Men’s Div 1: Colemanstown 4–0 Athenry B The 4–0 scoreline perhaps flattered Colemanstown United somewhat, as it did not fully reflect the competitive nature of the contest against a spirited Athenry B side at home yesterday morning. Colemanstown came into the game with a number of enforced changes from last week’s league victory, and the starting eleven included six players aged under 19. This was a strong endorsement of the club’s academy structure and a clear example of why it was put in place. The opening 15–20 minutes were scrappy, with both sides struggling to retain possession and clear chances at a premium. As the half progressed, however, Colemanstown began to assert themselves. A ten-minute spell of sustained pressure followed, during which a series of set pieces caused significant problems for the Athenry defence. Luke Williams went close on a couple of occasions, as did Kevin Barrett, while David Walsh’s delivery from dead-ball situations was excellent throughout. Despite Colemanstown’s dominance, Athenry remained a threat, and Alan Finn Junior produced an excellent first-half performance in goal, pulling off one or two important saves to keep the scoreline intact. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 40th minute. Some superb hold-up play from Kevin Barrett allowed him to release Tiarnan Proulx, who took an outstanding first touch before calmly beating the Athenry goalkeeper from around 12 yards to give Colemanstown a 1–0 lead at the break.
The second half began with a change at right back, as Thomas Mellody replaced Shane Duffy. Five minutes after the restart, the game produced its standout moment. Shane Quirke collected the ball on the left flank, cut inside past two defenders and unleashed a stunning strike from 25 yards that left the goalkeeper with no chance. To their credit, Athenry responded with a strong 10–15 minute spell, adopting a more direct approach and putting balls in on top of the Colemanstown back four. Richard Lally in particular was outstanding during this period, dealing confidently with everything that came their way. Midway through the second half, Colemanstown introduced three substitutes: Jack Dillon for Tomas Carr, Tomás Flannery for Tiarnan Proulx , and Alan Finn for Sean Hardiman. The fresh legs helped Colemanstown raise the tempo, and with ten minutes remaining they found their third goal. Kevin Barrett struck a long-range effort that appeared to deceive the Athenry keeper, who initially got a hand to it but could not prevent the ball from crossing the line. Late on, Jack Kennedy was introduced for Aironas Kantauskas , and he made an immediate impact. Winning possession in midfield, he set Shane Quirke free down the left. Quirke delivered a cut-back into the box, where Kevin Barrett showed great composure with an excellent first touch before finishing from close range to complete the scoring.
Overall, it was an impressive and well-rounded team performance, with Colemanstown showing resilience in defence when required and plenty of quality going forward to claim four goals. The result moves Colemanstown United to the top of the league with six games remaining. Attention now turns to a tough away fixture next Sunday against Cregmore / Claregalway. Match Report: Jason Finn – Fresh from becoming a father to Eanna midweek; Jason was allowed a short release from baby duty to take charge on the line. Gary and Kerrill were on hand to help though with tactics rather than nappy changes.
Squad: Alan ‘Junior’ Finn, Shane Duffy, David Walsh, Richie Lally, Sean Hardiman, Aironas Kantauskas, Luke Williams, Tiaran Proulx, Kevin Barrett, Tomas Carr, Shane Quirke, Thomas Melody, Alan Finn, Tomas Flannery, Jack Dillon, Jack Kennedy, Conor van Oosterhout, Matthew Keane, Kerrill Hardiman.
Boys U17 Div 1 Colemanstown 0-3 Athenry. Colemanstown United’s U17 boys opened their 2026 campaign with a spirited and determined display, despite a 3–0 defeat at home to a strong Athenry side. The final scoreline doesn’t reflect the quality or commitment shown by the Colemanstown boys throughout the match. Colemanstown began with pace, confidence, and a very impressive passing game. The starting XI moved the ball crisply through midfield with Tom Holohan, Noah Mcdonnel, Jamie Lally, and Paddy Gavin linking up well with the defence of James Somers, Niall Robinson, Oisin Gavin and Fionn Proulx and with the forward lads, controlling large spells of the first half. They created several excellent chances, with Tadhg Hart hitting the woodwork twice, and Martin Mellody striking it once, Paddy Gavin going close from distance as the home side came agonizingly close to taking the lead. At the opposite end, Tommy Nutley made some outstanding saves to keep the visitors out and send the teams in level at halftime. It was a really entertaining first half with chances and great plays from both sides.
The second half continued with the same pace, Colemanstown put the pressure on from the start, but eventually there was a swing in momentum. Athenry scored the opening goal 20 minutes after the restart, a strike that settled the visitors and shifted the direction of the game. Up to this point it felt very much like whoever scored first would go on to win, and so it was. Colemanstown pushed hard for an equaliser, and the coaching team used the full bench. The substitutes brought fresh energy and continued the same high‑quality passing style, maintaining composure, and moving the ball intelligently. Despite their impact, there was ultimately no way back, and Athenry added two late goals as Colemanstown pushed forward. Although the match ended 3–0, there were many positives: confident passing from both the starting XI and all substitutes, creativity in attack, strong goalkeeping, and excellent work rate across the pitch. On another day, with a touch more luck, the result could have been very different. Match Report: Luca Lualdi.
Squad: Tommy Nutley, James Somers, Fionn Proulx, Oisín Gavin, Niall Robinson, Jamie Lally, Martin Mellody, Paddy Gavin, Tom Holohan, Noah McDonnell, Tadhg Hart, Joshua Lualdi, Daniel Booth, Morgan Keogh, Gearoid Walsh, Ryan Shaughnessy, Sean Keating.
Boys U15 Div. 2: Barna/Furbo 2 – 0 Colemanstown. Colemanstown U15 lads faced a tough assignment on the road on Saturday as they travelled to league leaders Barna/Furbo, eventually coming away with a 2–0 defeat in what was their 4th loss of the campaign. From the outset, the home side showed why they sit at the top of the table, fielding a physically strong team with plenty of height & power, which made conditions difficult for the Colemanstown lads. Barna/Furbo used their strength well & applied patches of sustained pressure throughout the match. Colemanstown were unfortunate to concede a goal in soft circumstances & this proved a setback that knocked some momentum out of the team. Despite this, the lads showed great resilience & continued to compete bravely against formidable opponents.
In the 2nd half, Colemanstown worked hard to get back into the game as they battled for every ball & showed plenty of spirit, but clear chances were hard to come by. In the end Barna/Furbo added a 2nd goal to secure the points which reflected their overall dominance on the day. While the result didn’t go their way, there was no shortage of effort from the Colemanstown lads, who gave a committed performance against what was always going to be a tall order away from home. They will look to take the positives from this display as they move on to their next league fixture. Match report: Martina Donnellan