CSL Roundup: Shamrock knock NYAC out of 1st

What was most impressive about the Shamrock victory is that they came from a goal down after a scoreless first half to put three past Ronan Downs’s gritty six-time Cosmopolitan Soccer League champions in a frenetic second half.
Heroes abounded at Travers, with Shamrock coach Billie Henderson bestowing MVP honors on Paul Wilson and Lucky Williams, for controlling affairs in the middle of the park, and making special mention of center half Dave McFarlane.
Yet it was Paddy Gerathy who did the most damage to NYAC by setting up all three Shamrock goals in response to Dominic Hardy’s 55th minute ice-breaker against the run of play.
The first was a brilliantly weighed ball from a corner that Williams headed in for the equalizer (65th). Gerathy served up another cross five minutes later for Hughie Daley to finish off, then produced an encore of his first corner that Daley slammed home to break NYAC’s back (75th).
Swelling with pride, Henderson saluted his men’s effort. “A very good, solid team performance by Shamrock under tough conditions,” he said. “When we’re playing well, we play well.”
There were additional kudos from the NYAC camp. “Once Shamrock equalized, it was one-way traffic. They came to win and deserved to,” said coach Downs.
Shamrock, who also won last season’s corresponding fixture 4-3, jumped from eighth to fifth place (2-2-1, 7 points) in the 10-club First Division on the back of this latest victory.
NYAC (3-2-1, 10), meanwhile, drop out of first place and into third, three points adrift of new leaders New York Albanians who beat Central Park Rangers 3-1.
RESERVE FORCE
The Shamrock second team — leaders in the Reserve section — was equally heroic in eking out a 3-3 tie with the NYAC bench players in an explosive top-of-the-table clash.
Down 2-0 at one point, they pulled one back from the penalty spot through former first team coach Tom Whitty, who was later dismissed after a clash with the NYAC goalie.
NYAC then went up 3-1 but with 10 minutes remaining, Shamrock clawed back courtesy of a Mark Dillon penalty and Niall Swan’s equalizer to stay unbeaten (4-0-2, 14) at the top. NYAC trail (4-0-1) trail by a point with a game in hand.
“It was a tight game [and] pretty much a midfield battle,” Swan said. “At the end of it, a tie was a fair result for our team.”

BHOYS PREVAIL
Brendan Moran (30th) had the only goal of the match in 1-0 Lansdowne Bhoys decision over BW Gottschee at Van Cortland Park that kept the Bronx Irish (5-1, 15) in first place in Metro Div. 1.
Moran, who usually sits on the bench, was making a rare start for the Bhoys and made the most of his opportunity when he connected with a C.J. Doherty cross.
He had a second goal, also from a Doherty center, disallowed in the second half.
“We basically dominated the whole game, but the ref did his best to try to take it away from us,” Eamonn Duffy said.
The Bhoys’ President applauded the contribution of midfielders Mark McGuire, Mogo and defender Michael Walsh.
Lansdowne’s early title prospects received an assist from Krimean Turkish (4-2, 12) who knocked off hitherto second-placed Kandia 2-0 at Red Hook on goals by Cem Sahin (58th) and Moroccan ace Youssef Bidane (67th).

SLOPPY GAELS
Robert Ormond’s 65th bullet header was not enough to avert a 2-1 Astoria Gaels loss to Manhattan Celtic after a sloppy first half at East River Park.
Gaels, according to player-official Dave Browne, snoozed through the opening 45 minutes and by the time they woke up, they were two goals down to their Metro Div. 1 rivals.
A second-half rally yielded a penalty, won and wasted by Nestor Allen (50th), before Ormond’s powerful header from a Brendan O’Reilly cross reduced the arrears “It took us too long to get into the game,” Browne said. “We only played one half.”
He acknowledged the strong contributions from left fullback John Beirne, and the attacking duo of Allen and Derek McKenna.
Celtic (3-3, 9) move one place up to seventh position, while Gaels (1-2-3, 6) drop to eighth on the standings.

ROCK BOTTOM
Dave Lovercheck (25th),Vlad Thelisma (35th, 70th), and Paul Meachan (85th) tallied in Central Park Rangers’ 4-1 romp over Shamrock at Msgr. McClancy High School that kept the winless Rocks rooted at the bottom of Metro Div. 1.
Niall Carolan had Shamrock’s face-saver from a bicycle kick midway through the second half.
“They played well and took their chances. We couldn’t score when we had the opportunity,” said Sean Keogh.
Shamrock fell to 0-4-1 (1 point).

CELTIC REIGN
A five-goal blitz against Guyana Veterans “B” at the Shore Road Field propelled Brooklyn Celtic to the top of the “B” Division (Over-30) West standings on goal difference.
Celtic drew level with idle New York Greek-American/Atlas on the 15-point mark but take first place on goal difference.
Gerald Samson (15th, 70th), Ralph Glemand (60th), Sean Conaghan (80th) and Eaves Limoge (85th) struck for the Celts, while Robert Meertin bagged Guyana’s consolation goal.
“It was a good display,” Celtic’s Jim Murray said.
Also in the Over-30s, Guyla Hegyi’s header from a Javier free kick earned GH Metros a 1-all draw with Central Park Rangers after the latter had led through Ernesto Hernandez.

RUN ENDS
Manhattan Kickers’ injured goalie/coach Mike Fitzgerald watched in disappointment from the touchline as his first team’s 13-month unbeaten run came to an end with a 3-2 defeat by First Division Ridgewood Romac at Flushing High School.
Kickers led twice on Andy Stern’s brace (35th, 56th) but were pegged back on both occasions before Ridgewood stole it in the 88th minute.
“The minimum we should have gotten out of it is a tie,” the downcast Fitzgerald lamented. “It’s a tough loss.”
Kickers’ last defeat before Sunday was to Banatul in the Second Division, on the opening day of the 2001-2002 season in September last year.
In the reserve fixture, Kickers’ woeful form continued with a 3-0 pasting.