Cummins’s brace leads Shamrock to 4th in row

On a cold, wet and wind-lashed afternoon, Tim Cummins repeatedly lit up the Kickers defense, scoring twice after Mike Fitzgerald’s ailing side had made a false start, and providing one assist. His first canceled out Neil Davis’s ice-breaker, barely 30 seconds into the match.
“They caught us sleeping,” Shamrock coach Billy Henderson said later. “We just piled pressure on them after that. They were never going to beat us.”
The pressure paid off soon enough when Cummins lobbed Kickers goalie Chris Schilling in the 15th minute to put Shamrock level. He struck again five minutes before halftime after breaking through on the right and curling the ball around Schilling and into the net.
On resumption, Kickers attempted to get back into the game but were soon at sixes and sevens in defense as Shamrock diversified their attack.
Darren Moen was fouled in the box on the hour and from the ensuing penalty Lucky Williams made it 3-1.
Cummins, however, was still not done. He rounded the hapless Schilling and laid a simple ball for Hughie Daley to tap in (65th), before Shamrock delivered a coup de grace that left Henderson gushing.
A sequence of up to 12 passes ended with Williams volleying Paddy Gerathy’s 40-yard pass into the net. “I’ve been with Shamrock for 10 years and I haven’t seen the team pass like this,” said Henderson. “Everything is good. Four [wins] in a row. It was exciting to watch.”
Fitzgerald, the Kickers’ coach, blamed the rout on having to field a weakened side because of injuries.
At any rate, Kickers (1-4-2, 5 points) remain mired at the bottom of the table, while Shamrock improve to 5-2-1 to join second -placed Pancyprian Freedoms on the 16-point mark.
The Pancyprian-Athletic Club, Barnstonworth Rovers-New York Albanians and Ridgewood Romac-CD Iberia Division One tussles were all canceled because of inclement weather.

BHOYS RULE
Last weekend’s nor’easter also decimated most of the schedule in Metro Div. I. But it couldn’t prevent Lansdowne Bhoys from consolidating their position at the top with their sixth win of the season, a 1-0 Irish derby result over Astoria Gaels at Red Hook.
John O’Driscoll guided the ball into an empty net after the Gaels goalie had misjudged a long ball from Paul Doherty in the first five minutes.
Gaels tried to make a game of it early in the second half, hitting the post once, but were back on the defensive down the stretch.
Bhoys, 5-1 victors over Gotham FC the previous week, upped their record to 7-1-1 (22).
“We’re playing well,” said club president Eamonn Duffy.
C.J. Doherty, Lindon Moran, Chris Boyne, O’Driscoll and Mogo were the scorers in the romp over Gotham.

CELTIC SLIP
Manhattan Celtic dropped from second to fourth, seven points behind Lansdowne, after a 3-2 loss to Krimean Turkish at East River Park.
Krimean took the lead in the 30th minute through Ferruh, who chipped goalie Len Lorenc.
Tunisian Raafat Olian (60th) equalized following a one-two with Lakieben Brown, but a brace by Moroccan dangerman Youssef Bidane (63rd, 70th) finished off the Celtic challenge despite a second strike by Olian (85th).
“We felt very unlucky, and the weather didn’t help,” said Celtic boss John Marron.
Celtic still earned kudos from Krimean official Metin Takil. “They were very good and much improved from the first time we played them.”
Kandia’s 2-1 decision over BW Gottschee — thanks to a John Krische own goal (20th) and Layton Mattis (70th) — put them in second place (5-2-2, 17) at the expense of Celtic (5-4, 15), while Krimean (5-3-1, 16) claimed third position.

McCARTHY LOSS
Brendan Watkins, Troy Steadman and John Cassidy were on target in ASA McCarthy’s 4-3 Metro Div. II loss to United Bulgaria at Wards Island.
Mario Soares, George Mittleman, Peter Angelov and Steve Bordas were the Bulgaria marksmen.

CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS
Skipper Paul McGlynn connected twice (35th, 65th) to lead the Irish Rovers Over-30 side past CSL rivals Brasil 3-1 in the Carbone Cup at Flushing Memorial High School.
Rovers play in the Long Island Soccer League.

TITLE HUNT
Goals by Barry Fitzgerald and John Walsh (two) in a 3-1 win over Central Park Rangers last week left Irish side Eleven United needing only three more victories to lift the Metro Soccer League championship.
The opener by Fitzgerald was a 35-yard scorcher of “Goal of the Season” quality, while Walsh was equally brilliant with his second effort, a volley from a Niall Swan center.
United are now second in the standings in the 11-team League.