Castlewellan kept their promotion and title hopes very much alive with an excellent victory over top of the table Shamrock.
Clearly both sides knew the importance of the fixture and exchanges were intense to say the least.
Shamrock started quickly and put the town defence under some serious pressure early on and were relieved when Rory Burns made an excellent stop after 7 minutes. They continued to press but it was the home side who took the lead after 10 minutes, very much against the run of play when when Colm Flanagan slotted home after some Polish wizardry on the left wing by Karl Jarosinski. It was clear that the Belfast team were afraid of Karl and he shipped some heavy tackles after this reverse.
Shamrock continued to see plenty of the ball and almost equalised in the 16th minute but the crossbar came to the town’s rescue. Castlewellan dug in deep after this scare and Steele, Moag and Russell worked like trojans in the middle to gain control. They got their reward on 20 minutes when Donagh Steele found the net at the second attempt following a long Flanagan throw. This had the desired effect on the town and they settled down, working the ball wide as often as possible. It was almost 3-0 on the half hour mark when Trainor’s effort was tipped around the post and McKibben’s corner was eventually cleared in the scramble that ensued. Eventually after 35 minutes Shamrock got their reward when from a free kick wide on the half way line Tiernan McKeating swivelled and volleyed home spectacularly. The town defenders were disgusted with themselves as nobody attacked the ball allowing McKeating his chance, game on!
The second period started in similar fashion to the first with Shamrock going all out for an equaliser, it nearly came 5 minutes in but yet again Burns came to the rescue with a smart save low down to deny them. You could sense though that Castlewellan had their number at this point and the Stratton, McCann combo in the centre of the defence never put a foot wrong in the second half, likewise Steele and company were gaining more control in the middle. The blue touch paper was well and truly lit after 57 minutes when Castlewellan were awarded a penalty for hand ball, to say Shamrock were angry with the decision would be something of an understatement with at least two being booked during their protests. It was definitely a hand ball, whether it was intentional was the question. The referee deemed that the defenders hand was in an unnatural position and of course the ref is the man that matters. Stevie Trainor had the pressurised task of putting clear daylight between the teams and after a delay of a few minutes he held his nerve to score, although the keeper got a strong hand to it. It could have been 4-1 moments later when Trainor’s near post header was cleared off the line. Clearly still incensed, Shamrock upped the intensity level still further and it was no surprise when it all blew up after 63 minutes when the visiting centre half lashed out at Donagh Steele, the inevitable mellee ensued with all 22 players involved although most as peacemakers it has to be said. After order was restored the referee sent off the two main protagonists although a few more were lucky to still be on the pitch. At this point the Town introduced fresh legs in the shape of Croskery, Fitzsimmons and Gilmore and they helped consolidate their teams comfortable position. For the remainder of the game Castlewellan were content to protect their lead and soak up anything the visitors had to offer and this they did exceptionally well with few if indeed any clear chances.
It was high octane stuff and rivetting to watch. Make no mistake Shamrock are a good team but should let their football do the talking. Their diminutive captain Chris Beattie was their best player and left nothing out on the pitch. Difficult to know who was best for Castlewellan as everyone played their part in a deserved victory.
With 10 league games left certainly Castlewellan are in the box seat in 2C but they need to remain focussed over the coming weeks as each league game now becomes more important than the last.
