Boys U13 Div 1/2 Cup: Colemanstown B 4-2 MacDara. With league action paused for the Cup, Colemanstown welcomed Division 1 side MacDara to Colemanstown for a rare sunny morning at home. The lineup featured Patrick Collins as captain and a big debut for Nathan Cleary in the forward line. The opening 10 minutes was a cagey, evenly matched affair, but Colemanstown soon found their rhythm. James Vignoles thought he had the opener on 13mins, only to see his effort cruelly ruled out for offside. This sparked the home side into life. 2mins later Cathal Burns let fly with a stinging shot from midfield. The MacDara keeper couldn’t hold it, and a predatory James Vignoles was first to react, poking the ball home to open Colemanstown’s account. On 23mins the Burns-Vignoles partnership struck again. Burns turned provider with a pinpoint through ball, and Vignoles raced onto it, tucking it away clinically for his second of the game to make it 2–0. Matthew Kelly was dominating the midfield area, putting in a superb cross that nearly saw Vignoles claim his hat-trick before the keeper smothered it. MacDara found a lifeline just before the break. A corner was bundled over the line amidst loud Colemanstown appeals for handball, but the ref waved them away and the goal stood. 2–1. Fresh legs were introduced at half time with Jamie Lally and Martin Fleming coming on for James Vignoles and Nathan Cleary.
MacDara started the half strongly, putting Colemanstown under intense pressure and made it difficult to play out from the back. With the team needing a change, Eugene Kelly was replaced by Igor Ziolek and Patrick Collins made way for Andrew Davoren with 15 minutes left to play. After surviving the MacDara onslaught, Colemanstown won a corner. Cathal Burns swung a beauty into the box, and Jamie Lally rose highest to thump home a header—his first goal of the season! 3–1 on 47mims. MacDara though refused to quit. A whipped ball into the box took a lucky ricochet off Igor Ziolek and found the net to make it 3-2. Despite the bad luck, Igor and his teammates regrouped immediately and started playing some lovely passes and moved the ball well. The clincher arrived through the “super-sub” Andrew Davoren. Again, it started with Matthew Kelly, who won the ball back brilliantly in midfield before threading a pass to Davoren. Andrew kept his composure and found the bottom corner to seal the win on a 4-2 scoreline on 55mins. George Moore made way for the returning James Vignoles who was looking for his hat-trick but shortly after the ref blew up for full time. This was a massive team effort. Every player gave 100% to knock out a team from the division above. From Avey Mahon’s smart saves, the solid and tenacious defence, to the clinical finishing upfront and Matthew Kelly’s and Cathal Burns tireless work in the middle, it was a complete performance. Colemanstown now move on to the next round of the cup with their heads held high! Final Score from Colemanstown: 4 – 2. Match Report: Dermot Moore.
Squad: Avey Mahon, Senan Prolux, Conor Finnerty, Eugene Kelly, James Flaherty, Cathal Burns, George Moore, James Vignoles, Jamie Lally, Igor Ziolek, Andrew Davoren, Matthew Kelly, Patrick Collins, Nathan Cleary, Martin Fleming. Unavailable: Oisin Duane, Dara Ryan, Lucas McKenna, Oisin Kelly.
Women’s Connacht Cup Colemanstown 1 – 5 Swinford. Colemanstown Ladies bowed out of the Connacht Cup at the last-16 stage on an unseasonably warm afternoon, following a breathless, high-tempo encounter with Swinford United that defied the final scoreline. From the opening whistle, the match was played at an astonishing pace — one spectator likening the opening 45 minutes to “a 100-metre sprint stretched over a half of football.” Colemanstown embraced the intensity and were rewarded for their positive start when Grace Mitchell produced a moment of real quality, delicately chipping the Swinford goalkeeper from 20 yards to give the girls in green a deserved early lead. That advantage, however, was short-lived. Five minutes later, Swinford broke Colemanstown’s offside trap to equalise, shifting the momentum without diminishing the relentless tempo. Both sides continued to go toe-to-toe, trading attacks in an open and entertaining contest. Swinford edged ahead next through a set piece, a corner kick met with a thunderous volley that left no chance for the goalkeeper. Colemanstown responded with renewed intent, Catherine Burke producing a superb run down the right wing, beating two defenders before forcing a fine save from the Swinford goalkeeper. Just as Colemanstown looked set to regroup at the interval, they were dealt a further blow. Swinford struck again from another set piece on the stroke of half-time, stretching the lead and shifting the complexion of the tie.
The second half began with further adversity for the hosts. Grace Mitchell, Colemanstown’s goal scorer, was forced off through injury, with Rachel Flaherty Greene introduced at short notice. Swinford capitalised immediately, scoring at the restart to extend their advantage. Yet, to their credit, Colemanstown never retreated. They continued to press and search for a way back into the contest, with the tireless Shauna Ward coming agonisingly close on several occasions. The effort, intensity, and belief never wavered, even as Swinford added a fifth goal late on the counter-attack. The final score of 5–1 makes harsh reading for a Colemanstown side whose performance told a very different story. In their first year playing together, they showed they can compete with the strongest sides in Connacht — matching pace, intensity, and ambition for long stretches of the game.
Attention now turns back to league action, with Colemanstown set to welcome Merlin Woods Sports Club this Sunday, carrying lessons learned and confidence earned from a demanding cup test. Match Report: Neil Ryan
U13 Girls Premier/Championship Cup: This was a tough home fixture on February Bank Holiday Monday against an Athenry side that proved well beyond our level on the day & showed just why they are Premier table toppers. Despite the final score, the Colemanstown girls showed great character & never gave up & battled right to the end. It was a valuable learning experience for a young squad who worked hard for each other for the entire match. Match Report: Ann Forde
Squad: Emily Tuohy, Holly Mellody, Ciara Maybin, Aoibhinn Murray, Realtin Saunders, Lucy Burke Hardiman, Ruby Lally, Lauren O’Grady, Ava Forde, Chloe Burke, Ella Kavanagh, Faye Ryan, Saoirse White, Jade Devaney, Grace Flynn.