*Newmarket Celtic’s Eoin Hayes. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
NEWMARKET CELTIC have moved closer to league glory with an Eoin Hayes hat-trick pushing them seven points clear of their nearest rivals.
Newmarket Celtic 4
Tulla Utd 1
Venue: McDonough Memorial Park, Newmarket-on-Fergus
Hayes’ hat-trick has put them on the brink of league success and ended Avenue Utd’s chances of winning three Premier Division titles in a row.
With one game left to play, Celtic are on forty one points at the top of the table, Avenue have two fixtures remaining and are on thirty four points while still in the hunt are Bridge Utd in third on thirty points who have three ties to fulfil. This Sunday, Bridge host Avenue where a win for the visitors would crown Celtic league champions.
McDonough Memorial Park this season has once again illustrated that it is a remarkable venue and in immaculate condition as it has been one of the few pitches able to withstand all conditions. The sun was shining in Newmarket-on-Fergus but the chilly breeze didn’t deter the hosts from getting the job done which they effectively did by half time.
Following the disappointment of exiting the Cup to Avenue Utd on Saturday evening after extra time, Tulla Utd made six changes to their starting eleven and their backline was much weaker which Newmarket duly exploited.
Right winger Nathan Boaventura came close to breaking the deadlock after just four minutes, Harvey Cullinan cleared from defence, Eoin Hayes linked up with Liam O’Connor who put the winger through but the change went abegging.
On three occasions within the opening fifteen minutes, Newmarket netminder Shane Cusack was on hand to catch crosses or headers from Tulla attacks, none of which unduly tested him.
At the other end, Simon Kilker was also alert, he pounced from his line to stop a flick from Boaventura getting past him and this launched the move for one of their best chances of the evening when a Darragh Baker volley was stopped by Cusack.
From defence to attack, Newmarket moved from Cusack all the way to the opposing net with Boaventura flicking the ball onto Eoin Hayes, he tore into the box as three Tulla defenders tracked back and finished from an acute angle to the back of Kilker’s net.
Baker had another effort for Tulla at the other end, Ian Macnamara’s shot was blocked and fell into his path but he blazed over in the next attack.
Darragh Leahy was beginning to have an influence on proceedings and Fionn Ryan was fortunate to only see yellow when he was last man back and took down Leahy.
Kilker made successive saves from Hayes and Leahy but there was nothing he could do to keep out an exceptional strike from Hayes which was a bullet to the top right corner of the net on twenty five minutes.
By the half hour mark, Newmarket struck for their third goal. Leahy provided the assist for Boaventura and after the goal managed to quieten the Tulla sideline.
Before the interval, Tulla pulled a goal back. Callum Casey’s shot hit the post and ricocheted off Cusack for a corner which Éanna Culloo took and it was headed to the net by Daragh Corry.
Making his presence known ahead of the game’s resumption, referee Brian Punch cleared supporters from the far of the Scoil na Maighdine Mhuire sideline. The official incorrectly denied Tulla a corner on the hour mark, once members of the East Clare management voiced their frustrations on this, Punch took further action, issuing yellow cards to manager Mike Moloney and mentor Aidan Sheedy before then giving Sheedy a red card for his troubles.
There was further criticism for Punch but from the opposing side when a Dean Hegarty strike looked to have the net but spectators closest to the goal maintained that the right call was made by the referee in not allowing the goal.
On seventy five minutes, Hayes completed his hat-trick when finishing off after Cathal Cullinan had crossed the ball to the danger man. It’s the first hat-trick of the season for the experienced Hayes who continues to be the most influential outfield player for the Newmarket-on-Fergus side.
Far superior of the two sides, Newmarket Celtic were deserving winners. Hayes was the headline star with Tadhg Noonan, Conor McDaid and Liam O’Connor also performing well.
Tulla’s season seems to be stumbling to a halt, had they been able to see out a game they would be still be firmly in the mix for honours in the Cup. They lost Ian Macnamara to injury for the final twenty five minutes, joining the already injured Dan Withycombe on the sideline.
Video by Morgan Mescal
Newmarket Celtic: Shane Cusack; Liam O’Connor, Tadhg Noonan, Harvey Cullinan, Cathal Cullinan; Jack Kelly, Conor McDaid; Nathan Boaventura, Dean Hegarty; Eoin Hayes; Darragh Leahy.
Subs: David McCarthy for Boaventura (63), Kieran Mahony for Hayes (77), Kelvin Mulqueen for Leahy (81), Éanna Crimmins for O’Connor (89), Cian McDonough for Kelly (89).
Tulla Utd: Simon Kilker; Fionn Ryan, Adam McNamara, Glen McNamara, Éanna Culloo; Ian Macnamara; Ayoub Aguerram; Frankie O’Sullivan, Darragh Baker, Callum Casey, Daragh Corry.
Subs: Jack McSweeney for I Macnamara (66), Ray Bane for Corry (78), Cormac Hale for Baker (83), Craig McNamara for Aguerram (85), D Gunning for C McNamara (88)
Referee: Brian Punch
