28-04-2025
Five-star Duleek on the rise as they see off Meath neighbours
DULEEK 5
Premier Division
DULEEK moved up to second in the Premier Division with this thumping win away to Parkvilla on Friday night.
It was very much a performance reminiscent of Duleek when they were in the First Division last season, with Dylan O'Boyle having a hand in four of the five goals at Claremont Stadium.
Parkvilla had only lost once previously in all competitions this season, that coming in the Leinster Junior Cup, but Duleek hit the front on 18 minutes when Matthew Noone picked out Josh O'Reilly who scored his first Premier Division goal for the club.
Two minutes later Bobby Brady and O'Boyle combined for the latter to score his seventh goal of the campaign in total.
Brady was dominating the right wing and was proving to be a fulcrum for a lot of Duleek's early attacks. He went on to score Duleek's third goal on 27 minutes when, with a reverse of the second, O'Boyle supplied the pass for Brady to smash home.
Jayden Clarke was industrious and he was unlucky not to get his name on the scoresheet. He met a cross with a sweet headed connection, but his effort smashed back off the post with the Parkvilla keeper rooted to the spot.
Duleek were very much on top at this stage, with Parkvilla struggling to get into the game, but the hosts did pull one back on the half-hour mark when Jonathan Clear was beaten by a well-struck shot.
The teams then exchanged goals as Brady restored Duleek's three-goal lead for all of four minutes, before Parkvilla made it 4-2.
That was the score at half-time, but just four minutes into the second-half Duleek added a fifth. O'Boyle put O'Reilly through and he duly secured his brace for the evening.
It looked as if Duleek would add more to their total. Having made his first-team debut the previous week, Tom Reilly came on for the final half-hour in central midfield and put in a good performance.
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Duleek almost netted a sixth goal in the closing stages as substitute Karl Dyas cut in from the left and let fly, but his dipping shot hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced away to safety.
Duleek are on the road again this coming Friday night as they return to Dundalk to face Bellurgan United in the last 16 of the Kilmessan Shield.
Bryan Murphy's side will be hoping to avenge their recent 3-2 defeat at the hands of the in-form Cooley Peninsula side in the league.
Duleek: Jonathan Clear, Ben Boyce (Sean Kennedy), James Traynor, Eoin Tierney, Robbie Daly, Jamie McCarthy, Bobby Brady, Matthew Noone (Tom Reilly), Dylan O'Boyle (Cormac McGroggan), Josh O'Reilly (Karl Dyas), Jayden Clarke.
