• Grogan “extremely proud” after courageous showing at Lansdowne
• Over 30s end the year unbeaten in the league throughout 2015
• Rocks 1960 stay top of Metro 2 after win against Beyond FC

Kevin Grogan described himself as “extremely proud” of his Shamrocks side after they succumbed 1-0 to Lansdowne on Saturday night in the Irish Derby at Tibbett’s Brook Park.

The Rocks were reduced to ten men after just 20 minutes after an Anthony Grant goal but never gave up and threatened to sneak a draw thought an exciting second half played in a great spirit.

Captains Darren Freeman and Sean Kelly pictured with the referee prior to the Irish Derby on Saturday night. Picture: John Riordan

“It was a very competitive game and I’m extremely proud of how our players conducted themselves against the league champions,” said Grogan.

“The game was played in a professional manner by both teams. We have personal goals for the season and we are getting better all the time.

“We are a new squad in the top league after a 10-year absence. Every game is a learning curve for our players.”

Captain Darren Freeman firing up the team huddle before the Irish Derby on Saturday night. Picture: John Riordan

Meanwhile, the weakened Rocks reserves who were missing several key players pushed their opponents well but eventually lost 3-1.

Mustafa Alobeidy’s first half goal drew the teams level at 1-1, his first for the club since joining in November.

Meanwhile on Sunday, the Over 30s rounded out a banner year with a 10-0 win against Megas Alexandros at Randall’s Island.

The victory meant that Paddy Mc Carry’s CSL champions went unbeaten in the league throughout 2015, recording 16 wins and just one draw.

It was a farewell game to Danny Parkin who moves to Texas after 18 superb months at the club. We wish him all the best.

Club President Sean Mc Mullan bidding farewell to Danny Parkin who has spent 18 superb months at the club. Picture: John Riordan

“A superb achievement,” said Mc Carry. “We have put together a great squad and we’re playing excellent football. It’s a credit to the players for how well they have applied themselves in every game.

“I want to pay special tribute to Danny Parkin who was excellent throughout his time here. His contribution won’t be forgotten!”

The win over Megas inevitably brought with it another Sean Riley hat trick which began with a superb volley to make it 1-0 after 10 minutes.

An Alex Berne header two minutes later was followed by goals from Shawn Baron and Tayfun Gokmen to make it 4-0 at the break.

The Rocks never relented and Paddy Geraghty headed home from a brilliant Gokmen corner after 55 minutes and then the roles were reversed ten minutes later when Gokmen finished well after a Geraghty pass.

Berne scored his second with 70 minutes elapsed and then Riley scored a quick brace, the first of which was a brilliant lob from the halfway line.

Geraghty made it 10-0 with ten minutes to go to complete the tenth win of the season, one that assures a six-point lead at the top of the league going into Spring.

Rocks 1960 will also be leaders when action resumes thanks to their 4-0 win in their Metro 2 win over Beyond Metro.

Dave Harvey’s brilliant first half free settled the Rocks who took some time to control the game.

Goalkeeper Nick Meola set up his brother Dan to make it 2-0 early in the second half and goals from Hughie McGowan and Ciaran Moloney saw out the victory.

“We’re looking forward to resuming as league leaders,” said assistant coach Neil Mannion.

“We’ll enjoy the break but we’ll be very keen to push on from here because there are plenty tough games ahead.”

Elsewhere on Sunday, the Legends were beaten 5-1 by league leading Cozmos in Brooklyn.

Paddy Geraghty – who was playing in his third game in less than 24 hours – scored an excellent goal in the first half to take the lead but the class of Cozmos shone through as they dominated the second half against a threadbare Legends side which lost Ger Shivnan to injury before half-time.

“The guys gave everything today against the best team in the league ,” said assistant coach Eoin Sweeney. “Ultimately we want to beat these teams. And we are headed in the right direction.”

It will be Queens versus the Bronx in this weekend’s hotly anticipated Irish Derby – the first Shamrocks/Lansdowne game in over a decade.

Two-time Cosmopolitan Soccer League champions, the Lansdowne Bhoys, will host the Shamrocks at Tibbetts Brook Park on Saturday evening (8pm and 6pm) in what will be a return to the former stomping ground of Rocks coach Kevin Grogan.

Lansdowne are undefeated in the league but are coming into this one on the back of a Fricker Open Cup defeat to Westchester.

Shamrocks, meanwhile, will be looking to bounce back from their State Cup exit at the hands of Port Jefferson who advanced on penalties last Sunday, just a few days after being beaten 5-2 by Lansdowne in the Fricker Open Cup semi-final.

“It’s a great opportunity for our team to compete against the league champions,” Grogan told NYShamrockSC.com. “We are underdogs so there is no pressure on us. We don’t have any fear going into this game. It will be a good benchmark for our future.”

The curtain raising reserves game is all set to be a tight game with both teams locked in second position on 18 points after six wins and two losses.

“When we got promoted to division one this year, the first fixture we all looked at was this one,” said coach Stevie Doyle. “It will bring a lot for excitement to both teams. We have done very well so far with only two losses as have our opponents. We will be missing a few starters this weekend but we have had a strong squad all year and I’m expecting it to be close and intense.”

Meanwhile, Sunday will bring the curtain down on 2015 with three big games for the Rocks.

Most significantly, Paddy Mc Carry’s Over 30s can finish the year without a single league defeat.

They take on struggling Megas Alexandros at Randalls Island and will be hoping to maintain their six-point lead at the top of the league (Field 73 – 8am).

It will also be midfielder Danny Parkin’s last game for the club before he moves to Texas.

“It’s the last game of the first half of the season and we really want the three points to stay at the top of the league with a bit of breathing room,” said Mc Carry.

“Second play fourth this weekend so somebody will be dropping points. We just have to take care of our business.

“I have almost a full squad to choose from – we’re only missing two players. We have had a great first half of the season and we are almost perfect with eight wins and a draw. So three points is a must.

“It has been always about retaining our league title from day one and the players have been fantastic in their commitment all season. Sunday will be no different.”

League leading Rocks 1960 will take on Beyond FC Metro, the side they beat in the opening game of the season (Randalls Island 72 – 12pm).

Beyond managed a surprise 1-0 league win against AO Brooklyn last Sunday having not won since the beginning of December so the Rocks will be on their guard as they try to recover from last week’s tough penalties loss to Gottschee in the State Cup.

“This is the ideal way to bounce back,” said assistant coach Neil Mannion. “But we won’t be taking Beyond lightly because the win against them back in September was extremely hard fought.”

Elsewhere, the Legends face a tough task in Brooklyn where there they take on league leading Cozmoz (Bush Terminal Park – 2pm).

The Legends won at the same venue in their last game which was back before Thanksgiving and have strengthened since they lost to Cozmoz back in September.

“They are a talented team and we will need to be a little tighter at the back this time around,” said coach Emmett Harvey. “But we are looking forward to taking them on and we’d like to try and catch them off guard.”

Three days to go to the IRISH DERBY in the Bronx and some great build-up in today’s Irish Echo!

Great to see women’s team stars Kailey Walsh, Sinead Hennessy and Paige Osborne also featured!

MANNING CUP QUARTER-FINAL
NY Shamrocks 0 Port Jefferson 0
Port Jefferson win 5-4 on penalties

STRUMPF CUP ROUND OF 16
Gottschee 2 Shamrocks 2
Gottschee win 4-1 on penalties

It was a tough Sunday in the State Cup for the Shamrocks as they found themselves knocked out of both the Manning and Strumpf Cups after agonizing penalty shoot outs.

The first team took on top Long Island side Port Jefferson in the first of a Randalls Island double header but the tense scoreless draw ended badly in a 5-4 penalty shoot out defeat.

The Rocks had dominated the 90 minutes but couldn’t find a way through. That trend continued with the first penalty of the shootout which Sean Reilly failed to convert.

The Rocks were flawless after that, Michael McGreevy, Darren Freeman, Zach Gosse and Chuong Tran all hitting the net but Port Jefferson always had the edge and advanced to the semi-finals.

“We dominated the game but we lacked the composure in the final third,” said coach Kevin Grogan.

“We are building a team and squad and everything is a learning curve for these players.

“We have a short and long term plan and we are moving in the right direction. A special thanks and well done to James ‘Scouse’ Wright, our stand-in goalkeeper today for a fantastic display and a great attitude towards the club.

“We have the biggest game of the season next week and we are buzzing for the challenge.”

Meanwhile the Rocks 1960 were very unfortunate in their 2-2 draw against fellow Metro 2 divisional leaders Gottschee, conceding a late goal to send the game to a penalty shoot out.

A brilliant Dave Harvey brace had the Rocks in control from early in the first half but Gottschee scored leveled in injury time after having opened the scoring early on.

Neil Mannion scored his penalty and Robbie O’Neill saved brilliantly but it wasn’t enough as Gottschee advanced to the quarter-finals, allowing the Rocks to defend their Saunders Cup in the Spring.

“We’re obviously devastated to lose in that fashion,” said Mannion. “But we’ll regroup and look to finish on a high note next weekend before the winter break. It’s not about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and get back up.”

MANNING CUP QUARTER-FINAL
NY Shamrocks v Port Jefferson (Randall’s Island Field 90 – 12pm)

STRUMPF CUP ROUND OF 16
Gottschee v Shamrocks 1960 (Randall’s Island Field 74 – 2pm)

There will be a welcome return to competitive action on Sunday with two huge State Cup games at Randall’s Island for the Shamrocks.

The exciting double header gets underway at noon on Field 90 where Port Jefferson will visit from Long Island for a Manning Cup quarter-final showdown with Kevin Grogan’s men.

The Rocks will be hoping to bounce back from a league defeat at Manhattan Celtic two weeks ago ahead of next weekend’s big Irish Derby at Lansdowne.

“Port Jefferson are the top Long Island team at the moment,” said Grogan.

“They’re a lively team who have beat many Cosmopolitan teams so we understand the challenge.

“We have a strong squad so we will be well prepared for the game. The league is our bread and butter but it’s a nice chance for me to squad rotate before the big league game next week against Lansdowne.”

Meanwhile in the Strumpf Cup, Gottschee will host Shamrocks 1960 on Field 74 at 2pm in a Queens derby, directly after the first team game allowing supporters to attend both games.

Rocks 1960 are on a wave of positivity after going top of the league in Metro 2 but assistant coach Neil Mannion will not be taking the Greek outfit lightly.

“We realize this will be our biggest test of the season, a clash of two heavyweights where East meets West,” said Mannion.

“It’s a win or go home situation where no quarter will be given or taken but we’ll leave everything on the pitch as we always do. We’re looking forward to it.”

Courtesy of Sarah Thorenton