• One win from glory for Paddy Geraghty’s charges
• Lansdowne come from behind to deny Rocks
• Late Legends drama in 4-4 thriller
• 1960 falter against title rivals

Becky Torres was the goal hero for the Shamrocks Women at St Michaels on Sunday in a vital 1-0 victory over title rivals Sirens.

And the win-at-all-costs spirit was personified by Brittany Meade who took an overnight bus from Pittsburgh to make the game, the much needed victory putting the Rocks five points clear at the top of the table with two games to go.

Meade’s assist for Torres’ first half goal set up a perfect finish by the midfielder but Sirens rallied and pushed the Rocks all the way.

“We had a solid performance,” said coach Paddy Geraghty.

“We did what we needed to do. I’m very happy we kept another clean sheet. A win next Sunday seals it for us but we’ll take it just as seriously as we did today.”

On Saturday night, the Irish Derby ended in a 2-1 defeat for the Shamrocks.

On what was a very proud night for both clubs – the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising was handled with great dignity by all those in attendance, including the players – the Rocks took an early lead through Alejandro Fritz that put the hosts on the back foot.

However, the Bhoys leveled just before half-time and took the lead early in the second half to secure all three points.

“We worked very hard against the champions,” said Kevin Grogan. “We are playing all the top teams and thats a great learning curve for our players and this will stand to them.

“We move on quickly now to play the Eagles who are another big team. As always we are building for the future. We have come a long way. Thank you to the great support Up there on Saturday.”

The reserves were beaten 5-0 in the opener.

Meanwhile, Rocks 1960 were overturned by their divisional rivals, Gotham City at Randall’s Island, losing 4-1 to their second placed opponents.

Dave Harvey’s second half goal canceled out a 1-0 half-time deficit but Gotham City immediately went 2-1 ahead and pushed on from there, narrowing the points gap to seven points.

“We experienced a real blow and now our character is really going to be tested,” said Andy Connolly.

“But I’ve played football with many teams in places like Navan, Dublin, Galway, Edinburgh, Okayama (in Japan), and New York, and I’ve yet to come across a squad of players that have a better mindset and who have more guts than Shamrocks 1960.

“These lads are outstanding and they’re going to come out roaring like lions next week. There’s nothing I’m more certain of.”

In the final game of the weekend, Paddy Geraghty wrapped up a perfect Sunday for him personally with a dramatic last-minute goal that helped the Legends share the spoils with Hoboken in an exciting 4-4 draw at St Michaels.

Eoghan McParland opened the scoring for the Legends after Hoboken grabbed an early lead. John Riordan slotted home to make it 2-1 after good build-up play from Ducky Kelly and Karol Hughes.

Hughes himself then made it 3-2 in the second half with a great lob from just inside the box. But Hoboken came back and took a 4-3 lead that would be ultimately negated by Geraghty’s late header, set up by Emmet Murphy.

“A battling performance by the guys today in tough conditions,” said player assistant coach Kelly.

“We fought until the end and were well deserving of the point. The whole squad played their part. We’ll be happy to carry that spirit into the remaining games.”

• Grogan ‘focused’ on challenge ahead
• Rocks Women bidding to silence Sirens
• 1960 aiming to clinch promotion and championship berth
• Doyle calls on reserves to bounce back from tough loss

April will end on a high note for the Rocks this weekend with an Irish derby and not one but two potential divisional deciders.

The Shamrocks will visit CSL Division 1 champions Lansdowne on Saturday evening for a vital league game with so much at stake for both sides (Tibbetts Brook Park, 8pm).

The game will be preceded by a brief ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising and by the end of the 90 minutes, the second annual Irish Consulate Cup will be awarded to the winners.

Purely a ceremonial trophy, the league points will be the primary concern as the Shamrocks bid to stay in touch with the tight bunch of teams hovering around mid-table. Polonia’s loss last week means they can stay ahead of the Greenpoint outfit no matter what happens this weekend. But with the final post in sight, coach Kevin Grogan is targeting every possible point.

Meanwhile, Lansdowne will be aiming to stay level with Pancyprians who have played a game more than the Yonkers outfit.

“There are many other clubs that want us to fail in our mission to achieve our goal of staying up,” noted Grogan.

“But as always we are very focused on our job and we are a very tight knit group. We are giving ourselves the best chance of achieving our goal and although the new format of the league is very unfair and has punished us for our great start to the season we are still very much on track to achieve our mission.

“Every game now is a cup final and we need to use all our experience on and off the pitch to get over the line. Anything can happen on any given day in football. Concentration and discipline are king now.”

The reserves are under equal pressure to get a result – their dramatic loss last week to Pancyprians allowed the Lansdowne reserves pull level with the Rocks and Lansdowne also have the edge in the head-to-head battle following December’s win at Tibbetts.

“This weekend promises to be a very special one on so many levels,” said Stevie Doyle.

“The commemoration of the 100-year anniversary of the Easter Rising and a trip to Tibbetts to take on our Irish compatriots Lansdowne. With both teams level on points, it promises to be tight and tense game. I’m looking for a big response from my team after the defeat last week and I have a full squad to choose from. A win will push us into second place and it will give us confidence going into the last few games.”

Meanwhile, St Michaels will be the place to be on Sunday with the Shamrocks Women facing a season-defining clash with their title rivals, Sirens.

The Rocks have scored 33 goals without reply in the four league games since the winter break but Sirens have been equally flawless and in fact both teams share a similar goal difference, both 49 goals to the good.

“We have our biggest game of the year on Sunday,” said coach Paddy Geraghty. “A win would put us five points clear with two games left so it’s a big incentive for us. We play Sirens who have only lost once all season. They have qualified for the State Cup final as well as the League Cup final so we know it’s going to be a massive task for us. We look forward to the challenge.”

Elsewhere in Metro 2, Shamrocks 1960 can wrap up their division and a June 12 league final if they beat second placed Gotham City at Randall’s Island 74 on Sunday (kick-off 12pm).

Gotham City’s league campaign could effectively end with a loss as a Rocks win would also lock up promotion to Metro 1.

“This is without doubt our biggest game of the season so far,” said assistant-coach and center back Neil Mannion. “It’s in our own hands but we need to be ready to repel the challenge of a team who are in survival mode. The horse is at the water, it’s time for him to drink it!”

The second game at St Michael’s on Sunday is the 3pm kick-off between the Shamrocks Legends and Hoboken’s Over 36 side. A couple of injuries have interfered with Emmett Harvey’s preparations but with the Over 30s enjoying a weekend off, he has some opportunities to shore up the gaps.

“It was a tough loss last weekend and it didn’t help that it included injuries to some key players,”

“We play a Hoboken side who have strengthened over the winter break. So we are expecting a tough match, but we have put together a team which is more than capable of getting the right result.”

• Women’s win sets up Sirens showdown
• Over 30s denied by late penalty, move closer to league title
• Grogan looking ahead to Saturday’s big Irish Derby
• Pancyprians plunder the spoils at St Michael’s

It was a tough afternoon for the Shamrocks on Sunday at St Michaels where a 3-0 loss against league leaders Pancyprians kept Kevin Grogan’s side hovering just above the relegation zone.

Results elsewhere ensure the Shamrocks stay four points ahead of ninth-placed Polonia (they lost 4-0 at NYC Rovers) but Grogan said he was disappointed by the performance and called for his team to recover in time for next Saturday evening’s big Irish derby at Lansdowne.

“We deserved to lose the game,” admitted Grogan.

“We played our worst game of the season after playing so well last week in the first half against the Greeks. Consistency is king and we need to work hard on that aspect. We had no discipline in many ways today and that really disappointed me.

“There are four games left now and every point won or lost matters. The real characters need to come forward for us now. We can achieve our goal but we need everyone working together as a squad.”

The reserves also suffered a major blow, beaten 4-3 having led 3-1 thanks to goals from Colum McComish, Darren Coleman and Alex Wasilewski.

Colum McComish opened the scoring for the Rocks reserves

A win on Saturday allowed the Lansdowne reserves to leapfrog the Rocks into second – the top four will qualify for the play-offs  and fourth-placed NYC Rovers and firth-placed Westchester Eagles are within reach.

“It’s a game we should have won,” said Stevie Doyle. “But the heat took its toll and we ran out of steam. We will need everyone firing on all cylinders next Saturday because the game against Lansdowne is a must-win.”

Meanwhile, in the first game of the day, the Over 30s’ winning streak in the league came to an end but a 1-1 draw at CPR Grays kept Paddy Mc Carry’s men seven points clear at the top with three games to go.

Alex Berne scored early after good approach play but the Rocks couldn’t capitalize on that and were denied all three points late in the game when CPR were awarded a controversial penalty.

The Over 30s have a weekend off and now need just two wins from their three games in May in order to be assured of retaining the title.

“We took a step closer to the league title even though we were unlucky not to win,” said Mc Carry.

“We were unhappy with the penalty decision so that was very disappointing. But they needed to win and that didn’t happen so we’re set up nicely now.

“We did not play well in the first half but we were 1-0 up at half-time and we were much better in the second half so we would have deserved all three points.

“We’ll push on and pick up the points we need from our last three games. We don’t need to worry about anyone else bar ourselves – it’s a brilliant achievement to remain unbeaten this season and we will be looking to continue that.”

The women’s team also edged closer to a league title after an 8-0 win at Astoria.

A makeshift midfield performed brilliantly as Chloe Wheeler scored four, Sinead Hennessy grabbed two and there was a goal each for Amber Waery and Brittany Meade.

Chloe Wheeler added four more goals to her season tally

“It was a strong performance this week,” said coach Paddy Geraghty.

“The things we’ve worked on in training are starting to show and hopefully we’ll continue to improve.  We have our biggest game of the season next week and we know a win will put us in a great position.”

The late game on Sunday saw the Legends lose 4-2 at Manhattan Celtic with Johnny Keogh and Richie Brennan getting their names on the scoresheet.

“It’s always a tough game against Manhattan Celtic but it got even tougher at the start of the game when we only had 10 players,” said coach Emmett Harvey.

“Even with 10 players we played very well as a team but two injuries towards the end of the game left us short for the last 30 minutes.

“We actually missed a penalty and had a few chances so overall we did ourselves justice.”

Shamrocks 1960’s opponents failed to show up with enough players, forfeiting the game to the Metro 2 East leaders.

In Metro 2 West, Gottschee and Williamsburg continue to fight it out for the all-important top seed. Both teams won on Sunday and Gottschee remain just one point ahead of Williamsburg. The winners of each division will advance to June’s Metro 2 final.

• Grogan welcomes new signing Alejandro Fritz
• Reserves aim to keep pressure on NYAC
• First v second as Over 30s get set for CPR Grays challenge
• Leaders 1960 take on the Finest
• Women’s team return to action after weekend off

“Every game is a cup final now,” Shamrocks boss Kevin Grogan has pointed out ahead of Sunday’s tough St Michael’s assignment against the league leading Pancyprians (kick-off 3pm).

For the second time in the space of five weeks, the Rocks will have to work out a way past last season’s Division 1 runners-up who come into this game on the back of a hard fought 1-0 win over Lansdowne in the Manning Cup.

But Grogan has his own reason for confidence after a good League Cup quarter-final victory at the Greek Americans. The Pancyprians have slipped slightly since the league resumed – that last gasp draw they grabbed at home to the Rocks preceded a 1-0 away loss at Everton FC Westchester Eagles two weeks ago.

“We will have a very strong squad this weekend,” added Grogan. “We have five league games left and we need strength-in-depth from now until the end. We signed Alejandro Fritz this week and I’m delighted with that because he will be a great addition.”

The reserves game will be a chance for Stevie Doyle’s men to close the gap on top side NYAC who won’t be in action this weekend. The Rocks reserves have enjoyed two well deserved wins in a row, the former of which was also achieved at the expense of Sunday’s opponents.

With the Pancyprians going all out to deny Lansdowne a third title in a row, their reserves have suffered somewhat and haven’t won a game since the first weekend in October, ironically a 3-1 success over current leaders NYAC reserves.

Doyle has a full squad to choose from ahead of Sunday’s match and his players are fully focused on a third win in a row.

“The most pleasing thing is that we have tightened up considerably at the back with what is a very experienced defense,” said Doyle.

“We have added more quality both at midfield and up top so it’s a very rounded squad and I’m very pleased with our performances this side of the season. Three points is crucial at this stage in order to stay in the running.”

Meanwhile, in the earliest kick-off of the day, it will be first against second in the Over 30s Division with Paddy Mc Carry’s title holders facing CPR Grays in a game that will go a long way towards deciding the destination of this year’s league.

The Shamrocks hold a seven-point advantage over CPR but they have played a game more and Mc Carry said this week he is focused on turning the screw on their nearest challengers.

“Sunday is another massive game for us,” said coach Paddy Mc Carry.

“They’re second and they need to beat us but if we can prevent that, we are going to be very hard to catch. We’re missing Sean Riley up front but it is a full squad otherwise so I firmly believe they can do the business Sunday. Everyone of them want their title back and the chance to do the double is a big motivation. We did not play great last week – it will be a different story on Sunday.”

Metro 2 East leaders Shamrocks 1960 will take on struggling NY’s Finest later in the day at Flushing Meadow Park 5 (kick-off 5pm) and assistant coach Neil Mannion has promised his team are not looking past this one even as they edge closer to locking up the top seed in the play-offs.

NY’s Finest have just three wins so far – their last success coming at the start of December, a 2-1 away win at Metro City Fury.

“We certainly won’t be taking the opposition lightly,” said Mannion. “They will be trying to play the spoiler role so we’ll have to be ready for that eventuality.”

There will be a late kick-off for the Over 36s Irish derby when the Manhattan Celtic Masters host the Shamrocks Legends at Randalls Island Field 74 at 8pm.

Celtic are just a point ahead of the Rocks but Emmett Harvey’s men enjoyed a huge boost last week when beating CPR Legends 3-1 at St Michael’s.

“It was a brilliant performance and we are looking to continue that against a strong Manhattan Celtic side,” said Harvey. “We play well as a team and have a great squad and if we cut out some individual errors and take our chances we can finish high up in the table.”

Elsewhere, the Metro Women’s League leaders will travel to Brooklyn for a 1.30pm kick off against Queens rivals Astoria.

“They are a team that gave us a tough game earlier in the season when we beat them 2-1,” pointed out coach Paddy Geraghty. “We had a good training session on Tuesday and we’re ready to continue our good run. A win will set us up nicely for the run-in.”