U18 Boys Div1: Colemanstown 5-1 Athenry B. Our U18 Boys made the short trip to Athenry on Saturday evening looking to maintain their unbeaten record in the U18 Division 1 league. The wind was swirling in favour of the home side for the first half and as the whistle blew to start the game the heavens opened and the rain came down. Colemanstown started strongly showing intent straight away. Matthew Keane’s corner kick 5 minutes in hit the crossbar and rebounded to the feet of Jamie Lally but his shot went wide of the post. Another scoring opportunity came 3 minutes later with pacey play in central midfield by Josh Buckley linking then with Cathal Keane on the left, his pass into Shane Quirke who then found Darren Moran at the edge of the box but the shot went just wide of the post. Cathal Keane had a strike at goal shortly afterwards but the Athenry keeper made a good save. The first goal came on 8 minutes with some lovely passing play on the right side between Adam Doyle to Ryan Gavin on the overlap, whose touch to Jamie Lally then fed Darren Moran in the box unleashing a great strike to the top corner to make it 1-0. Athenry went on the attack with the restart but Cathal Keane at left back stood strong to win the ball back and move it forward. Our second goal came 15 minutes in following strong play in central midfield by Buckley to win the ball and release Matthew Keane who sent the ball to the feet of Darren Moran. He took a touch and his shot at goal took a strong deflection off the Athenry defender leaving the home keeper no chance to make it 2-0. Athenry went on the attack which was cut out well in the box by Conor Walsh. The resultant corner was sent swirling into the box dangerously close to goal but Tommy Nutley came off his line using both hands to clear the ball all the way out to the left sideline to safety, a great save marking his first stint in goals for the U18 team.
Colemanstown’s back four of Ryan Gavin and Cathal Keane in right and left back, with Nathan Mannion and Conor Walsh in centre back positions were strong in defence, quick to cut out attacking play and progress the ball forward. Nutley was quick out off his line to mop up a couple of swirling long over the top balls from the opposition keeper before the Athenry attackers could claim them. Colemanstown continued to press and play their passing game and the midfield crew of Darren Moran and Adam Doyle on the left and right respectively and Josh Buckley and Cathal Keane in central midfield were creating opportunities for strikers Shane Quirke and Jamie Lally. On the 30 minute mark a through ball from midfield to Shane Quirke led to a darting run towards goal but was cut out by the Athenry defence. Our third goal came on the 32nd minute. Cathal Keane showed some lovely footwork and went on a super run down the left side, turned the ball towards the centre to Matthew Keane who sent a strong shot that looked like it was headed for the top right corner but came crashing down off the crossbar; Jamie Lally was first to react and sent a shot into the top left to make it 3-0. Shortly afterwards a defensive clearance from Colemanstown was picked up by the Athenry striker who ran at pace, took a couple of touches and sent a powerful strike into the Colemanstown net to make it 3-1 with 6 minutes to play in the first half. Not long afterwards Shane Quirke went down with injury as he ran with the ball towards the Athenry goal. Play was stopped for several minutes as he was attended to and the whistle was blown for half time. We would like to express our huge thanks to Richie and Keith from Athenry FC for their assistance at this time.
The second half started with Tomas Rogerson coming on up front. The rain was still pouring down and Colemanstown had the wind at their backs for the second half. Rogie had a shot on goal early in the second half but it went just wide of the post. 10minutes into the second half following some lovely passing play out of the back through midfield, Matthew Keane got on the ball well outside the box, took a touch and unleashed a belter into the top right corner to make it 4-1. Supporters umbrellas on the sideline continued to hold up against the strong wind and rain, while on the pitch both teams continued to push for goals at high tempo despite the miserable conditions. 20 minutes into the second half Colemanstown were rewarded after a spate of passing play through most of the defence and midfield; the ball dropped into the box for Jamie Lally who slotted it home to make it 5-1.
Rónán Screene was introduced on the right of midfield and immediately created opportunity with a through ball to Rogie whose shot went wide of the post. Joshua McDonnell came in to right back and got stuck in straight away. The back four and midfield continued to work hard throughout the second half as Athenry did not let up in their pursuit of goals and continued to press and look for gaps with pacey strikers and determined battles from both sides. Dylan King was introduced up front and got on the end of a pass through from midfield but was cut out by strong Athenry defenders. Niall Grady was introduced upfront and put pressure on the home defence. The final whistle went with the scoreline at 5-1. Colemanstown’s style of controlled passing play was on display for the full 90 minutes and the lads worked tirelessly throughout with great determination to gain another 3 points and maintain their lead at the top of the table.
We would like to again express our appreciation for the assistance of the Athenry Coaches Richie and Keith and wish Shane Quirke a speedy recovery from all his teammates and management. We also wish Liam Mullins, Kara’s dad, a speedy recovery from his injuries received in his recent accident. We are sure he is being well looked after at home by Rosaleen and the gang! Match report: Orla McCaffrey & Damien Mannion.
Squad: Tommy Nutley, Ryan Gavin, Nathan Mannion, Conor Walsh, Cathal Keane, Darren Moran, Matthew Keane, Josh Buckley, Adam Doyle, Shane Quirke, Jamie Lally, Tomas Rogerson, Rónán Screene, Joshua McDonnell, Dylan King, Niall Grady. Managers: Orla McCaffrey & Damien Mannion
Girls U14 Div1: Kilshanvey 1-2 Colemanstown. Our U14 girls put in a confident and composed display despite missing a few first-team regulars. Their absence did little to affect the team’s performance, as every player stepped up impressively. Our girls took the lead when Julie Holohan got on the end of a well-delivered Sorcha Nic an Iomaire corner to make it 1–0. Kilshanvey equalised before the break, leaving the sides level at halftime.
In the second half, the girls created numerous chances, dominating possession and pushing forward with intent. Julie Holohan was a constant threat down the right flank, supplying a series of dangerous crosses that were unlucky not to be converted. Ava Forde and Sorcha Nic an Iomaire both came close on several occasions before Ava Forde finally found the breakthrough — firing home a superb striker’s finish five minutes from time to secure a well-deserved 2–1 victory. The team closed out the game comfortably, showing maturity, teamwork, and growing confidence throughout. It was an excellent all-round performance from the entire squad, who continue to improve and impress with each game. Match Report: Garry O’Grady
Squad: Niamh Lally, Kayla Maloney, Caoimhe Cleary, Laoise Naughton, Eimear Flynn, Sorcha Nic an Iomaire, Siana O’Grady, Ciara Somers, Julie Holohan, Lauren O’Grady, Ava Forde, Amy Morrissey, Aoibhinn Doyne, Aoibhinn Maloney, Emma Burke, Jennifer Byrnes.
SFAI Trophy U14 Boys: Colemanstown 2–10 Barna na Forbacha. Colemanstown’s U14 boys welcomed Barna na Forbacha to home soil on Saturday for their SFAI Trophy clash & while the final scoreline of 2–10 may look one-sided, it was a far more physical encounter than the scoreline suggests. Colemanstown started brightly and took an early lead when George Costello linked up superbly with Sean Forde who showed great composure & skill as he dribbled through the Barna defence before unleashing a powerful strike into the top corner to give Colemanstown a 1–0 advantage. However, Barna na Forbacha responded strongly & showed their attacking quality with four unanswered goals before the interval to lead 4–1 at halftime.
The visitors carried that momentum into the second half & scored 3 quickfire goals within 5mins of the restart to extend their advantage. Colemanstown, to their credit, continued to battle hard & were rewarded when U13 player Mark Shaughnessy pulled one back with a well-taken goal. Barna though, proved too strong in the latter stages & added 3 further goals to round off an emphatic win against a well-drilled Barna side. Match Report: Ann Forde.