Second-half goal shows sees Rosenallis defeat Portlaoise

Four goals in the second half completed a fantastic comeback for Rosenallis as they climbed to second in Division 1. Portlaoise were twice in front in the first half but Rosenallis took full advantage of a strong breeze after the break to come out on the right side of this eight-goal thriller. 

The hosts started brightly and took the lead after just 12 minutes when captain Gavin Comerford found himself unmarked in the box. Sean Kitchen whipped in a free kick from halfway which Comerford got on the end of to head the ball beyond Paul Friel. 

Rosenallis A 5

Portlaoise AFC 3

CCFL Division 1

Portlaoise had the wind behind them in the first half and completely dominated the opening half an hour. But Rosenallis drew level totally against the run of play in the 32nd minute thanks to a great header from Adam McDermott off a Jack Friel corner kick. 

The lead lasted less than 60 seconds, however, as Davis Pedro put the hosts back in front when Rosenallis failed to deal with a ball played across their box. Portlaoise had plenty of chances but could not add to their lead before the break – they would go on to rue the missed opportunities. 2-1 at half time.

Rosenallis were transformed in the second half. Unlike Portlaoise, they took full advantage of the wind; they also introduced Charlie Friel and John Dunne at half time, who added a lot of pace and energy to the team. 

A pair of identical headers in the first five minutes of the second half put Rosenallis in front. McDermott’s second goal of the game brought the sides level when he got on the end of a Conor Conroy free from the centre circle. Three minutes later they repeated the trick when McDermott turned provider, launching a free from halfway which Cian Ryle headed past Callum McHugh to put Rosenallis 3-2 up.

But Portlaoise were level with a Sean Kitchen penalty midway through the half. Adam Finlay brought down Pedro just inside the box and Kitchen held his nerve to finish in the bottom corner. 

The sides were level for just five minutes before Rosenallis scored their third header from a halfway free. Conroy again got the assist, floating the ball into the box when Darren McEvoy headed home. The centre-back has become prolific in front of goal and is the top-scoring defender in the CCFL this season.

Rosenallis capped off the win ten minutes from time when the substitutes combined for a fine goal. Dunne broke through midfield and picked out Charlie Friel, whose audacious dink gave McHugh no chance. 

Rosenallis started the season in fine form but tapered off around Christmas. They have rediscovered their form in perfect time for the season run-in, which includes a semi-final in the Division 1 Cup. 

On a side note: in something of a freak statistic, five of the eight goals came from headers with four coming from free kicks from the halfway line. 

SCORERS – Portlaoise: Gavin Comerford, Davis Pedro, Sean Kitchen (penalty). Rosenallis: Adam McDermott (x2), Cian Ryle, Darren McEvoy, Charlie Friel. 

PORTLAOISE AFC: Callum McHugh; James Wheeler, Jason Horan, Gavin Comerford, Evan Hewitt; David Olubawale, Cathal Hewitt; Ashby Joaquain, Kevin Sesela, Sean Kitchen; Davis Pedro. Subs: Cody Hannon, Osema Bourakhdar and Ashraf Suiliman for Wheeler, Sesela and C. Hewitt (all 85 mins). 

ROSENALLIS A: Paul Friel; Anthony Gorman, Darren McEvoy, Adam McDermott, Jack Claffey; Conor Conroy, Conor Dowling, Adam Finlay, Jack Friel; Cian Ryle, Niall Doolin. Subs: Charlie Friel and John Dunne for Gorman and Claffey (both HT), Tom Hyland, Damian Gorman and Mark Graham for J. Friel, Doolin and Finlay (all 85 mins).