U16 Girls Div 1: Colemanstown 2-3 Moyne Villa B. On a splendid Sunday afternoon for soccer in Headford, Colemanstown U16 Girls produced a determined & spirited performance against Moyne Villa B, but despite a valiant fightback, it was the hosts who edged a bruising encounter 3-2. Colemanstown could not have wished for a better start. A fantastic run from Maddie Rohan saw her burst into the box before she was brought down, leaving the referee with no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Leah Hansberry stepped up to take the resulting spot kick, but the Moyne Villa keeper produced an excellent save to deny Colemanstown. The hosts immediately broke up the field & with the momentum swinging dramatically, found the net at the other end. The early setback was compounded when Maddie Rohan had to leave the field following the heavy fall, with Emma Collins introduced in her place. Moyne Villa continued to apply serious pressure & doubled their advantage on 14mins. Colemanstown, however, showed tremendous character & were soon rewarded for their persistence. An exceptional save from Ruth Burke in the Colemanstown goal, followed by a superb clearance, sparked the move for Colemanstown’s opening goal. Leah Hansberry got on the end of the clearance, did brilliantly to work the ball across the field, picked out Sorcha Nic an Iomaire, who calmly finished past the keeper to make it 2-1 in a brilliant passage of play, although it came at a cost, as Ruth Burke unfortunately injured her wrist making the vital save. Laoise Naughton took over between the posts & was immediately called into action, advancing quickly off her line & made several important saves to keep Colemanstown within touching distance. Just before the interval, Aoife Walsh was introduced in defence, while Maddie Rohan bravely returned to the action following some repair work to her injury. Half-time: Moyne Villa B 2-1 Colemanstown
Colemanstown made another change at the beginning of the 2nd half as Siana O’Grady entered the fray. The opening stages of the 2nd half saw Colemanstown under considerable pressure. Grace Connolly & Kate Michell produced some strong & timely headed clearances as Moyne Villa pushed forward. The hosts eventually found a way through again to restore their two-goal advantage with 20mins remaining. With the keeper’s role being rotated throughout the afternoon, Muireann Roche took over for the final quarter & immediately made her presence felt with another fine save to keep Colemanstown’s hopes alive. The game became increasingly physical & this time, a heavy challenge on Sorcha Nic an Iomaire saw her leave the field, with Laura Hayes introduced. As Moyne Villa piled on the pressure, Colemanstown though continued to battle & refused to give up. Their persistence was finally rewarded in the 78th minute when Ruth Burke got her name on the scoresheet to make it 3-2 and set up a thrilling finish. Colemanstown pushed for an equaliser & came agonisingly close in the closing stages. Shauna McDonagh produced a great effort, only to see her shot narrowly miss the target. The final whistle came & confirmed a 3-2 victory for Moyne Villa B, but the scoreline did not tell the full story of a game in which Colemanstown showed tremendous courage, resilience& team spirit. It was certainly a bruising encounter, with Elaine Walsh kept busy throughout the afternoon with ice packs & strapping tape! Despite the injuries & the pressure they faced, the girls in green continued to fight right to the very end.
Overall, it was a strong performance from Colemanstown U16 Girls; just unfortunately not the result we yearned for. There is plenty to be proud of in the effort, determination & character shown by the entire squad. Match Report: Paddy Burke with thanks to: Margaret Girvan & Elaine Walsh
Squad: Ruth Burke, Muireann Roche, Grace Connolly, Kate Michell, Katie Quirke, Maddie Rohan, Shauna McDonagh, Laura Girvan, Cara Higgins, Leah Hansberry, Laura Hayes, Aoife Walsh, Sorcha Nic an Iomaire, Evelyn McDonnell, Emma Collins, Laoise Naughton, Siana O’Grady.
Western Hygiene Supplies Art Friel Championship: Colemanstown United 3–0 Colga FC B. Colemanstown United made it back-to-back victories in the Western Hygiene Supplies Art Friel Championship with a convincing 3–0 win over Colga FC B in their first home game of the season. Colemanstown came flying out of the blocks and dominated the opening 15–20 minutes, controlling possession and moving the ball with real pace and purpose. The home side created a number of opportunities early on and looked dangerous from the outset. The breakthrough eventually arrived when David Walsh fed Shane Quirke, who skipped past a couple of defenders before firing a left-footed effort beyond the goalkeeper from the left-hand side to give Colemanstown a deserved lead. The hosts continued to threaten, with Tomas Flannery feeding Thomas Carr, whose effort rattled the crossbar. From a David Walsh free-kick, Luke Williams was also unlucky to see his header come back off the crossbar. Despite further pressure, Colemanstown went in 1–0 ahead at half-time, with the management happy enough with the overall performance and the way the game had progressed during the opening 45 minutes.
The second half began with little separating the sides in the opening exchanges, but Colemanstown gradually began to regain control around the 55–60 minute mark and started to find more space in the final third. Ethan Flaherty was introduced after 60 minutes, and shortly afterwards Colemanstown doubled their advantage. Once again, Shane Quirke found himself in space on the left, skipped past a couple of defenders and produced a fantastic finish to make it 2–0. With Colemanstown now firmly in control, Richard Sillence was introduced with around 25 minutes remaining. Then came the goal of the night.
Sean Hardiman picked out Kyle Madden in the right-sided area. Madden skipped past his defender before unleashing a superb strike that flew into the top left-hand corner of the net. A fantastic finish from Madden, who was brilliant throughout the night. Colemanstown continued to look for a fourth in the final 20 minutes, with Aironas Kantauskas and Tomas Carr both going close, but the home side were unable to add to their tally. Further substitutions followed, with Martin Mellody and Jamie Lally, both members of the club’s Under-18 team, making their first-team debuts. Martin, aged just 16, and Jamie, 17, were rewarded for their hard work and development over recent months — a fantastic accomplishment for both players and another great example of the pathway from underage football into senior football within the club. Jack Kennedy was introduced for the final 10 minutes. Colemanstown saw the game out comfortably to secure a deserved 3–0 victory and a clean sheet. Overall, it was a fantastic team performance, with the lads showing excellent composure in possession, plenty of attacking threat and a strong defensive display throughout. Two games. Two wins. Six points. A brilliant start to the Championship campaign
Starting XI: Alan Finn, Shane Duffy (C), David Walsh, Richard Lally, Sean Hardiman, Aironas Kantauskas, Tomas Carr, Luke Williams, Kyle Madden, Tomas Flannery, Shane Quirke. Substitutes: Ethan Flaherty, Richard Sillence, Ross Lally, Martin Melody, Jamie Lally, Jack Kennedy, Sean Cooke.
U14 Boys Div2: Colemanstown U14B 0-4 Maree/ Oranmore C. Following two heavy defeats, the Colemanstown U14B squad stepped out at home against Maree/Oranmore C on Saturday with strict instructions to keep it tight, win their one-to-one battles, and put in maximum effort. Lining up in a disciplined formation, Kerrill Walsh started in goal behind a back four of Igor Ziolek, Aaron Burke, Eugene Kelly, and Martin Flemming. George Moore anchored the midfield in a defensive role alongside Abiel Sudeep, captain for the day James Vignoles, Andrew Davoren, and James Flaherty, with Lucas McKenna leading the line upfront. The game started positively as the boys executed the game plan. Lucas McKenna fashioned an early chance after a good through ball from James Vignoles, while the defense worked tirelessly to block, tackle, and run down every ball. James Flaherty was up-ended in the box in the 25th minute but the strong penalty appeal was waved away by the referee. As Maree/Oranmore began to gain a foothold, Kerrill Walsh made a brilliant rushing save in the 32nd minute to deny a dangerous through ball. Shortly before the break, Andrew Davoren was forced off through injury and replaced by Nathan Cleary. The massive defensive effort paid off as Colemanstown went into half-time level at 0-0, with instructions to keep fighting and maintain their defensive shape.
Unfortunately, the deadlock was broken just five minutes after the restart when Maree/Oranmore capitalised on an uncleared ball over the top, leaving Kerrill Walsh with no chance. Colemanstown picked themselves up, with Eugene Kelly going close from a corner header in the 10th minute. However, a quick throw-out caught the defense off guard on 16 minutes, allowing the visitors to double their lead. We created a chance to get back into the game in the 20th minute after some good passing in the middle of the park released James Flaherty but his shot didn’t have the power needed to beat the keeper. Despite George Moore and the back four working valiantly, another ball over the top extended Maree/Oranmore’s lead to 0-3 in the 25th minute. Heads dipped slightly, but the boys kept creating; Lucas McKenna forced a good save from the keeper after chasing down everything, though the resulting corner came to nothing. Fresh legs were introduced as Avey Mahon replaced Abiel Sudeep and Finn Scarry came on for Nathan Cleary with instructions to press and run down every ball. A late defensive mix-up allowed Maree/Oranmore to net a fourth with minutes remaining. While it marked another tough afternoon and a 0-4 defeat, the match offered very encouraging signs for the squad. The boys defended well and worked as a cohesive unit before ultimately running out of steam in the second half. Match Report: Dermot Moore
Squad: Kerril Walsh, Aaron Burke, Igor Ziolek, Eugene Kelly, Lucas McKenna, George Moore, James Vignoles, Andrew Davoren, Abiel K. Sudeep, Martin Flemming, Avey Mahon, Finn Scarry, Nathan Cleary, James Flaherty. Unavailable: Patrick Collins, Diarmuid Nevin, Jamie Lally, Daniel Kelly, Matthew Kelly.
Meanwhile, our U16 Boys game vs Galway Bohs on Sunday was cancelled due to referee unavailability.