WICKLOW ROVERS AFC CLUB NOTES WEEK ENDING 8th JANUARY 2023

There were two big cup games at junior level in the club last weekend and we had mixed fortunes. It was hard luck to our under 11's who exited the National cup on Saturday, they had to don their blue kit as they entertained the Portlaoise boys in green in what turned out to be an enthralling battle between two talented sides at Whitegates in round four. Rovers nearly opened the scoring in the first minute when Alessio Coppola broke down the left wing and forced the Portlaoise keeper to produce a fine save and parry the ball to one of his defenders to clear for a corner. The corner was defended well and after that these two teams really got stuck into each other in a tough but fairly contested enthralling battle. Defences were coming out on top in the first half but in one rare breach of the Rovers rear guard, keeper Ben Morrissey was there to ensure that the teams came in 0-0 at half time. Chances were few and far between as the second half continued with Jack Collins unlucky not to put Rovers one up from a corner. Portlaoise came at Rovers and created a few chances but in the main the Rovers defence held firm until a Portlaoise midfielder picked up the ball just inside the Rovers half and struck a lovely shot past the despairing Matthew Gough to win the match for Portlaoise with only minutes left on the clock. So, it was heart break for our boys in blue, but they will take great pride in reaching this stage of the competition. There was absolutely nothing between these two teams on the day and the match could have went either way. We wish Portlaoise the very best of luck in the competition and hopefully our paths can cross again to produce another highly entertaining encounter. Hard luck lads and well done on a great cup run. Congratulations to our under 12A team who travelled to take on Suncroft AFC in the fourth round of the under 13 SFAI National cup on Saturday and returned home to Wicklow with their place booked in the open draw after a tough 1-0 victory. The journey proved tough on the lads as they started off very sluggish in the first half and took their time to get a foothold in the game. Slowly the lads came into the game, but they couldn’t break a good Suncroft team down. After words of wisdom from Mo and Czwaz at half time the lads started to play a lot better in the second period, moving the ball much better but just couldn’t find an opening. Ben O’Leary and Tommy Morrissey were fantastic throughout the entire game with the rest of the lads all upping their game in a fantastic second half performance. Richie Carton was the goal hero with a great strike with ten minutes left on the clock to send the Rovers supporters wild. This was to signal a late onslaught from the home side, but Rovers were valiant in defending from there on in. They still had to thank Sam Czwalina who made a fine save from a vicious strike in the dying minutes. This was an excellent away victory for the lads to book their spot in the open draw and their place in the semi-final of the South Leinster Region. Well done lads. Everyone at the club would like to wish Ryan Cox and Tiernan Shortall a speedy recovery from injuries they sustained recently, the team missed you today and hope to have you both back on the playing field very soon. Big thanks to Suncroft for a very competitive game and we wish you the very best of luck going forward.

Congratulations to Colum Reade who was the winner of our January 50/50 draw picking up a cheque for €232.50, unluckily for Colum he missed out on the bonus ball jackpot of €3,100 to top up his winnings when his bonus ball number 22 let him down. It means our bonus ball jackpot now increases to €3,200 for the February draw. Tickets are on sale for our 50/50 draw on a continuous basis. The draw will have a guaranteed monthly winner, who will also have the chance to win a Jackpot prize by predicting the Bonus Ball Number in the main Irish Lottery draw that will take place the day after the winner is announced. The cost of a ticket is only €5, and you can buy as many tickets as you like. You can also subscribe to a monthly payment option, so that you won’t forgot to enter into the draw each month!!. The Jackpot prize is €3,200 for our February draw and will go up by a minimum of €100 per month if not won. The next draw will take place on Tuesday 7th of February. It will be streamed live at 8pm on the club Facebook page. Tickets will be available to purchase online via our club shop website www.wicklowroversclubshop.com on an ongoing basis, you can also purchase your tickets by contacting any committee member or any club member. Any questions, please contact us at wrafcshop@gmail.com Many thanks from the Wicklow Rovers fundraising committee.

The executive committee of Wicklow Rovers AFC would like to wish our managers, assistant managers, coaches, players, our academy participants, parents, sponsors, supporters of the club and our friends in sport a very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year. We would also like to wish a Happy New Year to all the clubs, WDSL committee, WDFL committee, LSL committee, MGL committee, referees, Brendan Lawrence and all the staff of the Wicklow People. Happy New Year to one and all.

The club’s annual AGM will take place on Wednesday the 18th of January in the clubhouse at Whitegates. It will start at 7.30pm sharp and we request members to attend. The AGM will start at 7.30 sharp so please try to be early, thank you.