U18 Boys Connacht Shield: Colemanstown 5-4 Colga (After extra time). Colemanstown U18 Boys produced a dramatic & thrilling display on Sunday to overcome Premier League side Colga 5-4 after extra time, & so book their place in the Connacht Shield Final for the first time in the club’s history. Colemanstown got off to the perfect start, as Josh Buckley found the back of the net early on. Buckley’s poacher’s finish came after good work from Shane Quirke, who showed great vision to set up the goal. However, Colga responded quickly, pulling 2goals back before halftime to take a 2-1 lead into the break. The Premier League side seemed to be gaining the upper hand as they took control of possession. After the restart, matters worsened for Colemanstown when Colga extended their lead to 3-1, to put the home side on the back foot. But a tactical shift from Colemanstown saw the introduction of Tiarnan Lohan & Diarmuid Ryan, which began to pay off. Lohan was moved up front, while David Walsh was shifted to left back, Buckley to right back & Ryan slotted in as a central defender. This reshuffle brought a noticeable change in momentum. Lohan, inspired by the new formation, scored twice in quick succession. His first was a fine left footed finish & his second came from inside the box – another poacher’s effort that left the game poised at 3-3. But Colga weren’t done yet, as they managed to take a 4-3 lead with a stunning long-range strike. As the game reached its crescendo, it was Lohan once again who brought Colemanstown back into the match, heading home an inch-perfect cross from Shane Quirke to complete his hat-trick and level the score at 4-4. The match headed into extra time with both teams exhausted but eager to secure the win. In the additional 20mins, Colemanstown continued to push forward & it was Shane Quirke who put in a man of the match shift for his tireless performance, who scored the decisive goal. Quirke found the back of the net to seal a historic 5-4 victory for Colemanstown, sending an underage team to the Connacht Shield Final for the first time ever. Match Report: Martina Donnellan
Panel: Sean Cooke, Donnacha Walsh, Shane Duffy, David Walsh, Sean Connolly, Matthew Keane, Conor van Oosterhout, Aironas Kantauskas, Fionn Flattery, Shane Quirke, Josh Buckley, Diarmuid Ryan, Tiarnan Lohan.