Castlewellan spot on as Newcastle slip up

Castlewellan spot on as Newcastle slip up

8 April 2015

CASTLEWELLAN lifted the ClubSport NI Harry Clarke Cup for the eighth time at a sun-kissed Meadowvale on Easter Monday, but they had to do it the hard way.

Newcastle held a 3-2 lead going into the third minute of added time at the end of the second period of extra-time when Castlewellan produced a get out of jail card from nowhere.

Newcastle were severely punished for time wasting after they had taken the lead in extra-time and with the referee ready to blow full time, Steven Tierney headed in a Sean Russell corner to send the game to a penalty shoot-out.

Newcastle had shot their bolt and two excellent penalty saves from Rory Burns, making up for an earlier faux pas, secured the cup for a delighted Castlewellan.

The game started at a blistering pace and Newcastle rocked Castlewellan when they took a second minute lead.

Neil Corr led a concerted break out of defence and played the ball out wide to Gavin Moore. The speedy winger returned the pass into the box for Corr and he did the rest with an improvised finish after it looked as if he had lost control of the ball.

Castlewellan wasted no time in hitting back and they were level two minutes later.

Karol Jarosinski picked the ball up a good 40 yards from goal.

There was absolutely nothing on, but he took one touch before unleashing an unstoppable screamer to the back of the net with Paddy Baker a bystander. 

The game then went through a relatively quiet period before a low Stevie Trainor free kick in the 23rd minute from wide left evaded everyone in the box and ended up in the back of Baker’s net. 2-1 Castlewellan.

Three minutes later Newcastle’s Conor Hayes wasn’t too far way with a good strike before Rory Burns saved well from a Pearse McCarthy free kick. Burns was back in the thick of things nine minutes later when he acrobatically denied Corr after he was put through by David McKenna.

Newcastle hadn’t long to wait for their equaliser and it came 

in the 41st minute, but it too could be put down to goalkeeper error.

McCarthy punted a free kick into the heart of the Castlewellan box. Rory Burns came off his line to punch the ball clear, but missed and was horrified to see it nestle in the back of the net, 2-2.

The second half was a non-event with both teams cancelling each other out in the middle of the park. 

Newcastle simply refused to give way and they more than held their own in the engine room with Corr and Felix Valentine leading the charge.

The first real goal threat after the break came in the 58th minute when Sean Russell blasted over and three minutes later at the other end Rory Burns saved yet again from the marauding man of the match, Neil Corr.

That was as good as it got from both sides as the game died a death in the sun and so to extra-time.

Jarosinski rattled the Newcastle crossbar with a stinging free kick four minutes in and three minutes later the same player wasn’t too far away when he shot from distance.

Newcastle then took the lead in the second period when Corr ran his cotton socks off in the corner before crossing into the danger zone. Castlewellan’s Sean Fitzsimons went for the ball with David McKenna, but the ball deflected off his head and into the net for an own goal.

The cup looked to be on its way to Newcastle, but never, never write off Castlewellan. John Clarke cracked a volley off the crossbar before Tierney did the needful with the last kick, or header that should be, to send the game to penalties.

Russell, Tierney, Clarke and Jarosinski were on target for Castlewellan with Rory Burns denying Corr and Declan Allister to give the Town a much-needed boost going into Saturday’s County Antrim Junior Shield quarter-final replay against Willowbank at the Bann Road in Castlewellan.

Castlewellan: R. Burns, C. Burns, A. Kelly, C. Stratton, J. Clarke, N. Toner, S. Russell, S. Tierney, D. Steele, S. Trainor, K. Jarosinski. Subs: L. Ward, D. Cassidy, S. Fitzsimons.

Newcastle II: P. Baker, S. McKibben, J. Kelly, P. McCarthy, D. Allister, N. Corr, F. Valentine, C. Hayes, D. McKenna, B. Gibson, G. Moore. Subs: B. McCombe, C. Maginn, D. Acton, S. Wallace, B. Ward. 

ClubSport NI Man of the match: Neil Corr (Newcastle).

Castlewellan 7

Newcastle II 5

HARRY CLARKE CUP FINAL