Match of the Week: Glenmalure Rovers move to top

GLENMALURE ROVERS moved to the top of the UCFL Division 3 section when they welcomed D24 United to Sacred Heart, Tallaght, and ran out very comfortable 6-1 winners.

Rovers showed no signs of rust after they returned form the winter break, and were full value for the win that sees them move a point clear at the top of the table.

Apart from almost going behind in the opening minutes, and conceding a goal two minutes after the restart, the home side were never in any sort of trouble and, really, from the time they netted their second this game was more or less in the bag.

They used the full width of the pitch, moving the ball from side to side, and had the visitors running in all directions in their efforts to keep up with the pace of the game.

James McCormack set them on their way on 20 minutes, when Eoin Leonard gathered the ball in the middle of the park and played a defence-splitting pass to present him with the opener.

Action from the match between Glenmalure Rovers and D24 United Photos by John Mooney

That score was doubled 17 minutes later when Nick Pavlov burst into the area and fired in a shot from a tight angle, both defender Joshua Adeyemi and keeper Clyde Adimat misjudged the flight of the ball and it ended up in the back of the net.

Richard Balazas pulled one back just two minutes after the restart, but the celebrations barely faded before Rovers were two goals ahead again through Pavlov.

Unfortunately for the visitors they then had a player sent off and, really, it was a matter of how many more Rovers could score.

They upped the ante and before long the visitors were fighting to stay in the game and, in fairness, they restricted the home team to just three more.

McCormack netted his second, while Jason Gahan and James Wall got in on the act, and with at least four efforts hitting the bar this could have really been worse on the visitors.

GLENMALURE ROVERS: J. Sutcliffe, L. Murphy, S. Lyons, R. Murphy, D. Egan, C. Stafford, J. Wall, N. O’Reilly, E. Leonard, N. Pavlov, J. Kearney, D. O’Brien, K. McLoughlin, J. Gahan.

D24 UNITED: C. Adimat, A. Kelly, J. Adeyemi, R. Feuillet, J. Moody, S. Kennedy, B. Hooper, A. Diop, R. Balazs, D. DeSilva, R. Popa, F. Llies.