WICKLOW ROVERS AFC CLUB NOTES WEEK ENDING 6th AUGUST 2023

Congratulations to our youths A team who claimed the youths league title after a nail-biting playoff victory over Shillelagh B in Shamrock Park on Sunday morning. It was Shillelagh who were out of the traps the quickest racing into a 2-0 lead. Rovers showed great character to pull one back before the break with a beautiful left foot strike from Lorcan Sinnott. The second half saw a lot of play around the middle third with neither side creating a chance of note. With fifteen minutes remaining it was Lorcan Sinnott who dragged Rovers level with another good finish.  It seemed Rovers had the momentum, but Shillelagh had other ideas and they went close on a couple of occasions. It was on to extra time, and it was Shillelagh who hit the front when they were awarded a penalty in the first period of extra time, Eoin Doyle saved the spot kick, but Shillelagh were quickest to react to tuck away the rebound. To Rovers credit they never gave up and it was that man Lorcan Sinnott who fired home his hat-trick to level matters in the last minute to send the match to the dreaded penalty shootout. The quality of penalties from both sides were of the top standard with Rovers running out 5-3 winners. On the day everyone played their part but there were a few stand out performers on the day, Jack Macklin who was always cool on the ball among the hustle and bustle finding his team mates with some lovely passes, Cormac Waldron was superb at right back throughout, Keelan Darcy ran himself into the ground in the middle of the park and then there was Lorcan Sinnott who dragged Rovers back into the game when they looked dead and buried, his clinical hat-trick was top drawer stuff and his overall contribution was second to none. Hard luck to Shillelagh who played their part in an excellent exciting playoff that could have gone either way. Congratulations to Trevor, Decky and the lads on a great win, well done everyone.

Just a reminder to everyone our main pitch at Whitegates will be closed to all activities from August 1st and will be closed for 4 to 6 weeks. This is to facilitate repair work to the pitch as it requires urgent attention, the work has now commenced, and we are installing a hybrid surface in the goalmouth areas as well. Ongoing work will not affect the use of the Astro pitch, sorry for any inconvenience.

The venue for our Saturday morning junior academy will change as a result of the maintenance work been carried out on the main pitch at Whitegates. The club’s weekly junior football academy will continue every Saturday morning [weather permitting] under the watchful eye of senior club coaches Johnny Dunne and Jimmy Nolan but for the month of August it will take place just up the road from Whitegates at East Glendalough Secondary School. The academy is open to all kids from the age of 3 years to 8 years. The academy starts at 11 o’clock and finishes at 12. There is no need for registration so you can come along to any week that suits. Come along and learn the skills of football while having fun and enjoyment, it’s a great way of meeting new friends as you learn the skills as you get prepared for the introduction to participate in organised league football in the coming years. It is a very good way for the kids to meet new friends and interact with others, all the kids are put in their relevant age groups and its open to boys and girls. Everyone is welcome to attend. The club would like to thank East Glendalough School for helping us out while our pitch is undergoing maintenance work, your help in these circumstances is very much appreciated, thank you.

Also, the club in conjunction with our Saturday morning junior academy run a Superheroes Football section for kids with special needs. It runs every Saturday on the astro pitch at Whitegates and will be overseen by coaches James Quinn and James Macklin. The Superheroes section will run from 11.15 to 12.15 on Saturdays. If you are interested, you should register your child by email to wicklowroverssuperheros@gmail.com or you can contact James Quinn at 086-3989769. The ongoing maintenance work on the main pitch will not affect the Superheroes or any other Astro pitch activities.

The club are currently seeking a manager/coach for our Wicklow League team. Anyone interested in the position should apply to our club secretary by emailing their expression of interest to wicklowroverssecretary@gmail.com. Closing date for applications is Sunday 13th of August.

Just to let everyone know our online shop is now reopened for orders, all orders for club gear should be sent to Corinna as normal, thank you.

Anyone with anything for our club notes, Facebook page or our club website can contact me by email at jimmy.nolan09@hotmail.com or by text to 087-9108706. For all news regarding the club, check out our club website at www.wicklowroversafc.com or the club Facebook page.