Arklow Town FC Under 11 Season 08-09

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June 4 Town earn Final place with hard fought win in Woodlands
Arklow Town U11B's went head to head with a determined Greystones United A side in Woodlands earlier this evening, in a do-or-die decider, knowing that three previous points would put Town into the Final, to face St. Anthony's.  The home side, needing a win to overtake Arklow and claim second place, began promisingly, as did Town, and a real end to end game flowed.  Crucially, it was Town who struck first, a fantastic effort from just outside the Greystones area from midfielder Paul Ryan flew into the net.  The home side rallied and were level before half time, setting up an exciting second half.  Town gained control of the game in the early minutes of the second half, placing continual pressure on the home defence.  Corey Mills weaved a little magic when easing past a few 'Stones' defenders and then firing a 20 yard effort past the keeper, much to the delight of the travelling Town support.  Greystones though continued to seek a second equaliser and try as they might they could not breach Town's defence, where Jay Wolohan was nothing short of superb.  Aaron O'Toole then broke Greystones hearts with a sublime finish, a delicate chip over the 'Stones' keeper, from just inside the area, to put Town 3-1 up.  The home side went straight up the other end, as Arklow minds were absent, and their second goal guaranteed a titanic finish to the game until the whistle was finally blown, to confirm an excellent win for Town.

May 31 Dempsey heads Town to Double
Having had their treble ambitions ended in the cup final defeat to Newtown a week ago, Arklow Town U11A's exacted suitable compensation when overcoming the same Newtown side to lift the U11 Premier Shield title, earning the Arklow side a back to back League and Shield double.  A hot day in Rathnew's Shamrock Park did not deter either side from open attacking football, the game played at a high tempo.  Chances though were few and far between, with defences on top.  Newtown were confident of adding the Shield to the cup success and they probed for an opening but with Town's backline standing firm they were unable to breach the Arklow rearguard.  Town, likewise, played the ball across the pitch seeking an opening, with Darren Furlong closest to breaking the deadlock.  Scoreless at the interval the deadlock was broken by Arklow Town's Patrick Dempsey, who rose highest amongst a number of bodies to head home, despite the best efforts of Newtown's keeper who vainly tried to get a hand to the ball, a goal worthy of winning any final.  Dempsey's strike secured the double for Arklow, while Newtown have to settle for a cup success, in what has proven to be an exciting season for both sides.

May 10 Dynamic Dempsey secures Town's Shield Final spot
Patrick Dempsey was the hero for the Arklow Town U11A team in Bray earlier today when his dynamic performamce as an emergency striker laid the foundation for another win which now secures a place in the Shield Final, to be played later this month. Missing a number of players through injury, manager Dave Boddy moved Dempsey up front from his normal midfield berth and his hat trick of goals in a 15 minute spell in the first half more than repaid the manager's faith in this very versatile performer. Town started very brightly in this match, with Darren Furlong, Joshua Moody and Dempsey all having shots on target or just wide of the post in the opening ten minutes. Dempsey scored the first of his three goals in the 12th minute when he controlled a great through ball by right back Stephen McElligott-Ryan and coolly slotted past Adam Hayden in the Wolfe Tone goal. Four minutes later he made in 2-0 when he netted a good pass from Moody; and the points were wrapped up in the 17th minute when a flowing move involving Shane Beevor, Aaron Kelly and Moody saw Aaron Healy score the third from close range. Dempsey completed his man of the match performance in the 27th minute when he again controlled a through ball, this time from Darren Furlong, and stroked the ball across the goal mouth out of reach of Hayden for goal number four. The second half was only one minute old when another good move involving Cliona Crammond and Kelly saw Dempsey steal the ball out of the grasp of the goalkeeper’s hands on the end line and play it back onto the path of the in-rushing Healy to score his second and the team's fifth of the day. Moody capped a good workmanlike performance with a good sixth goal in the 37th minute and while Furlong and Dave Boddy both had more chances towards the end of the game, the game finished with a 6-0 scoreline to the visitors. This was one of the most impressive performances from the team this season and the timing could not have been better as the squad now prepare for a glamour WDSL U11 Premier Cup Final clash against Newtown at 1pm in the Carlisle Grounds Bray next Sunday.

May 10 B's keep the ball rolling with home win
A solid performance today from Town's U11B side against Rathnew saw the B's pick up another three points in their quest for a Shield Final place later this month.  Town were a little lethargic in the opening five minutes but exploded into life with Corey Mills working the left flank, finding Darren Dempsey who went agonisingly close to opening the scoring.  Further efforts from Peter Sherwood, Tomás Farrell, Harry Nuzum and Mills himself put Rathnew under increasing pressure and that eventually told when midfielder Farrell unleashed an unstoppable effort beyond the game Rathnew keeper.  Rathnew were pleasing on the eye, some lovely controlled passing across their midfield throughout and despite Arklow's greater chances for goals there was only a goal between the sides at half time.  Garrett Kenny carved an opening for Town early in the second half, playing in Darren Dempsey and the striker finished well, firing high into the top right hand corner, to double Town's advantage.  Paul Ryan came more into the game as Town pressed for further goals and Town did indeed find a third goal through Aaron O'Toole slotting beyond the keeper.  O'Toole had a chance minutes later to further extend Town's lead but blazed his effort wide of the post.  Overall, a fine effort from the team with all players playing their part.  Purely for maximum embarrassment effect, the team gathered around co-manager Brendan Kenny's daughter, Anna, after the game to wish her a happy eighth birthday.  Unfortunately, it might be best advised that the players stick to playing football instead of airing their musical abilities!

May 2 Determined Town dig deep for win
A fabulous three points earlier today for Town's U11B team, at one point staring down the barrel and positively seeing a season of graft slowly inching towards a disappointing conclusion.  When opponents Greystones United B, possessing a 100% record to date thus far, went one ahead in the first half the future looked anything but bright for the Arklow side.  However, heads didn't drop and Town produced a decent performance, eventually earning a deserved three points.  Town handed Greystones an early lead when the defence were caught flat footed after an attempt to play offside went badly askew, leaving a Greystones player clean through to finish past keeper William Horsman.  Despite the setback Town should really have levelled before the interval, spurning a number of good chances to equalise.  Corey Mills went agonisingly close with a lob over the keeper from 20 yards out, his precise effort inches over the crossbar.  Quentin O'Reilly and Tomás Farrell were also unlucky not to level matters with both players denied by excellent saves from 'Stones' keeper, who enjoyed an excellent game.  He was beaten though, with half time approaching, Corey Mills firing a superb ball across the area for the incoming Aaron O'Toole to place home.  Unfortunately the referee ruled out Town's equaliser with Corey Mills adjudged to have let the ball cross the byline before crossing over to O'Toole to finish.  The home side were straight into attack after the half time break and Greystones were struggling to cope with the increased pressure being placed.  Substitute Joseph Ledwith led by example as Town worked the opposition across the park, and it was the Arklow defender who created the opening for Aaron O'Toole to restore parity on the scoreboard, his lob over the top finding O'Toole in the clear and with goal on his mind.  Town then took a deserved lead moments later, again through the lively Ledwith, another finely weighted through ball finding the run of Town striker Darren Dempsey, who coolly slotted home Town's second past Greystone's keeper.  Town pressed for a third goal, to put the result beyond the visitors, but were unable to carve out any real openings.  Similarly though, for Greystones, as netminder William Horsman was rarely called into action.  With the entire team all putting in a fine shift on the day, daring to select a man of the match performance under such circumstances remains a tough task.  Manager Cormac O'Toole recognised the efforts of Jay Wolohan, hardly putting a foot wrong all game in defence; and Tomás Farrell, who worked very hard in midfield.

Apr 26 Perseverance sees Town star in late late show
Arklow Town U11A’s laboured for a long time in this match against an impressive Greystones team before finally wearing them down in the last 10 minutes, and claiming another three points that secures their position at the top of the table. This Greystones team are a particularly speedy outfit and their wingers have caused trouble to Town’s defence in all the matches they have played this season. They almost made that speed pay in the opening minute of the game when they broke through after 30 seconds and had a shot that went narrowly wide. The play was very even in the open quarter of the match and it took the visitors all of 10 minutes before they had their first shot at goal. Stephen McElligott Ryan, who has proven to be a versatile find for Town this season, slotted in at right back in this match, having previously played in both midfield and right wing, and his great through ball behind the Greystones defence was added to by JP Hurley only for the latter’s shot to be saved by the goalkeeper. Greystones’s pace in attack almost paid off in the 12th minute when they broke through again, only to find Dave Boddy on hand to make a last ditch tackle and concede a corner which did not yield any dividend for the home team. There were a number of other occasions throughout the game when Greystones were through on goal but Tiernan Mellon handled very well throughout and helped his side to keep another clean sheet. Town began to dominate in the second quarter and midfielder Patrick Dempsey had a tremendous effort in the 15th minute, his shot from the edge of the box coming off the post before being cleared to safety. Darren Beevor had a great game on the left wing and one run and cross in the 25th minute almost allowed Cliona Crammond to get the opening goal but her final effort was just wide of the post. Scoreless at half time, Town upped the intensity of the game in the second half but it still took them until the 53rd minute before they finally made the breakthrough. A lovely through ball from Beevor put Dáire O'Conchubhair through and he beat the last defender and slid the ball into the far corner of the net out of reach of the Greystones ‘keeper. The second goal followed almost immediately when a lovely passing move that involved Joshua Moody, Aaron Healy and Crammond again allowed O'Conchubhair to break through and this time he rounded the keeper to slot home into an empty net for goal number two. The agony was completed for Greystones in the 59th minute when Beevor capped a great personal performance by breaking trough on his favoured left side and firing an unstoppable shot into the net for the third and final goal.

Apr 26 Disappointment for both B's and C's in defeat
Setbacks to Shield ambitions for both U11B's and U11C's with defeats to St. Anthony's and Roundwood respectively.  The U11C's were slow to start away at leaders Roundwood and were soon two goals down.  A superb Gavin Ward volley into the roof of the net put Town back into the game but the result was put beyond the Arklow side with Roundwood adding a further four goals before the break.  Credit though the Town lads for not giving up and in a much improved second half they gave it their best, with Niall McDonald alert to slot home after a Conor Hughes shot was not cleared.  The victory for Roundwood sees them joining Town in second place in the current standings, in Division 3, so all still to play for!

The U11B's, a month ago, were left reeling after their worst display so far this season saw them return from Kilcoole on the wrong end of a 7-1 beating.  With much to prove against the same opponents, St. Anthony's, Town were keen to begin today's encounter in a positive fashion.  Indeed, Peter Sherwood found himself out wide right in the early stages and a direct charge at Anthony's defence saw the Town midfielder firing across the keeper and wide.  Town were positive in their play, if a little one paced. Aaron O'Toole and Tomás Farrell were holding the upper hand in central midfield with John O'Halloran also hard working, seeking an opening.  Somewhat unluckily the visitors struck first, a fortuitous effort over the top catching Town's defence defending too high and they were clinically punished with keeper William Horsman valiantly trying to deny the Shield leaders.  St. Anthony's doubled their lead minutes later, again a ball over the top, in behind Arklow's back four and finished with aplomb by the Kilcoole attacker.  Town rallied and continued to press for a way back and with five minutes to the break they were handed a lifeline when defender Garrett Kenny hammered home a fantastic free kick from 25 yards out, high into the roof of the St. Anthony's net, with the away keeper unable to cope with the ferocity of Kenny's sublime strike.  An indication of a crazy first half was served with the visitor's next attack, again the ball nestling in Town's net after a harmless looking ball over the top saw the away side in for a third goal.  With changes made at half time, both Paul Ryan and Darren Dempsey were introduced.  Inside the first minute Paul Ryan was put through out wide left and Ryan's injection of pace into Town's play was both obvious and indeed highly effective.  Ryan took on one player, beating his opponent and then driving straight at the heart of Anthony's defence he opted to fire home from the edge of the area, an unstoppable superb drive past the keeper.  Town felt it was there for the taking and all across the park upped their game in pursuit of a deserved leveller.  However, as is often the case when chasing a game, the final ball was often lacking, with edginess winning the day over composure.  Town's overall performance did not merit defeat but the team know they have it in them to perform to a higher level, notably when fully focused on their game.  Even in defeat Town remain firmly in the mix for a Shield Final place, though with today's reversal Town will need to get back on a winning run sooner rather than later.

Images from today's game:

Apr 22 Town back in pole position with five star victory
Arklow Town’s U11A team had an all too easy 5-0 victory over Ardmore Rovers in their WDSL U11 Premier Shield fixture, at Ballywaltrim, and in the process leapfrogged rivals Newtown to take a three point lead at the top of the table at the half way stage of the competition. Town dominated the game from the outset, based primarily on a rock solid defence that have leaked very few goals all season and are increasingly making forays into the attacking half of the field as their confidence as a unit grows with each outing. Town forced the first of many corners on the ten minute mark, and while they did not score from this set piece they did find the net from a corner in the second half. It took Ardmore all of 14 minutes to mount their first meaningful attack but when they did the central defensive partnership of Dave Boddy and Leslie Sharpe dealt comfortably with the threat. The opening score came in the 17th minute, courtesy of a well executed bicycle kick from Dáire O'Conchubhair, and they almost doubled their advantage in the 20th minute when Michael Kennedy’s in-swinging corner was cleared off the line by an Ardmore defender. The second half was only two minutes old when Aaron Healy, who had a solid outing in a new role in the centre of midfield, scored goal number two with a shot from the edge of the box. In the 39th minute, Town went 3-0 up when O'Conchubhair’s corner was met with a powerful header by Darren Furlong, his second headed goal in his last two matches. Second half substitutes Cliona Crammond and JP Hurley both blended into the format of play when introduced midway through the second half and each contributed to the last two goals that sealed the three points for Arklow. Crammond went on a typical mazy run in the 50th minute beating four defenders before crossing for O'Conchubhair to finish off a simple tap in goal and one minute later Hurley delayed his final pass very well before releasing O'Conchubhair again to score his third, and the side's fifth goal.

Apr 8 Six of the best from Super Town
Best performance of the season so far, from Town's U11B's?  That certainly seemed to be the consensus amongst those on the sideline watching a very convincing team performance tonight after the visit to Carnew saw Town return home 6-1 winners.  The playing surface left an awful lot to be desired, no point in skirting that particular issue, and it was obvious that passing football would figure lightly on the menu.  However, Town did try to play the ball about, straight from the first whistle, and were very soon on top and forcing the home side into defending very deep, even though they, the home side, were aided by the slope and a fresh breeze.  Luke Smullen, notably, worked like a trojan on the left flank, chasing every lost cause and with some clever flicks was always trying to create.  Indeed, it was Smullen who opened the scoring, after playing in striker Darren Dempsey.  Dempsey's effort on goal was well blocked by the Carnew keeper but Smullen reacted first to the loose ball and fired home.  Town's two full backs Conor O'Brien and Jack Hennessy denied Carnew attacking options on either flank during the opening half and the central defence of Garrett Kenny and Joseph Ledwith were in total command as frustration was getting the better of the home side.  With Town well on top, Carnew's equaliser came as a shock, a rare threat on William Horsman's goal.  Town briefly switched off and the ball was bundled home from close range.  Carnew were almost in again minutes later, springing Town's offside trap but keeper Horsman was out quickly to bravely deny the Carnew forward.  John O'Halloran, who had put in a fine shift out wide right first half was replaced by Jay Wolohan, the move allowing Peter Sherwood to push forward.  The switch proved effective with Sherwood quietly but efficiently pulling the strings alongside Tomás Farrell in the middle of the park.  However, the second half belonged to Paul Ryan.  Ryan's work ethic was exemplary and time and time again he ran Carnew ragged on the right wing.  Through Ryan Arklow destroyed the home side, with a succession of moves that lead to goals.  The predatory Darren Dempsey bagged a hat trick as a result while defender Garrett Kenny fired home a free kick from distance, high into the top near post corner, with the Carnew keeper flapping.  However, goal of the game came from Sherwood, taking a ball under control in a stationery position, flicking it up and volleying home, from the edge of the Carnew penalty area - as good a goal you'll see all season.  The team performance and ethic was hammered home with the introduction of substitutes Corey Mills and Quentin O'Reilly, who gave Town extra options up front and out wide.  O'Reilly's willingness to run at defenders caused problems for Carnew and he was desperately unlucky not to see his name on the scoresheet, going very close twice.  In the end, Town's dominance was well reflected in the 6-1 final scoreline and manager Brendan Kenny can only be delighted with the efforts of all his players across the pitch tonight.

Apr 6 Town's late late show secures the points
Arklow Town went joint top of the WDSL U11 Premier Shield table earlier today by virtue of a hard earned 2-1 victory over Bray side Wolfe Tone.  Town dominated throughout but their performance was similar to that against Wicklow Rovers last week where again they also controlled the play but only came away with a similiar 2-1 win.  Arklow had a full panel of players available and started brightly, with Joshua Moody forcing a corner inside the first minute.  Cliona Crammomd took the corner kick, finding Darren Beevor who headed narrowly wide.  There was an excellent five player move in the fifth minute when Leslie Sharpe, JP Hurley, Darren Beevor, Joshua Moody and Cliona Crammond all traded passes before Furlong took the strike at goal that was just wide.  Beevor, who was having a great game on the left flank, went past two defenders in the twelfth minute but shot wide.  Town paid dearly for their early misses when the Bray side shocked them in the 15th minute by scoring the opening goal in one of their few forays into the Arklow half.  Arklow were stung into action after this setback and man of the match Patrick Dempsey almost equalised in the 25th minute when he got on the end of a Moody cross but again put his shot wide of the post.  Two minutes later, Crammond, who had another excellent match, took a free kick on the edge of the box and JP Hurley was very unlucky to see his header come off the crossbar and go wide.  Arklow went into the break 1-0 down and they continued to dominate possesion in the second half, forcing a number of good saves from Wicklow U11 Development Squad trialist Adam Hayden in the Tone goal.  The pressure finally paid off in the 50th minute when Darren Beevor showed great control to volley a superb shot from all of 25 metres, that beat Hayden and dipped in under the cross bar for the equalising goal.  Town were not satisfied with a share of the points and they continued to bombard the visitors defence, finally getting the deserved winning goal, through midfielder Dempsey, enjoying a superb game in midfield all day, who capped a great personal performance when scoring the winner in the last minute of normal time.

Apr 4 B team kick start Shield campaign
Third time lucky for Town's U11B team with a good 3-0 victory on the road, at Rathnew earlier today.  Having begun this season's Shield campaign with an horrendous outing at St. Anthony's and following that with a scoreless draw at home to Carnew it was important today to get a positive result.  Town opened well and striker Darren Dempsey scored in the tenth minute to give Town the lead.  Rathnew though were playing some nice tidy football across the middle of the park and were giving Arklow plenty of cause for concern though they failed to convert any real chances.  Town responded to a half time pep talk with a much improved effort in the second half and their dominance was rewarded firstly when Aaron O'Toole deftly placed over the home keeper to double Town's advantage and then, the win was secured, when man of the match John O'Halloran put the icing on a great performance by firing a third Arklow goal.  Honourable mentions too for both Jack Hennessy and Conor O'Brien, both players solid throughout the game.  Town now travel midweek to Carnew knowing they have to roll up the sleeves and work hard if to remain heavily involved in the chase for a Shield Final place.

Mar 29 11C's enjoy goal fest
Arklow Town set out their stall right from the kick off in their Shield fixture away at St. Patrick's.  A beautiful move saw Micheál Hudson taking the ball up the right wing and cross where a number of Arklow players waited.  Ryan McDonald pounced on the ball and volleyed from 5 yards into the back of the net. Arklow Town maintained the pressure in the first half with the highlight being a spectacular free kick from Conor Hughes that will live long in the memory.  Arguably Town's best performance to date this season, the confidence from such a result should augur well for the rest of the season, and give the team both encouragement and a platform upon which to build, hopefully, a challenge for Shield honours.

Meanwhile, back at Lamberton, frustration for the U11B's, unable to get the better of Carnew despite dominating throughout.  All that was missing from a fine team performance was a winning goal, with Town unable to convert even one of the many (half) chances created.  Carnew's keeper enjoyed what we all grudgingly call "one of those days", and Town's main marksman Darren Dempsey was genuinely unlucky on a number of occasions, hard working throughout and forever a threat to Carnew's back line.  Town's keeper William Horsman was a virtual spectator all game, though when called upon midway through the opening period of play he was there to thwartthe Carnew attack.  On the day, Peter Sherwood, Tomas Farrell and Aaron O'Toole were the pick of Town's XI.

Mar 26 Cup semi final draw made tonight
The draw was made earlier tonight at the monthly meeting of the WDSL clubs, in the Grand Hotel, Wicklow and much excitement and anticipation surrounded the semi final draw for this season's U11 Premier Cup.  Premier Division League champions Arklow Town were last out of the hat, given the task of facing Division 1 league champions, St. Anthony's A.  Newtown will face Ardmore Rovers A in the other semi final and both ties are to be played at Rathnew's Shamrock Park home on April 18.

Mar 22 Dominant Town's hard labour
Arklow Town U11A's strolled to a convincing win over Wickow Rovers at Bridgewater Centre Park with a convincing 2-1 win, though had they converted their dominace into goals the scoreline would have been far greater.  Town got off to the ideal start when Michael Kenendy’s surging run and cross was met by a looping header from Dáire O'Conchubhair, which evaded the Wicklow goalkeeper and put the home side 1-0 up inside the first minute.  They almost made it 2-0 five minutes later when Leslie Sharpe played Darren Beevor through and although he did well to beat two defenders his final shot was off target.  Patrick Dempsey and Darren Furlong were pulling the strings in midfield and they were both involved in a move which saw a ball played out wide to Cliona Crammond, where her cross from the sideline was coolly slotted home by Beevor.  The goal however was deemed offside by the referee.  Town continued to bombard the Rovers defence and Sharpe and Furlong both had headers which hit the crossbar and went wide.  The half time team talk refocussed the Arklow players as they went 2-0 up within one minute of the restart, Beevor and O'Conchubhair playing a neat one-two with the latter sliding the ball past the keeper for his second of the day.  Manager Dave Boddy made a raft of substitutions at this stage with Aaron Healy, JP Hurley, Aaron Kelly and Shane Beevor replacing Darren Beevor, Dáre O'Conchubhair, Cliona Crammond and Michael Kennedy.  Town continued to pass the ball well in the closing quarter but they did get complacent and with four minutes left on the clock they allowed Wicklow to build an attack and set up former Town player Jake Butterworth to score a consolation goal from close range.

Mar 14 Bright lights, bright future

A great sense of occasion earlier this evening at Bridgewater Centre Park for the very first ever meeting of two Arklow Town schoolboy / schoolgirl sides in competitive action.  The two U11 sides were unfortunately drawn to face each other in this season's WDSL U11 Premier Cup and their quarter final clash drew a very healthy attendance to Lamberton.  An excellent evening for playing football, the two sides emerged from the clubhouse side by side to great applause and encouragement from all present.  After an impeccably observed minute silence referee Ger Boland blew his whistle and the U11 derby was underway.  Both management teams must be congratulated for the preparation of their players and the manner in which their teams applied themselves from first minute to last.  Football, most definitely, was the winner on the night, with everyone treated to a keenly contested and highly entertaining game.  The opening quarter saw some superb passages of play from both sides, with the A team probing continuously for an opening.  The backline for the B team held their line superbly, marshalled by Joseph Ledwith and Garrett Kenny in the centre.  Kenny, somehow, managed to deny the A team with a magnificent goal line clearance after a scramble inside the area.  Behind them, keeper William Horsman was to excel on the evening with a series of great saves.  Indeed, Horsman was called into action on the quarter hour mark with Dáire O'Conchubhair bursting through in on goal.  The alert keeper raced out to courageously deny O'Conchubhair a scoring opportunity.  O'Conchubhair though was to open the scoring five minutes later, with a moment of sheer opportunism.  Leslie Sharpe carried the ball over halfway for the A's and some nice play up the left wing between the two Darren's, Furlong and Beevor saw Beevor whipping a ball across the B's area, where O'Conchubhair managed to flick home with the outside of his right foot, past the helpless Horsman.  Patrick Dempsey went close to doubling their lead five minutes later but his shot was tipped over the bar.  The crucial second goal for the A team came four minutes before half time with O'Conchubhair crossing from the right wing, finding JP Hurley six yards out and he drove home from close range.  Try as they might, the B team were finding it hard to breach a very strong A defence and though striker Darren Dempsey continued to work hard chances were very much at a premium.  Aaron Kelly, Michael Kennedy, Cliona Crammond and Tiernan Mellon all came off the bench to start for the A team after the half time interval and if anything they added to an already strong performance.  Notably, throughout the second half, Crammond and Josh Moody profited from good wing play on both flanks, keeping the B team pinned inside their own half.  Keeper Horsman though continued to deny the A's with a string of brilliant saves but even he could not deny the A's a third goal when Michael Kennedy whipped a dangerous ball across the box and substitute Aaron Healy reacted best, pushing the ball beyond Horsman to seal the victory for the A team.  In the end, no doubt about the result though the B team can take pride from their performance and note that supposed better sides than them in the higher division have suffered greater than they did against a very impressive A team.  Well done to all involved.  Images from the historic meeting of the two 11's sides can be viewed here.

Mar 9 Lights, Cameras, Action!
Get yourself down to Bridgewater Centre Park this coming Saturday evening, for a taste not only of a very special game but also a page in club history as for the first time ever we will witness two Arklow Town sides at schoolboy/girl level going head to head against each other in WDSL cup competition under the floodlights.  Not only is it an occasion to savour for the players on both sides but the club itself.  As for the game itself, we dare not speculate with any wild predictions as cup football has a habit of making a mockery of form, at every level.  Both teams, according to the management on either side, are relishing the prospect of playing under the lights and it would be fantastic if people turned up in great numbers to watch what could potentially be a fine game of football.  The A team were granted a bye in the previous round while the B team welcomed Carnew to Bridgewater Centre Park and having lost twice to the South Wicklow side in league action they were determined to make it third time lucky.  Luck, however, was not needed on the day as the B's put in a fantastic team performance to overwhelm Carnew, ending up comfortable winners, a 3-0 final score justice to a fine team effort.  The A team, of course, will prove to be a sterner examination for the B's.  Therefore, a great night of football coming up on Saturday night, with kick off at 7.30pm.

Mar 8 Mixed fortunes for 11s
With both Town U11 sides without regular competitive football in recent weeks, it was only fair to allow for a little rustiness in play.  Differing fortunes however for both sides, with the U11A's recording an impressive 2-0 home win against main rivals Greystones United A, in Shield action.  Games between the sides are always eventful and Town prevailed today, winning with goals from Darren Beevor and Dáire O'Conchubhair.  The U11B's meanwhile, to use an old phrase, are currently stuck together with God's glue, missing one or two key players and others absent for varying reasons.  Facing newly crowned Division 1 league winners St. Anthony's was always going to be a tough ask, even with Town having beaten the league winners both home and away before Christmas.  Without a game in two months it showed as mistakes were punished in the most clinical of fashions.  The Kilcoole side have benefited from having regular games in recent times and have not been shy in putting away their chances, as their home record shows.  Arguably Town's worst performance the only real positives came with the effort and commitment shown by players like Luke Smullen and Quentin O'Reilly, who never shirked a challenge all game.  Equally, Harry Nuzum and Jack Hennessy hardly put a foot wrong on what was ultimately a bad day at the office for Town.

Feb 22 Impressive Town defeat Wexford development side
Arklow Town’s U11A have been without a competitive game since exiting the National Cup at the hands of Malahide United last month but they have kept themselves sharp in the intervening period with challenge games against the U12 A team and today against the Wexford U11 county development squad.  The game proved to be was a great advertisement for schoolboy football with both teams playing neat passing football througout the 60 minutes, with Town showing the greater teamwork and cohesion, dominating the game for long periods.  Manager Dave Boddy had a full strength squad available (with the exception of Aaron Healy) and he started with more or less the usual formation against the recently formed development squad from Wexford.  Town started very brightly and forced a number of corners in the opening 10 minutes before taking a deserved lead in the 14th minute.  Patrick Dempsey worked hard on the edge of the box before being fouled and Darren Furlong struck a beautiful free kick over the wall past the Wexford keeper.  Six minutes later Dáire O'Conchubhair fired in another corner and his well flighted kick was forced home from close range.  2-0 would have been a fair reflection of the opening half but unfortunately Town showed a moment of hesitancy in defence on the stroke of half time and Wexford pulled a goal back. In the second half Wexford began to find their rhythm and they took advantage of a breakdown in an Arklow attack in the 42nd minute to build their own attack that led to them grabbing a deserved equaliser.  Manager Boddy introduced all his subs during the second period, and Stephen McEllgiott-Ryan and Aaron Kelly slotted in well to the full back positions with Cliona Crammond and JP Hurley moving into midfield and attack respectively.  Town went close to regaining the lead in the 56th minute when Dave Boddy played a great through ball to Joshua Moody and his well taken shot was only just tipped around the post by the Wexford goalkeeper. Town did get the winning goal their overall performance deserved however, when, 2 minutes later, Darren Furlong and Dáire O'Conchubhair played a one-two on the right hand side of the box and the latter’s cross was converted by the impressive sub Crammond.

Feb 15 Town stride on in cup with powerful display
Arklow Town U11B's exacted a modicum of revenge over Carnew at Bridgewater Centre Park today when advancing to the quarter finals of the U11 Premier Cup at the expense of their South Wicklow rivals.  Having twice suffered defeat at the hands of their opponents in league competition this season the home side were determined for a reversal of fortune and aside the opening ten minutes or so the outcome was rarely in doubt as the Arklow side gave their best performance of the season to date.  Town's Tomás Farrell, increasingly influential on the game, put striker Darren Dempsey through for the game's opening chance, in the tenth minute and though Dempsey netted he was adjudged to be offside.  Farrell was again involved five minutes later as Town attacked down the right flank, laying off to Corey Mills, who shot wide of the target.  The opening goal came in the 25th minute after a Carnew defender was penalised for hauling down Arklow captain Aaron O'Toole.  O'Toole himself stepped up to smash home the free kick from just outside the box, into the top right hand corner; a tremendous strike.  Carnew were enjoying little or no success attempting to breach an Arklow defence that saw all four defenders - Jay Wolohan, Garrett Kenny, Joseph Ledwith and Conor O'Brien - on top of their game.

William Horsman, Arklow's keeper, remained untested throughout the game, thanks to the solid defence in front of him.  The Tomás Farrell - Peter Sherwood axis continued to drive the home side at the start of the second half and Farrell went closest when seeing his effort rebound off the crossbar.  Town doubled their lead with lively frontman Darren Dempsey firing home from close range.  Substitutes Jack Hennessy and Paul Ryan ensured Town's momentum remained and Ryan was heavily involved in a nice move down Town's left wing that resulted in midfielder Peter Sherwood being felled in the area when driving through the Carnew defence.  Sherwood composed himself to slot home the penalty kick, to seal a convincing 3-0 win for the home side who now advance to the quarter final of the Premier Cup.

Jan 24 Set piece ends Town interest in Menton-Seery Cup
Arklow Town's league winning U11A side bowed out of this season's SFAI Menton Seery Cup in agonising fashion earlier today at Arklow's Bridgewater Centre Park, losing to a solitary strike against a top DDSL outfit, Malahide United.  Despite a sterling effort in the second half, the damage had been done in the opening period, on the twenty minute mark, a well worked free kick ending up in Town's net for what would become the game's solitary strike.  Both sides had started positively, and a good game flowed openly and evenly.  Malahide gave notice of their ability from dead ball situations with a corner in the very first minute after good work from their left winger, the away side going close to snatching an early lead.  Town's ambitions were dealt a blow with injury to Darren Beevor, the talented Arklow player having to be replaced.  This resulted in Town taking time to regroup though they still exerted a degree of pressure on the Malahide defence, winning a series of corner kicks.

However, the Malahide defence were worthy opponents for Town and proved to be a highly organised unit throughout the game.  The vital breakthrough came in the 20th minute when Malahide’s left winger was fouled out on the left wing and their right winger was left unmarked to slot home from close range from the free kick.  Town created their first real chance two minutes later when a free kick by Darren Furlong was frantically palmed away under pressure by the away keeper.  Dáire O'Conchubhair was first to react to the loose ball and he went agonisingly close to gaining Town a swift response to the Malahide opener with a header that looped over the bar.  Arklow stared the second half brightly, though appeared vulnerable to a counter attack from the Dublin side.  Indeed, Malahide almost snatched a second goal with a swift move upfield in the 37th minute affording their main striker a one on one opportunity to increase their lead.  However, Arklow keeper Tiernan Mellon diverted the effort on goal away for a corner kick.  Malahide went close again not long after, this time the goalbound effort was cleared off the line by Town's reliant central defender Leslie Sharp.  Arklow spurned a chance to level in the 40th minute when the creative Dáire O'Conchubhair blazed over from a set piece in a promising position.  Disappointing in the end for Town to lose in such fashion but a side renowned for success within Wicklow football now know, to their cost, the thin line that exists between teams who advance to the last sixteen at national level and those left to rue missed opportunities.  Hopefully the experience gained on a good run in this season's National Cup competition can see a good Arklow side in good stead when they once again pit their wits with the nation's finest next season at under 12 level.

Jan 11 B team keep slender hopes alive
A fine team performance against Ashford Rovers ends this year's League campaign for the U11B side.  Town found it hard to cope with the conditions but once they got to grips with the weather they started to play the football the way they can with some lovely passing moves from the backs through the midfield to the strikers.  All three goals came from having the ball on the floor and passing the ball around with some clinical finishing goals coming from Darren Dempsey, Peter Sherwood  and John O Halloran.  Manager Cormac O'Toole afterwards commented, "That's the end of our league campaign and looking back over the ten games it's a league that I feel we let get away on us. Not that I blame the lads on this it was number of factors I made mistakes in selections and substitutions along the way but I have learned and hope the lads have to."  He added, "As a wise man (Joe Ledwith) said to me, just this morning, it's not all about winning game.  We have learned so much about the 18 lads since they started this season and have noticed improvements in all aspects of their games. I have to say it's been a pleasure to work with each and every one of them for the past 4 or 5 months and look forward to working with them for the remainder of the season."  Thanks to each and everyone of the lads  for their ongoing commitment to the team and also to the parents who without their support we wouldnt have the team we have.

Jan 10 Town hat trick joy with third consecutive League title
Congratulations to the U11A team who have secured a unique hat trick, winning league titles for three successive seasons with their expected win over lowly Ardmore Rovers in Ballywaltrim.  Ardmore came into this game pointless after a tough seson in which they had conceded 54 and only scored 5 goals, so they were never likely to pose a threat to this strong Town outfit and the match was effectively over after 10 minutes by which time Town had powered into a 4-0 lead. Joshua Moody opened the scoring in the second minute finishing a Cliona Crammond by-line cross to the net from close range and four minutes later Darren Furlong added the second with Crammond again the provider, this time from a corner kick.  There was a neat interchange of passes in midfield in the eighth minute before Stephen McElligott-Ryan played an inch perfect ball into the path of Aaron Healy who ran all of 50 metres before placing the ball into the corner of the net.  Joshua Moody went on another 50 metre run two minutes later and beat four defenders en route to scoring a fine individual goal.

The duo of Moody and Healy were Arklow’s best performers on the day, both vying for the man of the match award, and the former probably shaded it on the basis of his workrate and incessant probing of the Ardmore right flank throughout the 60 minutes.  Goal number five arrved in the twelfth minute when Furlong scored his second after good build up play by Moody and Healy.  Dáire O'Conchubhair scored the first of a personal tally of four goals in the 14th minute when his block on an Ardmore clearance resulted in the ball trickling into the net. O’Conchubhair had added another two goals by the 17th minute and Healy then scored number nine in the 27th minute after a typical Moody mazy run into the box saw his final shot come off the post and lay up in the path of the inrushing Healy.  O'Conchubhair scored the best of his four goals on the stroke of half time when he scooped the ball over the Ardmore ‘keeper from 20 metres, Stephen McElligott-Ryan again being the provider of the through ball from midfield.  Half time substitutes JP Hurley and Pat Dempsey made an immediate impact with Dempsey winning his first ball in midfield and setting up Crammond for another right wing cross that was finished to the net by Hurley.  Ardmore scored a consolation goal in the 32nd minute when thier best player, wearing no.8, beat stand in goalkeeper Christopher O'Brien from close range.  Straight from the kick off Healy scored his hat trick when he showed good close control to round the ‘keeper and slot the ball into an empty net.  Aaron Kelly scored the 13th goal with a well executed overhead kick that deceived the Ardmore netminder and Hurley completed the rout in the 48th minute to leave the final scoreline 14-1.  Town will face a sterner challenge at the end of January when Malahide United visit Lamberton for a crucial round of 32 SFAI Menton-Seery Cup clash.

Dec 21 Battle for the title tilts Arklow's way
Shane Beevor was the toast of Arklow Town’s U11A team in Greystones on Saturday last when he turned in a man of the match performance and scored a vital second goal to clinch a key 2-1 win over the home side, leaving the Arklow side three points ahead of Greystones with one game remaining.  Beevor set the tone for his own and the team’s performance in the very first minute when he made the first of many surging runs from his left midfield position only to see his final pass to brother Darren Beevor result in a shot that was narrowly wide.  Greystones’ attacking trio were small but very quick and they troubled the Town defence with their pace on the first of many occasions in the fourth minute, shooting narrowly wide.  Arklow took the lead in the fifth minute when Cliona Crammond crossed from the right wing and Dáire O’Conchubhair controlled the ball well before blasting into the net from just inside the box.

Greystones had a number of good breakaway attacks midway through the half and Town’s back four struggled to contain them on each occasion. However, the home side were wasteful when presented with opportunities to level though when they did find the net the goal was disallowed for offside and this did seem to force the visitors to up the tempo of their own play and to force Greystones onto the back foot.  Cliona Crammond, enjoying her best game of the season, put narrowly wide after being put through by Shane Beevor.  JP Hurley was fouled when through on goal and O’Conchubhair was also scythed down after an amazing burst of pace saw him beating three defenders on his way towards the penalty area.  Darren Beevor went close to adding a second for Town from the resultant free kick, his effort narrowly wide.  Shane Beevor continued to torment the right flank of Greystones' defence in the second half and from a mazy run in the 37th minute he unluckily pulled his shot outside the post. Town got the vital second goal in the 55th minute, Shane Beevor again going on a long run, beating three defenders and this time slotting the ball inside the far post and beyond the goalkeeper’s reach.  The value of a second Town goal became clear four minutes later when Greystones scored a great goal with one minute of normal time remaining.  A lengthy period of injury time saw no further goals and when the final whistle was blown it was time to rightly celebrate birthday boy Shane Beevor and also the likely prospect of another league title for the talented Arklow side.

Dec 20 Town's title hopes end
Despite a much improved performance on last week's comedy of errors at Ashford, Town's U11B team saw their feint hopes for league success extinguished when losing 2-1 at home to Enniskerry.  Again forced to play with a stand-in keeper, with William Horsman absent, Luke Smullen pulled off a number of saves.  Peter Sherwood scored a lovely goal to pull Town back into the game and with Corey Mills showing fine form out wide right Town felt capable of gaining parity with the visitors.  A fantastic run from Quentin O'Reilly saw the Town player drive a thunderous effort on goal, denied only by a brilliant block from the Enniskerry centre half.  In the closing minutes, O'Reilly again went close, receiving a ball from Corey Mills, and spinning his marker, he turned and fired at goal, his effort inches wide.  The final result was a little harsh on the team, as it was a vast improvement on the previous outing.

The management of the team - Cormac, Brendan and Joe - would like to take the opportunity to wish all the lads and parents a very merry Christmas and prosperous New Year.  The U11B's entertained Wicklow Rovers B at the Community College and even though a match report has to date eluded us, a final score heavily in Wicklow's favour points towards Christmas coming early with gifts being readily presented!

Dec 14 A team capitalise on 'Stone slip up with seven star performance
A 7-0 hammering of Bray side Wolfe Tones leaves Arklow Town’s U11A team knowing exactly what they have to do to secure their third consecutive WDSL league title in a row, having previously claimed the U9 and U10 titles in 2006 and 2007 respectively.  Greystones' 2-0 reverse to Newtown on Saturday means Town now need to win their remaining two games - next Saturday's crunch match against joint table-toppers Greystones and a January match against bottom of the table Ardmore Rovers.  The game in Ballywaltrim was a very one sided affair and the home team had all the bad luck on the day, finishing the game with ten players (they had no substitutes at the start of the match) and missing a penalty.  They also had their manager sent off the pitch for verbal abuse of the referee.  Town took the lead after two minutes when JP Hurley, who had a tremendous opening 30 minutes, did all the hard work on the left side of the attack and crossed for Joshua Moody to score from 5 metres out.  Moody also had a great match working extremely hard on both flanks and giving the Wolfe Tones full backs a torrid time throughout.  Town had the first of many corners in the fourth minute and Hurley again showed a deft touch before testing Adam Hayden in the Tones goal.  Hurley had another spectacular effort, this time an overhead kick from a Dáire O'Conchubhair cross in the tenth minute that just shaved the crossbar.  The Beevor brothers, Darren and Shane, worked the left flank very well and the former drew another top notch save from Hayden in the 18th minute, before getting his just rewards two minutes later when he finally managed to beat the keeper for Arklow’s second goal.  The third came within a minute, this time Christopher O'Brien being the playmaker and Hurley finishing with aplomb.  The points were wrapped up in the 22nd minute when Darren Beevor again went on a 30 metre run and slotted past Hayden for goal number four.  Beevor has earlier picked up an injury and he left the pitch at this stage, to great applause, and was replaced by Cliona Crammond.  Aaron Healy, Stephen McElligott-Ryan and Aaron Kelly all came on at half time and proceeded to add a fresh impetus to Arklow’s attacking play.  Darren Furlong, strong in a central midfield role throughout, set up Dáire O'Conchubhair for goal number five in the fortieth minute and O'Conchubhair took advantage of a poor kick out five minutes later to chip the keeper from 25 metres, for the sixth goal.  Arklow keeper Tiernan Mellon had only one save to make in the entire match, handling well from a Tones free kick just outside the box, and on the only other occasion that Tones looked dangerous Dave Boddy put in a crunching tackle when the home team’s centre forward was through on goal.  Leslie Sharpe, who had another outstanding match at centre back, surged forward in the 57th minute and from the resulting break O'Conchubhair continued the attack to score his third and the sides seventh and final goal.

Dec 14 Flat performance from B's leaves Town with mountain to climb
A highly frustrating and disappointing day away in Ashford earlier today as Town's U11B team and the home side shared ten goals in a crazy 5-5 draw, the result a major blow to Town's title ambitions.  Lacklustre, apparently, is a word aptly fitting the team performance, little or no shape to the side on the day.  Town went ahead five time but five times they were hauled back level, with a number of those equalisers highly contentious with questions validly offered regarding the interpretation of the offside rule.  Goals on the day from Darren Dempsey (2), Glen Kelly, Joe Ledwith and Tomá Farrell.  The team know they are much better than today's result.

Dec 7 Town power onto national stage
Arklow Town U11A’s safely negotiated a tricky looking SFAI Menton-Seery Cup clash with South Dublin side Rangers AFC to book a place in the last 32 of the competition, advancing to the prestigious open draw stage.  A 5-0 scoreline in Town’s favour masks a tight competitive first half, where both sides could have scored if showing a greater clinical edge in front of goal.  Rangers, twice, broke through Arklow’s back line but one great block from Leslie Sharpe and a fine save from keeper Tiernan Mellon thwarted the Dublin side.  They were to rue those missed chances not long afterwards when Dáire O’Conchubhair, impressive throughout, showed great desire and pace to create an opening goal from nothing.  O’Conchubhair added his and Town’s second six minutes before the break with a fine curling effort beyond the keeper’s reach.

A similar finish soon followed that from John Paul Hurley, the tie as a contest put beyond the Dublin side.  Arklow maintained their dominance in the second half and in the fifth minute Dáire O’Conchubhair executed a quite brilliant goal, his strength and pace too good for the Rangers defence as he ghosted past three defenders and then rounded the keeper to seal his hat trick.  However, Town left the best till last, with a wonderful move, initiated by defender Leslie Sharpe winning the ball and counter attacking.  Sharpe himself surged forward and managed to get on the end of a driven cross to steer home.  Town now wait till December 17 when the draw for the next round will be made.

Dec 6 Kenny's Late Late Show keeps Town in safe hands
Decimated through injury and sickness, Arklow Town U11B's were dealt a late blow just before kick off with the withdrawl of keeper William Horsman, too ill to play despite his best intentions.  Garrett Kenny stepped forward to don the number one shirt, to go between the sticks and to, quite literally, drag Arklow Town's league title ambitions back into life after the Black and Whites dug deep to secure a key 4-2 win over visitors St. Anthony's.  It's not every day a keeper can claim an assist for the opening goal but that is precisely what happened in this game!  Garrett Kenny pumped forward a quality ball that was controlled superbly by the lively Peter Sherwood, who then drove forward before unleashing an unstoppable shot past the St. Anthony's keeper.  There was a suspicion of offside about the Kilcoole side's leveller, with Kenny left with no chance of preventing the equaliser.  Town knuckled down after this brief setback and began, as a team, to really turn it on - with a lot of good football originating from the backs pushing on.

A nice passage of play on the right flank saw Corey Mills picking the ball up by the touchline.  Mills swept past his marker, cutting inside and his drive almost took the rigging from the net, such was the power of his shot:  a wonderful goal.  Town, now playing with a reassuring confidence, increased their lead in the second half, this time Darren Dempsey, cool as a cucumber, and clinical in front of goal, rounded the keeper after another assist from stand-in keeper Garrett Kenny!  An excellent move, touches from numerous players, saw Dempsey in place to give Corey MIlls a chance of a fourth Town goal and he duly obliged, slotting home the insurance goal for Town.  A late St. Anthony's second goal, a quality finish in itself, failed to deter from what was an excellent team performance from Arklow and though plaudits can be afforded to a number of players, one player, who offered to stand in for the ill keeper, deserves a mention for his commitment to the cause.

Nov 29 Town bounce back in style
Arklow Town's U11C's side ran out convincing winners away in Ashford when defeating the home side 7-2. In a fast paced match Arklow struck first with an excellent strike from Conor Hughes.  Conor followed up soon with another goal of real quality, a strike from outside the box which gave the goalkeeper no chance. Ashford responded right on half time with a disputed goal.  The second half opened with Arklow probing the Ashford defence. Morgan Harris made several runs to unsettle the home defence. Morgan's efforts were rewarded with two goals to put daylight between the teams. Chris Flood then made a solo run that saw him net an excellent goal.  Ashford responded with another disputed goal as the scorer appeared to handle the ball. His effort crept over the line and the margin was reduced to 3 goals in Arklow's favour.  Chris Flood then scored his second, another excellent goal to put clear daylight between the sides. Eoghan Doyle wrapped up a glorious afternoon with a finely worked goal.  The Arklow defence was solid throughout the game with Jack Somers and William Howe putting in the tackles and interceptions and marshalling the offside trap.

Nov 23 Town fired up for upcoming National Cup clash with convincing league win
Arklow Town's U11A side, as expected, eased past bottom placed Ardmore Rovers, winning 7-0 and registering three points in the hunt for the WDSL U11 Premier Division title. October's drought in front of goal now appears a world away, having gone four games back then without scoring from open play.  However, changes in team personnel and work on the training ground seems to have rectified that.  They scored six against Newtown last weekend, four from open play, and in today's game all seven goals were from play, with a great spread of six different scorers involved.  The strong wind made it difficult to play passing football but Arklow did seek to stick to their normal type of game and they succeeded to a large extent, particularly in the second half when there were some great passages of play in the build up to five of their seven goals.  The home team got off to the best possible start in the second minute when Joshua Moody finished from close range Darren Beevor's cross, for the opening goal.  They went another thirteen minutes without scoring although Beevor and Dáire O'Conchubhair had chances which both went narrowly wide.  Moody acted as playmaker in the fifteenth minute when he set up Beevor for a good goal to double Town's lead; and the former almost had his second in the 25th minute when he chest controlled a ball on the edge of the box and volleyed just wide.  Arklow continued where they left off in the second half when O'Conchubhair put Stephen McElligott-Ryan through in the 32nd minute, and his fine effort was tipped over the bar by the under pressure Ardmore ‘keeper.  O'Conchubhair put the issue beyond doubt in the 34th minute when he got a touch to Darren Furlong's cross, and Dave Boddy almost scored another one minute later when he flicked Christopher O Brien’s pass just wide of the post.  With the points secured, manager Dave Boddy starting introducing substitutes, initially with Cliona Crammond and Shane Beevor coming on for Beevor and Aaron Kelly in the 37th minute respectively; and 5 minutes later with Aaron Healy and Pat Dempsey replacing O'Conchubhair and Furlong.  The changes did not disrupt their dominance and in fact they proceeded to hit the net another four times, assisted in the second period by the strong wind which was to their backs playing into the town end.  Stephen McElligott-Ryan notched goal number 4 in the 50th minute after good build up play by Crammond.  Josh Moody scored his second of the day two minutes later after a goalmouth scramble.  Shane Beevor took full advantage of the strong wind to strike a great goal from all of 40 metres and sub JP Hurley, who had replaced Michael Kennedy, finished off a move started by O'Brien to score a smashing seventh goal from 25 metres.  This emphatic win, albeit against weak opposition, will put the squad in a very positive frame of mind when they tackle their next big assignment, a National Cup match against Rangers FC ( South Dublin SL) in Bushy Park, Templogue next Sunday.  A place in the last 32 in Ireland is at stake here and with Arklow's current form it would not come as a surprise if they overcome the Dublin outfit for a place in the open draw last 32 stage.

Nov 22 Double blow for Town sides
With parts of the playing surface resembling Curracloe Beach, in the making of the movie "Saving Private Ryan", both U11B and U11C welcomed opponents Carnew and Wicklow Town respectively to Bridgewater Centre Park earlier today.  The U11C side lost out 4-1 to Wicklow Town, a scoreline that flatters the away side a little and does not truly reflect the effort and spirit shown by the Town side.  Wicklow opened brightly and deservedly led 2-0 at the half time break.  Arklow showed great determination in the second half and Chris Flood gave the home side hope for a revival when after a dazzling run into the Wicklow area he was fouled, winning Arklow a penalty.  Conor Hughes superbly drilled home the twelve yard effort to reduce Wicklow's lead.  However, despite the best efforts of players like Harrison Penn (who enjoyed a superb game) it wasn't to be for the Arklow side who conceded two late goals.

The U11B side were sitting on top of Division 1, knowing the importance of a win over the only side to defeat them this season thus far.  However, it turned out to be one of those days, the home side hindered not helped by a dreadful playing surface.  Though Town opened the scoring through Paul Ryan (no relation to the aforementioned Private Ryan!) it was Carnew who looked the better side and were it not for the heroics of keeper William Horsman Town could have gone into the half time break well in arrears instead of being only 3-1 down.  The second half saw Town revitalised and they took the game to Carnew and with a little more luck in front of goal they might have recovered fully the mess they'd self-created in the first half.  Darren Dempsey netted a second for Town but in the end a day to forget as Town's title hopes were dealt a blow.

Nov 16 Town smash six past Newtown to maintain title push
Arklow Town's U11A team recorded a resounding 6-1 victory over arch rivals Newtown at Bridgewater Centre Park earlier today and in so doing reaffirmed their desire to take the League title for the third consecutive season.  Newtown had defeated Arklow in the earlier away fixture, a 4-2 scoreline, so anything less than a reversal of that result would have probably put paid to Town's title hopes for the 2008/09 season.  Manager Dave Boddy made quite a number of changes to the starting eleven from the previous outing, in an attempt to get the winning formula - and he certainly succeeded on this occasion.  Aaron Kelly came into the team at right back, thus releasing Christopher O'Brien for a central midfield role.  Dáire O'Conchubhair went upfield to the centre forward slot while newcomer Michael Kennedy slotted in for his first game at left back.  The sticky underfoot surface made flowing football difficult but both sides, in particular the home team, made light of the conditions and served up a thoroughly interesting hour’s football.  Arklow dominated the opening half and almost went ahead in thesecond minute when a free kick by Leslie Sharpe found Darren Beevor in the six yard box but he lifted his shot over the bar when it seemed easier to score.  Arklow were creating a lot of chances and thought they had the opening goal in the fifteenth when JP Hurley was straight through on goal, only for the referee to whistle for offside.  They did make the vital breakthrough three minutes later however when Darren Beevor, who manfully played through the first half with a knee injury, beat the Newtown keeper after a good run from the left wing position.  An indication of Arklow's dominance in this half was the fact that it was the 23rd minute of the half before Newtown made their first serious attack and forced a corner that was subsequently cleared by Sharpe.  In the second half Joshua Moody replace Beevor who finally succumbed to his knee injury and Arklow continued to press Newtown, both on Moody’s left flank and also on the right flank via the combined threat of Aaron Kelly and Pat Dempsey.  O'Brien, who was revelling in his midfield role, also put Newtown under pressure through the middle and one lob from him in the 37th minute almost made it 2-0.  The second goal did come in the 40th minute when a great through ball by O'Conchubhair saw JP Hurley outpace the last defender and slot the ball home past the Newtown keeper.  The result was sealed two minutes later when a penalty (for hand ball) was dispatched to the net by O'Conchubhair at the second attempt, after an initial great save by the Newtown ‘keeper.  Newtown began to wilt at this stage (some of their players had played a U10 league match earlier in the day against Lar Mahony’s Arklow Town U10A team) and O'Conchubhair scored number four in the 45th minute, when he volleyed Darren Furlong's well taken corner into the net.  Sub Aaron Healy has a very good record of scoring when coming off the bench and he maintained that form in this match when bursting through the Newtown defense in the 54th minute, and giving the keeper no chance with a powerful shot from twelve metres out.  The rout was completed in the 57th minute when a flowing move involving O'Conchubahir, Dempsey and Healy saw Moody finish the latter's cross to the net.  Newtown did score a consolation goal one minute later but the 6-1 score line was reflective of a match when Arklow were clearly dominant and back to their best form.  The balance of the team looked very good in this match and manager Dave Boddy must be particularly pleased with Michael Kennedy’s man of the match display in his first game for the team following a domestic accident during the summer.  The crunch league game for Arklow is now the away fixture against Greystones, a team which have never beaten them but who did take a league point off them in a 1-1 draw earlier this year.  This match, and the National Cup match against Rangers FC (South Dublin SL), will now be the main focus of their attentions as they head into the Christmas break.

Darren Dempsey turned his marker on the right edge of Enniskerry's area and he unleashed a cracking shot on target that struck the inside of the post and came out.  However, Corey Mills was quickest to react and he delightfully hammered into the empty net his second and Town's fourth.  Arklow fell asleep from the restart allowing the home side to waltz straight through, to score their third but with no further goals Town earned a merited three points and now move into top spot.

Oct 19 Town ease into next round of Menton Seery Cup
Arklow Town U11A advanced to the next round of the SFAI Menton Seery Cup with a fully deserved 3-1 victory over Lakelands FC in Sandyford on Sunday afternoon.  The extremely strong wind that blew down the pitch militated against a good game of football and instead it was a day for hard work and digging out a result.  Arklow put in a more focused performance than in their last two WDSL games and were fully intent on winning their first ever game in a National competition.  Manager Dave Boddy had a full squad to chose from and he went with a number of changes from the team that lost 4-2 to Newtown, with Darren Beevor displacing his brother Shane at left back; Dáire O’Conchubhair going to the right side of midfield; Patrick Dempsey moving up from right back to midfield and Cliona Crammond moving into the centre forward position.  The changes worked well from the start with Arklow taking full advantage of the wind in the first half to mount a series of attacks, a number of which resulted in corners while others were thwarted by the offside rule.  The quality of the corner kicks was of a very high standard all day with every kick hitting the penalty spot, so it was no surprise when Arklow's opening score of the game came from such a set piece. Cliona Crammond, who had a very good first half, won a corner in the 12th minute and when she swung the ball into the box from the left side Dáire O’Conchubhair was on hand to fire home.  O’Conchubhair took another good corner in the 16th minute and even though the ball was cleared, initially, it fell to JP Hurley who used the wind to full advantage, lobbing the ball over the 'keeper for goal number two.  David Boddy had to retire injured in the 20th minute and sub Aaron Kelly came on, enjoying a very solid game along the right flank, particularly in the second period when he added another attacking dimension when the going was tough against the wind.  Lakelands rarely got out of their own half in the first 30 minutes but did defend resolutely and prevented Arklow adding to their two goal advantage before half time.  Arklow really had to work hard in the second period, as it was Lakeland's turn to camp in their attacking half of the field. However Arklow's defence was in superb form with Darren Beevor, Christopher 0’Brien and Aaron Kelly absorbing all that was thrown at them.  Leslie Sharpe was also putting in a man-of -the-match performance at centre back.  Sharpe was immense throughout, reading the play very well, tackling with great timing, clearing aerial balls with ease and distributing the ball to his midfielders when the opportunity presented itself.  Lakelands did manage one breakthrough in the 45th minute, from which they beat Tiernan Mellon from close range.  This spurred on the visitors even more, and with the aid of fresh legs (Aaron Healy for Hurley and Stephen McElligott-Ryan for Crammond), they continued to press the home side into errors.  From one such period of pressure, in the 56th minute, they won a corner on the left and O’Conchubhair's inswinging kick was headed home powerfully by Patrick Dempsey, for the insurance 3rd goal.  While Arklow again failed to score from open play for the third consecutive game, this was nevertheless a very workmanlike performance and it sets them up well for their next match against Greystones, the team who halted their unbeaten run a number of weeks ago and who have also deposed them from top spot in the WDSL U11 Premier Division.

Oct 18 Town pull themselves back from the abyss
Arklow Town U11B dug a large hole for themselves early on in their fixture away at Greystones earlier today and then showed great character in not only extracting themselves from said hole but almost going on to secure what would have been an excellent three points.  Instead, a share of the spoils saw both sides relatively happy with the day's work.  Town began brightly until a mistake in defence allowed the Greystones attack in for an easy opening goal.  Not learning from that, Town repeated the offence minutes later and the 'Stones striker finished coolly, to leave Arklow with more than a mountain to climb.  However, Town showed some excellent resolve and fought their way back into the contest.  Up front both Corey Mills and Jack Hennessy were both willing and though caught offside on a number of occasions they bought tested the home keeper into making a number of fine saves.  Changes were made at half time, with the introduction of Darren Dempsey, Aaron O'Toole and Jay Wolohan.  Peter Sherwood hauled Town back into the game, a determined run past a number of challenges and a driven shot into the back of the 'Stones net.  With the bit between the teeth, Town attacked Greystones continuously and they levelled matters after Tomas Farrell released Darren Dempsey who superbly lifted his effort over the home keeper from distance, a class finish.

Try as they might, Town couldn't quite secure the win they probably merited, going close on a number of occasions, shots from Tomas Farrell and Aaron O'Toole the closest they came to taking the lead.  Town thought they had the lead when Peter Sherwood slotted home.  However, it was deemed offside.  John O'Halloran was the pick of the Town players on the day for his tireless effort but perhaps more importantly, all associated with the team would dearly like to wish teammate Luke Smullen a speedy recovery after an injury in training this week and all look forward to seeing him back - hopefully before the end of this league campaign.  The U11C team were also in action, away at league leaders Roundwood and they found the going tough against a confident home side who ran out easy winners on a 5-0 scoreline.  Town did not play with commitment to winning the ball, closing down the ball and maintaining shape that is required at this level.  Ball watching and ball chasing were the order of the day, which combined with poor ball retention made a difficult task nearly impossible.

Oct 12 Frustration for Town in Newtown
Arklow Town U11A side surrendered their unbeaten record this season when they succumbed to a hungrier Newtown team in Newtown earlier today.  These two teams have vied for the title of best team in Wicklow in their age groups over the last two seasons, with Arklow edging ahead of their rivals by four titles to two (in the three league, cup and shield competitions), so there was no shortage of motivation from the home team when they took the field on Sunday.  The omens were not good for Arklow early in the first half as they lost both Darren Beevor (ankle injury) after three minutes, and Patrick Dempsey (knee injury), after eighteen minutes.  This disrupted the pre-match plans that manager Dave Boddy had put in place.  Arklow did apply a good deal of pressure in the opening period however and an early goal might have led to a different outcome to the match.  Josh Moody, who switched to the left wing when Beevor went off, went on a typical mazy run before, seeing his shot deflected for a corner, while Aaron Healy also had a shot on target which was deflected for a corner.  Newtown were displaying a great deal of urgency in their play however and almost took the lead in the 15th minute when through on goal, but goalkeeper Tiernan Mellon stood tall and made a great double save.  They did make the breakthrough though in the 23rd minute, ironically from Arklow’s right flank where Dempsey is normally stationed, and went into the break 1-0 ahead.  Arklow were fully intent in reversing this setback and they did in the best possible manner with the equaliser in the second minute of the second half.  Sub Stephen McElligott-Ryan took a corner on the right which JP Hurley fired into the net, and three minutes later Dáire O'Conchubhair took another corner, this time on the left hand side, and Joshua Moody controlled it well before finishing to the net.  The scores were level again ten minutes into the second half, courtesy of a penalty, after the Newtown right winger was adjudged to have been pushed to the ground by an Arklow defender.  A number of controversial referring decisions seemed to upset the Arklow players and the home side took full advantage, going on to score two further goals from a number of breakaway attacks in the last 10 minutes, leaving the final score 4-2 to Newtown.  The team’s goals from open play have dried up in the last two matches for some reason (the goals scored against Newtown and Greystones were all from set pieces) and they will have to rectify this when they face into their next tough challenges, their first match outside of the WDSL against Lakelands FC (Stillorgan, South Dublin SL) in the U11 SFAI Menton-Seery National Cup in Dublin next weekend.

Oct 5 Steady Town hold firm in Kilcoole
Arklow Town U11B secured back to back wins in WDSL Division 1 earlier today with an excellent 4-2 victory away at St. Anthony's, in Kilcoole.  Town's defence held firm in the first half as the home side piled on the pressure, going closest with an effort that rattled Town's bar.  Arklow keeper William Horsman was excellent, with the four in front of him also in determined mood, winning most of the battles for possession, particularly with a strong wind favouring the home side.  Town took the lead late in the opening half, an excellent weighted through ball from Peter Sherwood, splitting the Kilcoole side's defence, releasing the lively Darren Dempsey to slot home under the body of the home keeper, another player to enjoy an excellent game.  Town, one up at the break, doubled their advantage early on in the second half - again it was Darren Dempsey with a cool finish after a quick Arklow counter attack undid the home side.  William Horsman pulled off a very fine save before releasing to Peter Sherwood.  Sherwood drove forward and his awareness ensured a killer pass was played into Dempsey who clinically finished from just inside the box.  Anthony's rallied and cut the defecit with an excellent goal.  Arklow defender Garrett Kenny, in a forward raid, almost made it 3-1 to the visitors with a shot from distance that stung the fingers of the home keeper.  Peter Sherwood, somewhat deservedly, grabbed Town's third goal, another nice finish from close range.  Anthony's came back at Town strongly and when they grabbed a second goal it looked very much on that home pressure might tell.  Keeper Horsman then pulled off the save of the day, a classy effort keeping Town ahead.  It spurred on the away side and Paul Ryan was on the end of a fine passing move to finally break the home side, another excellent finish, to round off a very good performance and win for Town.  Man of the match had to be Arklow keeper, William Horsman.

Oct 5 Town held at home by 'Stones
Arklow Town U11A's excellent early season form almost came to an abrupt end at the Bridgewater Centre Park earlier today when they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Greystones United A.  After averaging 9 goals per game in their first 4 fixtures and only conceding one from play, there was no indication that their form would dip in this League encounter, albeit that Greystones have had a very good start to their league season, including a victory over a traditionally strong Newtown team.  Arklow found it difficult to match Greystones in a number of areas, particularly the last line of defence where their sweeper was quicker in thought and action than the Arklow forward line and also along the right wing where their number seven gave Shane Beevor some difficulties.  Greystones had the first shot on target but it was well saved by stand in ‘keeper Christopher O Brien.  At the other end Arklow were creating very few chances and it was all of 20 minutes before they tested the Greystones goalkeeper.  It came as no surprise when Greystones opened the scoring in the 23rd minute, an attack on their left hand side gave then a scoring opportunity which they duly took.  The goal was somewhat controversial as the ball appeared to roll outside the goalpost but the referee identified a gap in the goal netting and ruled that the ball had actually rolled inside the post.  This setback did appear to galvanise the home side and they struck back to score the equaliser within three minutes, when Cliona Crammond’s free kick from the half way line was headed into the net by Dáire O'Conchubhair.  In the second half Arklow played much better, created more chances and got to grips with some of the key players in the Greystones team.  They probably should have secured all three points based on their second half performance and could have got the vital second goal on two occasions.  Second half sub Aaron Kelly struck the post with a fine effort and another sub, Aaron Healy, also just grazed the crossbar with his effort.  This wake up call has come at a good time for the team as they face two difficult fixtures over the next two weeks, away to arch rivals Newtown in the league next weekend and away to Lakelands FC (Stillorgan, South Dublin SL) in the next round of the U11 SFAI Menton Seery National Cup on the following weekend.

Oct 4 McDonald brace gives confident Town their first win
Arklow Town U11C earned more than the three points on offer today when defeating St. Anthony's 4-2 in Kilcoole.  Having been heavily defeated in their opening two games, a tough introduction to the 11-a-side game for the players, today's efforts, and result, are very rewarding for all the players who put in a strong team effort.  Harrison Penn gave Arklow added confidence and belief when opening the scoring, a strike of excellent technical ability.  Somewhat against the general run of play, the home side levelled matters and the two sides went into half time level.  Gavin Ward restored Town's advantage, netting his first ever goal for the club after a nice move on the edge of the Anthony's penalty area.  Once again the home side then struck to cancel Town's brief advantage.  The away side held firm though with Mícheal Hudson and Niall McDonald forming an effective partnership up front, with the later netting twice, clinically, to ensure Town got their league campaign off the ground.  Ryan Penney and Jamie Carty were also worthy of mention with Ryan being a very safe pair of hands between the sticks, his first outing in goal and a confidence booster.  Jamie was outstanding in defence, what any manager would hope to see of a captain.  All round, a very good day out for the team.

William Horsman pulled off a fine save from the impressive Greystones number six four minutes later, the away side pressing hard to restore their early advantage.  Arklow began the second half strongly, with raids down both flanks, placing the away side on the back foot.  Glen Kelly, operating out wide left cut inside to put Town ahead with a drive from eight yards out.

Sep 28 Rampant Town demolish Wicklow
Arklow Town’s U11A team defeated Wicklow Rovers on a 9-0 scoreline in their opening game of the season and such was the ease with which they garnered the points in that match that it always likely that they would have another relatively easy encounter in the return leg at Bridgewater Centre Park.  This is exactly what happened on Sunday morning as the team romped to another easy win.  Arklow imposed their style of play on Wicklow from the outset, and while it took all of fourteen minutes to score their opening goal, they created numerous chances in the opening period of play, including a fine effort from Darren Beevor that was just wide of the post and a goal by Dáire O'Conchubhair that was ruled offside.

It was a good passing move on the right hand side involving O'Conchubhair and Cliona Crammond which set up JP Hurley for goal number one; and it was 2-0 within another minute when a strong run and cross by Beevor on the left touchline set up Crammond to slide the ball past the Wicklow ‘keeper.  In the nineteenth minute, Joshua Moody, who along with Darren Furlong completely bossed the midfield, tried to curl the ball into the top right hand corner of the net but his effort was narrowly wide. The third goal did arrive in the twentieth minute when Leslie Sharpe struck powerfully from twenty yards, after some superb work on the right touchline by Crammond.  O'Conchubhair took a cross from Beevor with his back to goal and swivelled well to strike goal number four.  The same player was put through by Crammond two minutes later but this time he dragged his shot left of the post.  Beevor, who gave the Wicklow right back a torrid time all day, burst through and gave the goalkeeper no chance for his team's fifth goal in the twenty fourth minute.  Such was the fluency of Arklow’s play that a goal was almost expected from every attack they built, and but for some desperate defending by the visitors, the goal tally would have reached double figures by half time.  The team had to settle for six before the break however, the final  goal of the opening thirty minutes coming from Moody who did all the hard work before firing just under the crossbar out of the keeper’s reach.  The second half was only two minutes old when sub Aaron Healy scored number seven, after Moody again did the spadework - and Moody capped a brilliant personal performance to avail of a poor kick out in the thirty eighth minute and easily notch number eight.  The other second half sub, Stephen McElligott-Ryan, made a good impression on the right wing and from one of his many attacks Arklow forced a corner in the fortieth minute.  Furlong took the corner kick and although the ball was cleared initially it fell to Beevor who struck a sweet volley from 25 yards for the ninth and probably best goal of the game.  Wicklow did pull one goal back midway through the second half but Arklow's response was emphatic as within 30 seconds, straight from the kick off, McElligott-Ryan scored his first goal for the club to leave the scoreline 10-1.  Dave Boddy then made his long awaited return to action after sustaining a hand injury during the summer and he made a number of surging runs from his midfield berth, and contributed to the passage of play that led to JP Hurley scoring the eleventh goal in the fifty third minute.

Sep 27 C team still finding their feet
A much improved performance, although not reflected in the scoreline, as Arklow Town's U11C team played host to a good Roundwood side who departed Bridgewater Centre Park comfortable winners, 6-0 the final scoreline.  Town held their own for the first ten minutes until Roundwood scored a finely worked opening goal.  The visitors were also fortunate to net four speculative long range efforts that flattered them, all efforts should have been dealt with.  Arklow Town did have some clear chances, particularly William Howe, who saw a one on one effort parried by an advancing goalkeeper.  Back to working on the training ground!

Sep 21 Goalfest sees Town advance in Menton Seery Cup
Arklow Town U11A continued their excellent early season form with a 10-0 thumping of Enniskerry in the first round of the SFAI Menton Seery National Cup, at Bridgewater Centre Park this morning.  The team has now scored 25 goals in their first three games of the new season, have not conceded a goal from play (the two conceded against Wolfe Tone were both from set pieces) and have played a lovely brand of passing football to the delight of their small band of followers.  The opposition on Sunday however were rather weak and the team will meet much stiffer opposition as they progress their way through this national competition.  The tone was set for this match right from the kick off when Darren Beevor burst through after thirty seconds and forced a corner which was subsequently cleared by the Enniskerry defence.  Arklow were camped in the visitors half for the opening five minutes and it was a full minute later before Enniskerry got beyond the half way line.  When they did make a breakthrough they had a one on one situation with Tiernan Mellon, Arklow’s keeper, but he narrowed his angle very well and tipped the ball around his post for a corner which did not yield any dividend.  The Arklow pressure told in the eighth minute when Cliona Crammond and Dáire O'Conchubhair set up JP Hurley for the opening goal of the match.  Enniskerry did come more into the game midway through the first half but they received another setback in the sixteenth minute when Crammond and O'Conchubhair played a neat one-two which allowed the latter to race 20 metres with the ball and plant it past the Enniskerry ‘keeper.  Hurley scored a very similar goal in the 20th minute to make it 3-0, while Joshua Moody had a key role in goal number four, playing a delightful through ball behind the visitors defence that allowed Darren Beevor to run on and place the ball into the bottom right hand corner of the net.  A bad Enniskerry kick out led to the fifth goal with JP Hurley taking full advantage to notch a well deserved hat trick, while the teams sixth came shortly before the break when O'Conchubhair’s free kick was pushed onto the post by the ‘keeper only for the sharp Darren Beevor to react quickly and stab the ball across the line from close range.  Manager Dave Boddy utilised his bench at half time with Matthew O'Neill, Aaron Kelly, Aaron Healy and Stephen McElligott-Ryan all coming on for 30 minutes of action. In the first sequence of play Daren Beevor almost got his hat trick with a spectacular overhead kick that was only narrowly over the bar.  While Beevor was denied his hat trick, there was another hat trick just around the corner when super sub Healy made his mark in no uncertain terms with three goals in the space of twenty minutes. The last goal was due entirely to his hard work and vision, for after starting a move in the centre circle he ran from deep to finish Crammond's by-line cross to the net. These three goals, along with another strike from O'Conchubhair, (himself denied a hat trick after a dubious offside call) left the final score line 10-0 in Arklow's favour. Team: Mellon, Dempsey, O Brien, Sharpe, Beevor S., Crammond, Furlong,Moody, Beevor D.,O'Conchubhair, Hurley. Subs:  O'Neill, Kelly, Healy, McElligott-Ryan for Beevor S., Moody, Hurley, O'Brien.

Sep 20 Immense pride in defeat
A final scoreline reading 2-0 to the home side, Abbeyleix, both goals coming inside the opening ten minutes does not tell the true story of a very good performance from the U11B's as they took their first step in SFAI Menton Seery competition.  Town made a dreadful start, truth be told, some sloppy play allowing the home side in to open the scoring.  That was soon followed up with a second, from the penalty spot after a harsh decision was given against the unlucky Town defence.  Those opening minutes aside, Town gradually improved and with a little luck in front of goal may have pushed the home side all the way.  The second half was played mainly in and around Abbeyleix's penalty area, Town pressing for any kind of opening to get back into the game.

William Horsman had to remove himself, through injury, from his beloved position between the sticks, having played through the pain barrier.  His replacement, Luke Smullen, had an outstanding game and his effort has afforded the management team some food for thought regarding back up for William.  Though obviously disappointed with exiting at the first hurdle, all players could take pride in their own performances with Aaron O'Toole a deserving choice as Town man of the match.  All associated with the U11B side would like to thank Abbeyleix for their wonderful hospitality on the day and wish them well for the remainder of the tournament.

Sep 14 Town make life hard for themselves!
Arklow Town’s U11A team continued their great start to the 2008/09 season when they added to their 9-0 win on the opening weekend by scoring another six goals in a 6-2 victory over Wolfe Tone A at Bridgewater Centre Park earlier today.  The game was only three minutes old when constant Town pressure yielded the opening goal, a header scored by JP Hurley, a player who is in a rich vein of form at present. Hurley was involved in the second goal also, linking up well with Darren Furlong and Darren Beevor for the latter to cross the ball into the 6 yard box where the in-rushing Dáire O'Conchubhair finished the ball to the net. O'Conchubhair returned the favour in the twntieth minute when his cross from the right wing was met by Beevor who scored with a powerful shot to the net.  Wolfe Tone made very little progress in their attacking half of the field, and this was primarily due to the tight defensive set up which was well marshalled by Christopher O'Brien and Leslie Sharpe.  Sharpe was particularly effective in one on one situations, his distribution was of a high standard and he also helped initiate many of Arklow’s counter attacks.

It took all of 25 minutes for Wolfe Tone to launch their first serious attack, and when it did come on the left wing they won a free kick 25 metres from goal.   The free kick was powerfully struck and went in under the crossbar, out of reach of goalkeeper Tiernan Mellon, who otherwise had a very solid game between the posts.  The goal gave the visitors confidence and while they never looked like scoring from open play, they did look dangerous from set pieces, and it came as no surprise when they scored their second in the twenty eighth minute, again from a free kick on the edge of the box.  The overall pattern of the game was maintained after the break, with Arklow doing all the pressing and they stretched their lead in the thirty fifth minute when Darren Beevor benefited from a poor Tones kick out to round the ‘keeper and slot home goal number four.  Matthew O'Neill, Aaron Kelly, Aaron Healy and Stephen McElligott-Ryan all came on as second half subs and Healy made a good contribution to his sides fifth goal when he started a passage of play that resulted in O’Conchubhair scoring his second and the teams fifth in the forty seventh minute.  The final score of the match was credited to Christopher O'Brien who drove an unstoppable shot into the net in the closing minute, to leave the final score 6-2 in Arklow's favour.

Sep 13 Torrid time for Town in season opener
A torrid introduction to the 11-a-side game for Arklow Town U10C as a well coached and physically larger Wicklow Rovers team grabbed seven goals in the first half.  Town's substitute goalkeeper for the second half put in a superb performance along with a reorganised defense to limit Wicklow to two goals in the second half.  The Wicklow team had come off the back of an 11-a-side tournament and had match sharpness and awareness of playing offside that the Arklow Town C team lacked. There is definitely no substitute for game time and Town's effort, though committed, showed their lack of game time.  A hard lesson learnt.

Sep 10 Scintillating start to season for U11A's
Arklow Town U11A made a scintillating start to the new season with a power packed performance in their opening league match against Wicklow Rovers earlier tonight.  The team had played 7 a side football together for the last three years but they made a seamless transition to the full 11 a side game, using the full length and width of the pitch to maximum advantage, retaining their designated playing positions for the sixty minutes and coping well with the offside rule. The team had completed a very thorough pre-season programme, with technical work being supervised by club coach Lar Mahony and ball work and fitness sessions being run by the management team of Dave Boddy and PJ Furlong.  In the game itself, the team scored in the first and last minute of the match, and struck 7 other times in between to complete the 9-0 rout of their opponents.  A neat interchange of passes in the centre circle in the first minute saw Dáire O'Conchubhair released with the ball and he ran 30 metres with it before slotting past the Wicklow ‘keeper.  Five minutes later Darren Furlong did good work out on the left wing and was fouled, and from the resultant free kick Joshua Moody drove home from just inside the box. Newcomer Darren Beevor did all the groundwork for goal number three, when he weaved through on the left side and set up JP Hurley for a powerful shot to the net from distance.  Beevor was also involved in the fourth goal, setting up Furlong for a cross which O'Conchubhair headed to the net for his second of the match.  The 4-0 score at half time meant the game was as good as over but Arklow were relentless in their pursuit of more goals.  Shortly after the restart, left back Shane Beevor, who made a fine debut in the number 3 shirt, crossed from the left for Cliona Crammondto slot home goal number five.  Wicklow had very few forays into to opposition half of the pitch, and when they did attack they found the Arklow back four of Shane Beevor, Christopher O Brien, Leslie Sharp and Pat Dempsey in resolute form, with the latter in particular settling into an unaccustomed right back role with great ease.  In midfield Joshua Moody was a tireless worker, and while he did not score on this occasion, he played the box to box role very well and had a number of efforts just wide of the target.  Furlong capped a fine individual sixty minutes by going past a number of Wicklow defenders for goal number 6, after being set up with an accurate pass from Dempsey and JP Hurley showed great close control when rounding the ‘ keeper  to net number 7.  O'Conchubhair scored his hat trickwith three minutes remaining and in the last passage of play, he also laid off a good pass for Dempsey to complete the scoring with the teams ninth goal.

However, come back they did.  An early second half goal restored Carnew's belief and their greater level of fitness was becoming an increasing factor.  Paul Ryan, excellent in Town's midfield, was unlucky when seeing a goal disallowed.  Carnew levelled with nine minutes left to play, a defensive error costing Town dearly.  With three minutes remaining Carnew crowned a magnificent comeback with a fine strike that secured all three points for the home side.

Aug 6 Squads named for new season
U11A – David Boddy, Joshua Moody, John Paul Hurley, Patrick Dempsey, Leslie Sharpe, Dáire O’Conchubhair, Darren Furlong, Stephen McElligott-Ryan, Cliona Crammond, Aaron Kelly, Michael Kennedy, Christopher O’Brien, Aaron Healy, Tiernan Mellon, Matthew O’Neill, Darren Beevor, Shane Beevor. Managers:  David Boddy, PJ Furlong.
U11B – William Horsman, Darren Dempsey, Harry Nuzum, Glen Kelly, Tomás Farrell, Peter Sherwood, Corey Mills, Garrett Kenny, Jay Wolohan, Conor O’Brien, Aaron O’Toole, Joseph Ledwith, Quentin O’Reilly, Paul Ryan, Adam Forde, Luke Smullen, John O’Halloran, Jack Hennessy. Managers:  Brendan Kenny, Cormac O’Toole, Joe Ledwith.
U11C – Aaron Quinn, William Howe, Harrison Penn, Chris Flood, Gavin Ward, Charlie Scales, Micheál Hudson, Niall McDonald, Conor Hughes, Ryan Penney, Matthew Jones, Jack Hamilton, Stephen O’Reilly, Eoghan Doyle, David Hill, Jack Hill, Jamie Carty, Ryan McDonald. Managers:  Pat Quinn, David Howe.