half and much of the second. Two great goals from Palmerstown though didn't succeed in diminishing the spirit of the Dún Laoghaire lads who frustratingly put the ball across the Palmerstown goal eight times before Tiziano Makanzu finally found the net. Once again, the local lads from Shanganagh, including many "A" Squad players, came out in great numbers to support the lads of "The Town". The match was also watched by the Manager of the "A" Squad, Japo Kelly, who greatly admired the skill and gutsy determination of Abrahim's squad. (pictured above, Goalkeeper Kennedy George & the lads see off an attack on goal by Palmerstown in the first half) Final score: DLTFC 1 : Palmerstown Utd. 2. (Ref. Gheorge Breja-Dorel)

Both Teams Arrived & No L.S.L Referee

The home fixture against Malahide United had to be abandoned as no Leinster Senior League referee turned up on Saturday 8th September 2007. Both teams had arrived on time and very shortly it became apparent that no referee would be available for this important Division 3A match. The Club Chairman had contacted several League officials during the week in order to obtain the name of the referee and finally, he was advised by one of the Referee Assessors that a referee would attend for the match but that he hadn't a name. Based on this information contact was made with Malahide to ensure that they had the directions to Shanganagh Cliffs. Calls to the Referee Allocations Officer, who was in Bratislava for the Republic of Ireland game, and to the Divisional Secretary and a Referee Assessor failed to resolve the situation. Late phone calls from the pitch to LSL referees resident in the Greater Dún Laoghaire, including some retired referees, still produced nothing. The suggestion of having an official from either Club referee the game was not acceptable to the Malahide management for insurance and other reasons. Nothing further could have been done by Dún Laoghaire to allow the match go ahead. Whilst, the officials of this Club sincerely regret the inconvenience suffered by the lads and management of Malahide United, it is clear that the fault in this incident fully rests with the League organisers.

Dún Laoghaire Town 1 : Blackrock College 1

A team plagued with injuries and clearly suffering the absence of some of its key players was lucky to come away with a draw against Blackrock College on Monday 3rd September 2007. This home game was always going to be a difficult one with injuries from Saturday's match leaving a weakened defence for "The Town" whilst the Blackrock side proved to be a far stronger team than the one we previously encountered at Newtownparklands. It could be said that the teams were rather evenly matched this time out, however, with key players like Paddy Kershaw and Karl Waddington missing from the defence, the pressure was on the Lads. Blackrock's goal in the second half was clearly due to silly mistakes and a little confusion in the ranks. Once again, one of our young signings from Shanganagh, Dean Kelly, delivered for "The Town" from a series of brilliantly executed passes by Daniel Cruise and Jay Kane. Another new signing from the Shanganagh area and former Borough Celtic player, Joe Clancy, (pictured above) made his debut for "The Town" at this match with a strong performance. The game was watched by a good number of spectators from the locality - all shouting for "The Town". Final score: DLTFC 1 : Blackrock College 1 (Dean Kelly). (Referee:- Michael Dolan)

Wins at Home and Away

Both games on Saturday 1st September 2007 delivered results for the lads of "The Town" as the "B" Squad recorded its first win in Division 3A of the Leinster Senior League defeating Clonee United at Paslickstown. Meanwhile, at home the "A" Squad battled hard to keep its winning record in a tough game against Balbriggan at Shanganagh Cliffs. (pictured left Jay Kane and right, Tiziano Makanzu) Results:- Home, DLTFC 3 : Blabriggan 2 (Daniel Cruise, Jay Kane and Dean Kelly). Away, Clonee United 1 : DLTFC 4 (Tunde Oni, Tiziano Makanzu, Timson Aigbe and Jack Bwalya).