A STRIKE of true quality from Rathnew's Polish striker Marius Gardjan inflicted a first league defeat of the season on title chasing Glenview FC on Sunday.

Rathnew, Wicklow Cup champions last year, have made a surprisingly poor start to the first half of the season but the Villagers will be hoping that this deserved win courtesy of Gardjans first-half effort will kickstart their season.

The Pole's goal, which came in the 33rd minute, arrived after Glenview had failed to deal with a long ball from the back. It broke fortuitously for Gardjan and although there may have been seem good fortune in the run up to the goal, there was nothing lucky about the striker's finish when he lashed the ball home first time from 20 yards, leaving Glenview goalkeeper Alan Hughes no chance with the ball sailing into the top right hand corner.

Sunday's match got off to a flying start when with less than 20 seconds on the clock, Glenview winger Steven McCann went on a mazy run down the left before fizzing a ball across the Rathnew penalty area which none of his teammates were able to get on the end of.

On eight minutes Rathnew carved out their first opportunity of the match after captain Kenneth Doyle fed Karl Clarke who fired in a low cross that Aidan Small got a toe to at the near post but it wasn't enough to beat Hughes in the Glenview goal who got down quickly to save.

Midway through the first-half the best chance of the game up to that point fell to the visitors Edward Doyle when the ball fell kindly to him in the penalty area but the frontman's effort was bravely blocked by a defender.

Shamrock Park outfit Rathnew have a secret weapon in the form of Kenneth Doyle's ferocious Rory Delap style long throws and they nearly broke the deadlock in the 27th minute after Doyle had launched a throw in into the box, where Warren Gormley was waiting to nod the ball past the Glenview goalkeeper but Glenview captain Mark Mahon came to his sides rescue, hooking Gormley's effort off the line to keep the sides level.

Seven minutes later though, Mahon's hard work came undone when Gardjan opened the scoring with a lovely strike.

In first-half injury-time the hosts had a chance to go in all square at the half-time break but Jamie Quiney's 25-yard free-kick was right down the throat of Rathnew custodian John Byrne and the shot-stopper gathered the ball with ease.

A rousing half-time team talk was issued by the management of Glenview as they looked to rally their players for the start of the second-half and it appeared to have worked when Tony Harris cross-cum-shot almost caught out John Byrne who had to pluck the effort out if the air while being very careful not to cross the goal line.

Glenview 'keeper Alan Hughes then launched a counter-attack for the hosts with a superb long throw that released Leon Gallagher. He raced down the left wing at full tilt before whipping the ball in for Steven McCann, whose header was comfortably saved by Byrne.

Free-kick specialist Kenneth Doyle had a chance to show how dangerous his left foot could be after the impressive Nicky Mernagh had been hauled down but Doyle's effort flew over the crossbar.

The home side knew changes were needed were they to find a way back into the match and a triple change in the space of two minutes was made but without really reaping any reward.

The Bray side huffed and puffed in the closing stages, but the Rathnew defence, lead by the outstanding Warren Gormley, were more than capable of handling anything that was thrown at them and they hung on to claim their third league win of the season.

- DANIEL GORMAN