It was a busy few days across all age groups at the weekend with plenty of action, great performances & important results!
U12 Boys Championship: Colemanstown 1–1 Salthill B. Our U12 boys made the trip to Drom for an afternoon kick-off in their latest league encounter. They started brightly, created a hatful of chances while they remained solid at the back. The breakthrough came on 10mins when Cathal Burns found the net, but unfortunately the lead couldn’t be extended despite continued pressure. The 2nd half followed a similar pattern as Colemanstown created several chances that went narrowly wide or just over the crossbar – on another day, they’d have gone in. The hosts drew level early in the half & despite a strong push for a winner which included a late foul on Colm Mac an Iomaire in the box that went unawarded, the game finished all square. A share of the spoils in the end. Match Report: Peter Kelly.
Squad: Avey Mahon, Eugene Kelly, Conor Finnerty, James Flaherty, Patrick Collins, Cathal Burns, Matthew Kelly, Colm Mac an Iomaire, Oisin Kelly.
Women’s Championship: Bearna na Forbacha 2–1 Colemanstown. Our ladies made the trip to Barna on Sunday & while there were strong spells of play, they were ultimately edged out by the hosts. Sharon Finn got on the scoresheet for Colemanstown, but it wasn’t enough on the day as Bearna na Forbacha claimed a 2–1 win.
U12 Girls: Div 2 Colemanstown 6–0 Oughterard. A superb performance from our U12 girls on Sunday morning saw them record a comprehensive 6–0 win over Oughterard. Katelyn Mannion stole the show with a fantastic hat-trick; the first of many, we hope! Must be the açaí bowls keeping her sharp in front of goal. Eve Corcoran added a brilliant brace, while Ella Kavanagh also got her name on the scoresheet. That’s now 6 wins from 6 in the league, leaving the girls sitting top of the table with four games to play.
U18 Boys: Div. 1 Colemanstown 2–1 Oranmore/Maree. Colemanstown U18s welcomed Maree/Oranmore B to home turf on Sunday afternoon, looking to keep the pressure on league leaders Cregmore/Claregalway B. In contrast to recent weeks, the sun was shining, making for ideal playing conditions, and the lads responded with a flying start.
Oisín Devine, returning from an ankle injury, was immediately causing problems for the Maree/Oranmore defence with his pace and direct running. Josh Buckley, moved into midfield from his usual centre-back role, delivered an outstanding performance, breaking up opposition attacks and quickly turning defence into attack.
It was Buckley who played a key role in the opening goal after just 9 minutes. Winning a tackle he had no right to claim, he quickly released Devine down the left wing. Devine drove forward at pace, cut back onto his right foot, and with great vision picked out the run of Darren Moran, who delicately flicked a header up and over the goalkeeper and into the net. A brilliantly worked goal that left the supporters in awe. Colemanstown continued to press, and on 27 minutes Buckley again picked out Moran with a clever pass in behind, but this time the Maree/Oranmore keeper produced an excellent save to deny him.
At the back, Conor Walsh slotted back into his centre-half role alongside the ever-reliable Nathan Mannion, who mixed composure with the occasional moment of flair that kept management on edge & close to mini heart attacks. Mannion came close on 32 minutes when a corner from Matthew Keane found his head, but he was unlucky not to hit the target.
Tyler Collins was steady Eddie again throughout at right full, producing a crucial recovery run to deny what looked like a certain Maree goal, he never gave up the chase and put enough pressure on the attacker to force his effort over the bar. In midfield, Matthew Keane and Paddy Gavin battled hard, with Keane particularly strong on set pieces. Colemanstown went into the break leading 1–0.
Maree/Oranmore started the second half brightly and were unlucky not to equalise early on, only to be denied by a superb piece of defending from Cathal Keane, who tracked back brilliantly to clear the ball off the line. Colemanstown continued to create chances, with Buckley, M. Keane, and Ryan Gavin linking well with Moran up top, who was in fine form holding up play and bringing others into the game. After 60 minutes, Tomas Rogerson replaced Paddy Gavin, while Jamie Lally came on for the injured Buckley.
Colemanstown doubled their lead on 70 minutes following a free kick wide on the right. Matthew Keane delivered a dangerous ball into the box, Lally rose highest to head against the crossbar, and Walsh reacted quickest at the back post to slot home from a tight angle. 2–0 to Colemanstown, and a perfect early birthday present for Walsh, who turned 18 two days before. The lead was short-lived, however, as a misplaced pass allowed Maree/Oranmore back into the game, and they made no mistake in front of goal to pull it back to 2–1.
To their credit, Colemanstown responded well. Rogerson found Lally on the edge of the box, and he turned quickly to fire a low, powerful shot, only for the keeper to produce another fine save. The game finished 2–1 to Colemanstown, securing another vital three points. The result keeps them firmly in the title race, sitting second on 24 points, just behind Cregmore/Claregalway B on 27.
Player of the Match: Josh Buckley – A commanding performance in midfield from Buckley, who led by example throughout. He was relentless in breaking up play, strong in the tackle, and key in driving Colemanstown forward, including his vital role in the opening goal. We also wish Josh a speedy recovery after being forced off through injury. Match report: Kara Mullins.
Squad: Tommy Nutley, Tyler Collins, Conor Walsh, Nathan Mannion, Cathal Keane, Ryan Gavin, Josh Buckley, Paddy Gavin, Matthew Keane, Oisin Divine, Darren Moran, Tomás Rogerson, Dylan King, Niall Grady, Jamie Lally. Management: Orla McCaffrey, Damien Mannion & Kara Mullins.
U13 Boys: Championship: Colemanstown A 4–2 Merlin Woods. Under the lights on Monday night, our U13 boys produced a strong performance to overcome Merlin Woods 4–2. Evan Molloy led the way with a brace while Eoghan O’Neill & Mark Shaughnessy also found the net. A well-earned win that sees the team climbing the table nicely.
Men’s Div1: West United 1-3 Colemanstown. Colemanstown produced a superb away performance on Sunday to claim a deserved 3–1 victory over West United at South Park, overcoming difficult conditions and a tight playing surface to take a big step forward in their league campaign. Played on a narrower pitch than expected, and in challenging conditions that included a poor surface and strong gale-force winds, this was never going to be a straightforward contest. The opening stages reflected that, with both sides struggling to create clear-cut chances. Despite earning several set pieces in the first 15–20 minutes, Colemanstown were unable to break the deadlock early on.
The breakthrough came midway through the first half following excellent build-up play. James Collevy and Ray Moran combined well before feeding Shane Quirke who produced a moment of brilliance, beating a couple of defenders before unleashing a stunning 25-yard strike into the top right-hand corner. Colemanstown doubled their advantage ten minutes later, and it was another goal of real quality. Moran reacted quickest to a dropping ball and struck it sweetly with his left foot. The effort deceived the goalkeeper and dipped late, finding the net in spectacular fashion to give the visitors a 2–0 lead at the break.
Despite having the wind in their favour in the first half, Colemanstown knew they would face a strong response after the interval and that proved to be the case. West came out with intent and applied sustained pressure in the opening 15 minutes of the second half. Their efforts were rewarded when they converted from a set piece to reduce the deficit. The home side continued to threaten from dead-ball situations, but Colemanstown’s defence stood firm. Richie Lally and Luke Williams were particularly impressive at the heart of the backline, dealing resolutely with a series of deliveries into the box.
Fresh legs were introduced as Colemanstown looked to regain control, with David Walsh, Jack Dillon, and Tomás Flannery all entering the fray. The changes proved effective, and the visitors began to reassert themselves in the final 20 minutes. Quirke came close to adding a third, striking the woodwork during this spell. The decisive third goal eventually arrived when Jack Dillon reacted quickest after a save from the West United goalkeeper, finishing from close range to restore Colemanstown’s two-goal cushion.
There was still time for further drama late on. With five minutes remaining, Ray Moran was brought down in the box, earning a penalty. However, Flannery’s effort struck the base of the post, denying the visitors an emphatic scoreline. Colemanstown saw out the closing stages with composure, managing the game intelligently to secure a thoroughly deserved 3–1 victory.
Given the difficult conditions and a relatively small squad, this was an impressive and resilient performance. The result leaves Colemanstown in a strong position heading into their final two league fixtures, where six points would guarantee the title, while four points would likely secure at minimum a playoff for the title. Match Report: Jason Finn & Kerrill Lally
Squad: Alan Finn, Shane Duffy, James Collevy, Richard Lally, Luke Williams, Aironas Kantauskas, Kerrill Hardiman, Ray Moran, Thomas Mellody, Tomas Carr, Shane Quirke, David Walsh, Tomas Flannery, Jack Dillon