Div 1 Colemanstown United A Team 1 – 2 Barna. Colemanstown United were left ruing missed chances as they slipped to a narrow defeat against Barna in testing conditions on Sunday. Playing against a strong wind in the first half, Colemanstown dominated the opening exchanges, keeping possession superbly despite the elements making football difficult. The lads moved the ball well and controlled the tempo, but clear-cut chances were limited. Half-chances fell to Tomas Carr, Ray Moran, and Cavan Attwood, yet neither side could find the breakthrough before the interval. An early setback came midway through the first half when Damian Wynne picked up a groin injury and was replaced by Jack Kennedy at right-back, but Colemanstown regrouped well and went into half-time with the game finely balanced at 0-0.
With the wind now at their backs, Colemanstown looked to press on in the second half, but a disastrous five-minute spell turned the match on its head. Barna took the lead when we were dispossessed, allowing their winger to cross from the right for the striker to head goalwards. Junior produced an initial save, but the ball agonisingly trickled over the line. Moments later, Barna doubled their advantage after another turnover in possession. A quick through ball sent their striker clear, and Sean Hardiman was adjudged to have brought him down, conceding a penalty which Barna converted to make it 2-0.
Managerial changes followed, with Kyle Madden replacing Kevin Barrett midway through the second half and Kerrill Hardiman coming on for Kevin Atwood with around 10 minutes remaining as Colemanstown chased the game. The pressure eventually paid off when Sean Hardiman won a penalty with five minutes to go and Richie Lally calmly slotted it home to reduce the deficit. Despite laying siege to the Barna goal in the closing stages, Colemanstown couldn’t find the equaliser their dominance deserved. Final Score: Colemanstown United 1 – 2 Barna. Match Report: Jason Finn
Div 2. Loughrea 0- 5 Colemanstown Girls U12. Colemanstown United U12 Girls announced themselves in style on Sunday, producing a dominant display to secure their first league win of the season with a resounding 5–0 triumph away to Loughrea Rams. The headlines belonged to Lucy Burke Hardiman, who netted a superb hat trick, while Eve Corcoran and Holly Melody added further goals to cap a memorable performance. From the opening whistle, Colemanstown set the tone with their determination, organisation, and teamwork. At the back, the rotating defensive unit of Chloe Burke, Caoimhe Greene, Realtín Saunders, Sadie Devaney, and Grace Reddington was unshakeable, ensuring goalkeeper Emily Tuohy had a quiet afternoon. Every challenge was met with confidence, every clearance assured.
In midfield, captain Ciara Maybin led by example, dictating play and linking beautifully with the forwards. As the game wore on, the introduction of Erin Holmes and Eve Corcoran maintained Colemanstown’s grip on possession, keeping the team on the front foot. Up front, the strike pairing of Faye Ryan and Kayla Grealish constantly stretched the Loughrea defence, while impact players Elise Rohan and Ella Kavanagh added further spark and energy, ensuring Colemanstown’s attacking momentum never faltered. It was, ultimately, the combination of clinical finishing, defensive solidity, and relentless teamwork that saw Colemanstown claim three well-deserved points.
A massive well done to the entire squad — a performance to be proud of, and a sign of great things to come. Final score Loughrea 0 – 5 Colemanstown. Match Report: Neil Ryan.
Championship: Colemanstown Ladies 4- Oughterard. Colemanstown Ladies opened their season at home to Oughterard on Sunday, and while the scoreboard painted a harsh picture, the performance offered plenty of reasons for optimism. Pre-season preparations had been far from smooth, with injuries disrupting plans and the squad only coming together fully in the days leading up to the match. In fact, many players met for the first time at training just three days earlier. Yet on the pitch, there were long spells where Colemanstown’s mix of youth and experience clicked, producing passages of football that suggested a promising campaign ahead. That cohesion made the first-half injury to Shelly Finnerty all the more cruel. Forced off with a serious knock, her absence was felt in both leadership and energy. With several others carrying knocks, Colemanstown’s options from the bench were limited.
As the game wore on, the difference in depth proved decisive. While Colemanstown dug deep and battled, Oughterard were able to rotate freely, introducing fresh legs that gradually tilted the balance in their favour. The result, in the end, did not reflect the fight shown. What it did reflect was a team still in the early stages of its journey, learning to play together and finding its rhythm. On Sunday’s evidence, though, once fitness and familiarity grow, Colemanstown will be capable of far more than the opening scoreline suggests. Match Report: Neil Ryan
U12 Boys Chanpionship 2. Colemanstown 2- 2 Merlin Woods Colemanstown welcomed Merlin Woods Sports Club for our first game of the GFA U12 Boys Championship 2 home fixture on Saturday 6th September. It was a pleasant sunny day with a slight breeze blowing towards the playground end of the pitch. Squad numbers were tight as the GAA season is still in full swing and thankfully we were ably to rely on some of the U11 squad to provide backup. The game started off at a blistering pace despite it being our first game this season. With the aid of the slight breeze in the first half Colemanstown created some fine chance but were unlucky not to score with the wood work coming to the rescue and also some good saves from the Merlin Woods goalkeeper from shots from Colm Mac Iomaire and James Vignoles. Merlin Woods also created some chances but our goalkeeper Avey Mahon and our back 3 of Igor Ziolek, Eugene Kelly and James Flaherty stood firm to the challenge. It was all square at half time.
The second half started off very promising where right from the kick off and some slick passing between our midfield line of Oisin Kelly, Patrick Collins and Conor Finnerty, Oisin Kelly dribbled his way past the last defender and shot low to the corner only for the wood work again to save Merlin Woods. Immediately after that Patrick Collins found himself in the right place at the right time and rifled a shot to the net to put Colemanstown 1 ahead. We continued to create more scoring chances through Kayden Brett and Panos Costello up front but could not increase our lead. We had a lapse of concentration for 5 mins where Merlin Woods punished us with 2 quick goals with slick passing and clinical shooting. 2 – 1 down going into the final 10mins. The lads threw everything they had at Merlin Woods and created chance after chance but it felt like one of those days where we would not score despite best efforts. Finally the equaliser came with time almost up, where a rebounded shout landed perfectly for Conor Finnerty and he made no mistake in finishing to the roof of the net. All square at 2 – 2 and the game was over. Should have won it, could easily have lost it so a draw was the fair result on the day. Match Report: Peter Kelly
Squad: Avey Mahon, Eugene Kelly, Igor Ziolek, James Flaherty, Conor Finnerty, Oisin Kelly, Patrick Collins, James Vignoles, Kayden Brett, Colm Mac Iomaire, Panos Costello. Well done to all the lads and we look forward to our Connacht Cup game against St Johns Sligo Friday night 12th September under lights in Colemanstown.
