Limerick Lawson Cup 2012/13

**AlanOB** · 26/05/2013, 3:14 PM

Carew Park 1-3 Janesboro

A richly deserved victory today for Janesboro with a star performance from striker Shane Clarke.

Both sides set out initially in 4-4-2 shapes. Carew made one change from the side that drew 1-1 with Pike last Sunday - Brian Ahern in on the right of midfield for the injured Jamie O'Sullivan. Boro had David Donnan in an unfamiliar right back role, with Healy and Hurley in the middle, and Lynch partnering Clarke upfront.

With only minutes on the clock Boro should have been one up. A free kick developed into a close range chance for Conor Lynch. He put it wide. From there the first half settled into a pattern. Carew had more possession in benign areas but were unable to work it forward through midfield. Both Boro midfielders are naturally defensive players and they did an excellent job of preventing the Boyle brothers from linking the play. Boro won the ball in the middle third on numerous occasions and if the final ball had been right they could have created some good opportunities on the break. This was the downside of having a midfield configured in such a fashion. The insistence on having Clarke drop off and Lynch play on the shoulder didn't help matters either.

Still Boro created some half chances. Clarke had a shot in the box where he looked to bend it into the corner around right full Donnan. Waters also had an effort from outside the box. Carew on the other hand had only one shot on goal in the first half, a blocked shot from Pa Boyle - a testament to how difficult Boro were making it for them.

Second half, Carew started with far more urgency and had a spell in the first five minutes during which they really should have opened the scoring. First, centre back Lee O'Mara (who was excellent on the day) slipped, allowing Connery in on the edge of the area. He opted to shoot instead of square. Glasheen held. Then moments later, Connery had another chance. Brian Ahern worked a crossing opportunity on the right (a rare occurence for Carew - both wide men were poor). Connery beat his man to put in a fine glancing header, which produced a fantastic diving save from Glasheen in the Boro goal. Almost immediately, Jonathan Grant also had an effort in the box which glanced the bar before going over.

Boro weathered the storm however, and from there the game settled into the same broad pattern as the first half - Boro preventing Carew from working it forward and countering with pace. This time however, the counter attacks were much more effective. First Shane Waters received the ball on the right flank. He did brilliantly to skin left full Kett. Somers was unable to cut out the cross. Lynch layed it off at the near post. Clarke struck home from the centre of the box. 0-1.

The second goal came from a ball over the top, misjudged by centre back Mark Slattery. Waters had come in from the right, anticipating this. He delivered a nice ball into the inside left channel for Lynch to run onto. Lynch delivered a lovely cut back for the onrushing Clarke, for his second assist of the game and Clarke's second goal. A perfect counter attack.

Carew then made two substitutions with about 15 minutes to go, neither of which made much sense. Pa Boyle was removed for Cyril Maher. Pa was poor on the day but when you need two goals it seems odd to remove such an able set-piece operator for a broadly defensive player. Kett was also removed for Robert Brock, the latter going to left mid with Somers moved back to left full. Somers was used similarly in the latter stages of the home league game against Boro recently, and he struggled (understandably) with Waters that day. Here again he was facing the young winger. No change of shape for Carew at this point. Soon after, centre half Slattery was booked for a late challenge on Clarke, and as such he was shifted out to right full with Gary Griffin moving inside.

Minute later, Boro should have been 3-0 up. A brilliant Shane Clarke cross from the right was met with a diving header from strike partner Conor Lynch. Stewart saved brilliantly but he could only parry out to the centre of the area where Adrian Healy was waiting. Somehow he put his strike over.

Eventually the third arrived however. A throw in on the left was collected by Shane Clarke. He turned Ahern wonderfully before delivering a deft cross, which was turned in by Waters, unmarked at the back post.

Now Carew changed shape, with only minutes left. Steven Grant came on for Ahern and they went 4-3-3. They managed to grab a consolation in the dying moments - Brock forcing in a Connery cross after a Glasheen fumble.

A deserved win for Janesboro. They defended brilliantly, preventing Carew from working the ball into the final third, before counter attacking with pace. Shane Clarke showed what he's made of - demonstrating pace, power, technique and killer finishing. The question has to be asked - why hasn't this guy made it at a higher level? Perhaps his decision making with regard to positioning in the first half might go some way to providing an answer to that, an issue I've flagged numerous times in my reports. He's an outstanding number 9 and should play as such.

Carew on the other hand, will be stunned by how easily they were blunted as an attacking force. The absence of O'Sullivan was certainly a factor as both wide midfielders were not in the game. Grant possibly could have dropped deeper more often to provide a passing option as the Boyles were finding it very difficult to work the ball forward. Credit to Healy and Hurley in that regard.

Carew Park (4-4-2): Stewart; Griffin, Slattery, Keane, Kett (Brock); Ahern (S. Grant), P. Boyle (Maher), J. Boyle, Somers; J. Grant, Connery
Janesboro (4-4-2): Glasheen; Donnan, O'Mara, McGarry, Harkin; Waters, Hurley (Quigley), Healy, Nash; Lynch (McMarlow), Clarke

**CraftyToePoke** · 26/05/2013, 3:32 PM

Lovely Alan, lovely report.

And indeed even if every name in it is wrong, what matters ? I'll never know or be any the wiser. Where else is a guy in England going to read about this match in such splendid detail.

Keep it up.

**AlanOB** · 26/05/2013, 3:52 PM

Cheers. Usually I only get about two thirds of the names wrong to be fair. Sure I don't even go to the games half the time!

**Fairkop** · 26/05/2013, 3:57 PM

handy lawson for boro ,carew were terrible offered nothing on the day ,cant remember a decent effort of theirs for 50 or 60 mins.boro far more hungry and could have scored more,clarke was at his best all game.surprised the carew sideline did not make changes early on as it looked some of their players way off the pace of the game.small enough crowd too.