Joey Byrne rolled back the years with a spectacular left foot volley (and his first of the season) after just 5 minutes, to put us ahead in this Challenge Cup game in Sean Walsh Astro, before Pavee equalised in the 30th minute, but that was the end of their scoring!
Paddy Cook (pic.) then took over with a hat-trick for VEC, scoring his first in the 42nd minute and adding two more in the 60th & 72nd minutes. In between, Andy Hooke scored in the 70th minute and then impact sub. ‘Swannie’ Sweeney banged in two more in the final 10 minutes, when the opposition had effectively thrown in the towel. Next up in the Challenge Cup is Larkview 3rds at home.

With just 13 fit players, and having lost one through injury after only 10 minutes, we certainly had our backs to the wall for large periods of this first game of the season against fellow newcomers to the 2025-26 Premier Division, St. Mary’s Sandyford. But when Paddy Cook skillfully evaded three challenges before crossing for Swannie Sweeney to score the only goal of the game in the 32nd minute, we defended magnificently, denying the visitors any chance of an equalizer, despite endless pressure.

Conor Lewis beat 2 defenders down the right and sent a bullet of a shot to the roof of the net, just 15 seconds into this Shield game in VEC against Harding FC 2nds. We then missed a penalty in the 26th minute, and paid for it, as the visitors equalised mid-way through the 2nd half. However, we won the penalty shoot-out 5-4 to gain an extra point in this round-robin Shield competition.

3 magnificent saves in the penalty shoot-out in Albert College by VEC Keeper Colin Power ensured that VEC FC progressed to the quarter-finals of the Richard Knight Cup, after the teams had finished level at 1-1 after 90 mins. and after extra-time.

Pat Meghen’s penalty in the 4th minute had us leading up to the 38th minute when Shelbourne AFC equalised. While we had the better chances thereafter, there were no further goals. However, we eventually advanced – winning the shoot-out 6-5. More details & 2 saves here.

VEC recorded a well-deserved league win against Glasnaion FC on a bumpy Johnstown Park pitch to go 7 points clear at the top of Division 1, with just 3 games remaining. The only goal of the first-half was scored in the 12th minute by that man Paddy Cook (his 10th in the last 7 games), but we exerted our supremacy in the second-half, when firstly skipper Shane O’Connor’s bullet header from a Jeff De Castro corner kick rattled the net in the 54th minute; followed by a Pat Meghen strike 10 minutes later after a home team defensive howler. Then Joey Byrne put the game beyond Glasnaion’s reach with a lovely near-post shot (pic.) in the 70th minute, before manager Keith Moloney emptied the bench as VEC coasted to victory. The only ‘blemish’ from our point of view, was conceding a goal with literally the last kick of the game. See League Table

This was VEC’s 5th goal and Neill Love’s first of the season when this spectacular overhead kick hit the back of the net in the 75th minute. The real drama commenced straight from the kick off when Pat Meghen pounced on a Coolock Village FC defensive howler to open the scoring within the first 10 seconds, in what must be a record in VEC and possibly the League! [Too quick even for the cameraman to capture it].
8 minutes later, we were 2-0 up when Ronan Murphy scored his first of the season and then further goals from Conor Lewis and Paddy Cook in the 57th and 65th minutes sealed this comprehensive win for VEC in Terenure, and puts us 5 points clear at the top of the Division 1 league table.