U17 Boys: Div 1 Colemanstown 2-4 East Galway. Colemanstown produced a brave and disciplined performance despite eventual defeat to East Galway, playing the entire match with 10 players against 11. From the opening whistle, Colemanstown showed tremendous spirit and organization. Despite several players being asked to line out of position, with Stephen Murphy displaying great composure and ability as the stand in keeper, the very unusual back line formed by Joshua Lualdi on the right, Oisin Gavin our only available center back partnered by Jamie Lally and Sean Keating on the left, the back four played throughout as if they always played in those roles and perhaps through adversity, they put up a very solid display.
The home side defended resolutely and worked tirelessly off the ball. Paddy Gavin, Tom Holahan, Noah McDonnel and Gearoid Walsh all working their socks off and bossed the game for long parts. Their effort were rewarded with two well-taken goals, the first one worked by Jamie with a 60 yards pass to Noah McDonnel to slot past the goalkeeper, the second coming in a reversal of roles once more, when Oisin Gavin found the net from a corner scramble. Colemanstown built and maintained a well deserved 2–0 lead right up to end of the first half. Our lads needed a rest by the end of that half, but what a display, it was all for one and one for all!
East Galway enjoyed a numerical advantage throughout and gradually increased the pressure as the game wore on. But it never felt that way in the first half. They stared the second half with more impetus and belief that they could eventually unravel our lads. Colemanstown’s defence remained stubborn for long periods, with players digging deep and supporting one another up to the last third of the match, the extra man eventually began to tell., however there was an air that something magic could happen A second half goalkeeping swap gave Sean Keating a break and the opportunity to add some fresh legs when Stephen Murphy joined the cause up front.
By this time however, East Galway’s fresher legs paid off as they quickly struck for four goals, turning the game around in the closing stages. Despite the late surge,Colemanstown continued to battle to the final whistle and never dropped their intensity or commitment. While the scoreboard ultimately read 2–4 to East Galway, the result did not reflect the gritty and courageous display from Colemanstown. Playing a full match a man down, showing adaptability, teamwork, and resilience, this was a performance full of positives and character that will stand to the team going forward, all of the lads played an incredible game and should feel very proud of their part, despite the defeat, this time the moral victory is more important than the result.
East Galway management also were highly praising of our efforts and admitted we should have got something form the game, but goals at the end make the difference. East Galway is a tricky customer for us, in the Div 1,2,3 cup they also beat us coming from behind, but we have the return leg to play and maybe settle a score. Match Report: Luca Lualdi
Squad: Stephen Murphy, Joshua Lualdi, Sean Keating, Jamie Lally, Oisin Gavin, Paddy Gavin, Noah McDonnell, Tom Holohan, Gearoid Walsh, Martin Mellody.
U13 Boys: Div 2. Corrib Rangers 12-1 Colemanstown. We travelled to Westside with just 12 players—barely enough to field a team and only one sub to offer relief. A massive shout-out has to go to James Flaherty, who put the team first and stepped up to play in goal today. For the first quarter of an hour, we showed exactly why we’ve climbed to 3rd in the table. Despite sustained pressure from a relentless Rangers side, we battled for every inch. James Vignoles nearly stunned the home crowd in the 6th minute, spotting the keeper off his line and launching a lob that went agonisingly wide. The deadlock finally broke in the 17th minute, just sixty seconds after Rangers had rattled the post. Once they found their rhythm, the league leaders were clinical. The turning point came in the 28th minute when Conor Finnerty put in what looked like a solid tackle, only for the referee to award a highly controversial penalty. Despite our protests, they slotted it home, sending us into the break 4-0 down.
We tried to stem the tide at half-time, moving Patrick Collins to left back and Matthew Kelly into the midfield engine room to try and curb their runners. However, Rangers showed why they are champions. They scored within the first minute of the restart and punished every single mistake we made from then on. While the score mounted, individuals kept fighting: Martin Fleming put in a massive shift at right back, while Lucas McKenna, Matthew Kelly and George Moore never stopped trying to link the play. James Vignoles kept trying to get on the ball and make something happen. Finn Scarry came on to give us fresh legs, but we were simply being outrun by a superior squad on the day. Most teams would have stopped running when losing but this Colemanstown team didn’t. In the final minutes, we played some of our best football of the match. The hard work finally paid off when James Vignoles broke down the left wing. He picked out George Moore, who showed great vision to thread the ball back to Vignoles. James kept his composure and slotted it home—a goal that was a reward for us not giving up. On Sunday we ran into the best team in the league. They outplayed us and outfought us, and we have to give them credit—they are deserving league winners. We played without a recognised keeper, with almost no subs, and we still fought until the final whistle to get that goal. We take the pain of this defeat, we learn from the mistakes, and we dust ourselves off. Match Report: George Moore
Squad: James Flaherty (GK); Senan Prolux, Conor Finnerty, Matthew Kelly, Martin Fleming; Jamie Lally, Patrick Collins (C), Lucas McKenna, George Moore; Nathan Cleary, James Vignoles, Finn Scarry.