United “Lucan” good for the double

A GOAL with only five minutes remaining in extra time by Luke Walsh secured the first part of, what is bound to be, a double winning season when Lucan United secured the Charlie Cahill Cup over St Mochtas FC in Frank Cooke Park last Friday night reports John Mooney.

It is the first trophy manager Keith Baker has won with the club after stepping up from assistant at the start of the season, and what a season it has proved to be.

However, when Baker saw his centre back Walsh so far up the field, with so little time left in the game, it must have sent a shiver down his spine as Mochtas were always quick on the break.

But there was no need to panic as Walsh controlled a pass from the flying Danny Mhondiwa, steadied himself and smashed home to the bottom right hand corner of the net.

It was no more than they deserved as, over the course of 120 minutes, Lucan had the better opportunities to win this game and took their two goals well.

Lucan United secured the Charlie Cahill Cup with a goal late in extra time

Mochtas started like an express train and had United on the backfoot for a good 20 minutes in the opening half, but they could only get so far up the field before the brick wall that is the Lucan defence curtailed any hopes of pressing home their advantage.

In fact it was Lucan who produced the better chances when Marco Chindea fired in a free kick that Adam Hayden was behind all the way and also flashed a shot inches wide, while the hard working Jamie Doyle was also denied by Hayden.

No goals in the opening and Baker would have been the happier of the two managers as his charges had created the better openings, and whatever he said at the break had a positive effect.

Within eight minutes of the restart United were in front through Chindea, when he latched onto a superb pass from Mark Byrne and slipped the ball beyond Hayden.

There was a Mochtas onslaught but Lucan were looking comfortable until the final five minutes of normal time in this game, when Liam Brady crashed home a beauty to force extra time.

Mochtas started the better of the two in extra time, with Jake Donnelly going close on two occasions, before man-of-the-match Walsh delivered the perfect end to the game for Lucan with his match winning effort.

LUCAN UNITED: E. Lemaneotic, D. McConville, L. Walsh, G. Matthews, A. Kavanagh, M. Byrne, J. Doyle, M. Chindea, A. Sule, S. Quinn, D. Classen, G. Seery, I. Molloy, D. Mhondiwa, N. Arevazoe, B. Ryan, K. Knight, H. McEvoy