Girls U16 Div1: Colemanstown 6-3 Knocknacarra B. It was a particularly special Sunday afternoon for our U16 Girls team who marked their 1st league outing under new manager Paddy Burke, who has taken over the reigns from Niall Rohan. Niall laid an excellent foundation with this group, & Paddy’s new chapter got off to the perfect start with 3 valuable points.
It was the visitors who settled quickest as they applied early pressure & took the lead on 13mins. Colemanstown responded well & their efforts were rewarded on 25mins when Ruth Burke found the net. Ruth, playing in a new position at the opposite end of the pitch this season, finished off an attack that originated from a throw-in, with the hard-working Siana O’Grady providing the assist. 5mins later Laura Hayes was introduced for Leah Hansberry, who had worked tirelessly up front, while at the same time Kate Mitchell was commanding the midfield area. Ruth Burke & Maddie Rohan both went close with further efforts, but Knocknacarra’s keeper proved to be in outstanding form. Just before half-time however, the visitors regained the lead to go into the break 2–1 ahead.
Colemanstown came out for the 2nd half with renewed energy & a reshuffled team. Emma Collins, Evelyn McDonnell & Muireann Roche were introduced, with Muireann taking over in goal, while new signing Katie Quirke also made her first competitive start for the club. From the 45th minute onwards, the floodgates opened. Ruth Burke grabbed her 2nd of the afternoon with a superb 16-yard finish, following an excellent assist from Maddie Rohan. Just 3mins later, Maddie got on the scoresheet herself after superb work down the right wing, kept her composure to coolly finish & put Colemanstown in front. Colemanstown’s pressure continued to build, with efforts from Shauna McDonagh, Laura Hayes & Ruth Burke all required excellent saves from the Knocknacarra custodian. On 60mins, Leah Hansberry returned to the field & immediately made an impact as she scored a classic poacher’s goal after the keeper had parried the initial effort.
Knocknacarra threatened at the other end, but Muireann Roche produced two outstanding saves on 62 & 66mins to protect Colemanstown’s advantage. Muireann once again demonstrated her versatility & value to the team, proving she can make an impact in any position. Ruth Flaherty, who had been rock-solid throughout at centre-back made way for Kate Mitchell. Then came two goals in a frantic two-minute spell. Captain Shauna McDonagh, who was the driving force in midfield, extended the lead before Leah Hansberry claimed her brace after fine work on the wing from Laura Hayes. Laoise Naughton was then replaced by Siana O’Grady. Laoise produced an excellent performance at left-back, combining her defensive duties with several probing runs forward that helped create numerous attacks throughout the game.
Knocknacarra pulled one back in the 72nd minute to make it 6-3, but Colemanstown continued to create chances. A sublime cross from Ruth Burke almost resulted in a hat-trick for Leah Hansberry, who was unlucky not to convert. Further efforts from Siana O’Grady, Emma Collins & Evelyn McDonnell were all saved by the impressive Knocknacarra keeper. At the back, Grace Connolly led by example, as she produced a commanding defensive display & some excellent tackles as Colemanstown saw out the game. The refs final whistle confirmed a fantastic 6-3 win for Colemanstown, who secured their first league points of the new season in style. It was a hugely encouraging performance from the girls, with goals, saves, outstanding defensive work & plenty of attacking football providing a memorable first league outing under new manager Paddy Burke.
Match report compiled by Paddy Burke, with great help from Elaine Walsh & Margaret Girvan,who helped capture the excitement & significance of getting those first league points on the board.
Squad: Kara Higgins, Muireann Roche, Grace Connolly, Ruth Flaherty, Laoise Naughton, Maddie Rohan, Shauna McDonagh, Kate Mitchell, Siana O’Grady, Ruth Burke, Leah Hansberry, Evelyn McDonnell, Emma Collins, Laura Hayes, Katie Quirke.
Boys U14 Div2: Colemanstown Utd U14B 0-6 Ballinasloe B. As the new season kicked off on Saturday, our Colemanstown U14B squad stepped onto the pitch for their first match of the campaign against Ballinasloe B. We started with a 5-4-1 formation featuring Kerrill Walsh in goal, a back five of Igor Ziolek, captain Aaron Burke, Matthew Kelly, Eugene Kelly, and James Flaherty. George Moore, Lucas McKenna, James Vignoles and Daniel Kelly made up the midfield, while Andrew Davoren started as the lone striker. The match started at a lively pace, but we suffered an early setback when a mix-up at the back allowed Ballinasloe to take a 0-1 lead after 4 minutes. We worked our way back into the game, and on 20 minutes, Daniel Kelly had a shot cleared off the line following a nice through pass from Igor Ziolek. Just a minute later, Ballinasloe doubled their lead after racing through on goal and slotting past Kerrill Walsh amidst strong appeals for offside. We created a few more chances before the break, with James Vignoles going close and Eugene Kelly heading just wide from a corner, but we were punished right before half-time after failing to clear a long throw, leaving us 0-3 down at the break.
We regrouped at half-time, switching to a 4-4-2 formation. Matthew Kelly moved to midfield, Daniel Kelly up front, and Jamie Lally replaced Andrew Davoren. Unfortunately, we were slow to restart for the second half, and Ballinasloe capitalised immediately to make it 0-4 just three minutes in. Though the game was slipping away, the boys never stopped trying. On 12 minutes, Daniel Kelly did brilliantly to race onto a lovely through pass from Matthew Kelly, only to be denied by an excellent save from the Ballinasloe keeper. Fresh legs were introduced as Nathan Cleary, Finn Scarry, and Avey Mahon were introduced. However, a relentless Ballinasloe side added two more goals before the final whistle wrapped up a tough 0-6 defeat. While the result isn’t quite what we hoped for on opening day, there are important lessons to take on board. With our next game away to Renmore this Tuesday, we have little time to dwell as we hit the training ground and go again. Match Report: Dermot Moore
Squad: Kerrill Walsh, Aaron Burke, Matthew Kelly, Eugene Kelly, James Flaherty, Igor Ziolek, Lucas McKenna, George Moore, Daniel Kelly, James Vignoles, Jamie Lally, Andrew Davoren, Avey Mahon, Finn Scarry, Nathan Cleary Unavailable: Diarmuid Nevin, Abiel K. Sudeep, Martin Flemming, Patrick Collins.