Wicklow Rovers U14C hosted St Anthony's U14B at Whitegates Wednesday evening. Following their entertaining 3-3 draw earlier in the season, this promised to be a tight and competitive fixture. True to form, there was little to separate the teams, but it was the visitors who ultimately left with the three points in a result that felt intensely harsh on the determined Rovers side.

The match started brightly, with Rovers showing early attacking promise and crafting opportunities that should have secured them an opening advantage. However, neither team could break the deadlock in a closely contested first half.

The game burst into life shortly after the restart, when a misplaced clearance gifted St Anthony's the opening goal, leaving goalkeeper Loukas Karamalis with absolutely no chance to prevent the opener.

Rovers immediately regrouped and pushed hard for an equalizer, which soon arrived thanks to a determined team effort. A powerful long throw-in from Callum O'Flaherty was flicked on skillfully by Locky Mathews, setting up Cayden O’Malley who made no mistake in dispatching the ball into the net to level the score at 1-1.

With momentum swinging their way, Rovers dominated the next period, creating a flurry of chances as they hunted for a winner, but they were repeatedly let down by the crucial final finish.

The decisive moment arrived as the clock ticked down towards full-time, yielding a controversial winner for St Anthony’s. A ball was played in from the left flank into the Rover box, where two St Anthony's players appeared to be offside. One of the players then diverted the ball past the unfortunate Karamalis. Despite passionate appeals from the Rovers players for a handball, the referee awarded the goal, putting the visitors 2-1 up.

Rovers continued to battle fiercely, carving out further opportunities to snatch an equalizer, but their finishing woes persisted until the final whistle. While the defeat stings, the large crowd in attendance was treated to a highly entertaining game of football. A draw would undoubtedly have been the fairer outcome for the Rovers lads, who genuinely gave everything they had on the night.

Notable performances on the evening were delivered by Locky Mathews, Callum O'Flaherty, the reliable Charlie O'Neill, and the goalscorer Cayden O'Malley. Big thank you to the U13 players again this week, who gained more match experience. They have helped keep this team going this season.

Well done to St Anthony's and thank you for a competitive and exciting game.