Both our U12s & U14s made the long spin out West to Letterfrack on Saturday for a big double header. First in action were our U12s as Ita Kenny reports:
West Coast United 3-2 Colemanstown U12s
The U12 Colemanstown boys had an early start on Saturday morning as they headed out to Letterfrack to play West Coast United. It was a mix of many weathers ranging from sunshine to hailstones with some strong winds thrown in. The Colemanstown boys lined out with Adam Kenny in goal, a solid defence line of Liam O’ Connor, David Barrett and Daragh Blake. Centre field consisted of Owen Hillary, Finian Walsh and Kealan Murray and our two strikers were Scott O Donoghue and Daithi Burns. West Coast started strongly and were in charge of the game and within a few minutes beat the off-side trap leading to the first goal of the match. Our boys reset and went on the hunt for an equaliser. Some skilful play by Finian Walsh on the right wing saw a ball delivered into Daithi Burns who took his first shot on goal but unfortunately it bounced off the side post and the West Coast boys soon cleared it up the field for another shot at the Colemanstown goal. At this stage Adam Kenny had settled into his position and no ball was going to hit the back of his goal.
The strong wind that swept across the pitch was driving the ball off target for most of our boys. At this point the black clouds were rolling in over the mountains and it looked like we were in for a drenching. The sound of thunder in the background did not seem to bother our boys. Our solid back line drove the ball over the midfielders, on numerous occasions reaching our two strikers. Scott O’Donoghue and Daithi Burns worked tirelessly up front but the West Coast backline were not letting any ball pass them. Some great work from Finian Walsh found the feet of Scott O’Donoghue, who did some skilful work to get around the West Coast keeper and buried the ball in the back of the net. 1-1 as the half-time whistle blew.
Some changes were made seeing Daithi Burns and Scott O’Donoghue replaced by Keelyn Kirby and Dermot Parker. The black clouds decided to open and the heavy rain swept across the pitch. The boys huddled under Alan Walsh’s umbrella for a team chat. The whistle blew and the boys reluctantly ran back onto the pitch. At this stage the rain had turned to hailstones and the referee made the decision to take shelter. Before long, both teams returned to a very wet pitch and the second half started. The West Coast boys made some runs on goal but with the fresh legs of Keelyn Kirby and Dermot Parker to help and with the team working hard in poor conditions they were getting nowhere near our keeper. However, the West Coast boys seemed to enjoy the conditions and kept the attack going strong. Our midfielders never stopped working to keep the ball out of our half. By now the boys looked like they had played a serious game of rugby, drenched wet and covered in muck! Two quick changes were made, with Daniel Ruane and Mikey Nutley replacing Kealen Murray and David Barrett. The two boys got stuck in making some super decisions to keep the ball out of our half. A great shot from West Coast was whipped down the right wing, crossed in at speed but Adam Kenny had it covered. The West Coast boys were on form and capitalised on the rebound however, the ref called an offside and the goal was disallowed. Both teams enjoyed a good passage of play but, unfortunately, it was the West Coast boys who got the next score. At this stage of the game Dermot Parker and Keelyn Kirby were in serious defence mode and both made some vital decisions in our back line. The pitch conditions deteriorated and our midfielders were finding it difficult to get the ball up to our strikers. Another offside decision caught our boys off guard and the ball found the back of our goals. The score line was 3-1 but our boys were not leaving Letterfrack without another goal. The Colemanstown boys stayed on attack and with everyone working tirelessly together got the ball into the West Coast half. Dermot Parker did some spectacular sliding and was finally rewarded as he popped the ball into the back of the West Coast net. A few more minutes of play and the final whistle blew. The final score from Letterfrack: West Coast 3-2 Colemanstown. The boys finally returned to the dressing room where they enjoyed a well-deserved hot shower. Match Report by Ita Kenny
Squad: Adam Kenny, Liam O’ Connor David Barrett, Daragh Blake, Finian Walsh, Owen Hillary, Kealen Murray, Daithi Burns, Scott O Donoghue, Mikey Nutley, Keeyln Kirby, Dermot Parker, Daniel Ruane
West Coast Utd 4 – 3 Colemanstown U14’s
Our U14’s trip to Letterfrack on Saturday to take on West Coast Utd also proved to be a tough outing. Colemanstown dominated for the first 10mins & took the lead on 10mins when Harry Tierney’s delivery from the right found Tadhg Hart beat the offside trap and nipped in ahead of the keeper to finish well just inside the 18’ box to set an early tone. However, it was the hosts who responded as they rallied with two quick goals. 5mins after the opener, the equaliser arrived when centre back Conor Keating was pulled out of position and a ball slipped through the middle found West Coast’s striker well placed to run on to & he slotted to the bottom right past Tommy Nutley in goals. 3mins later West Coast went ahead in an exact replica of their first and the same striker finished well. Tadhg Hart had a glorious chance to restore parity in a good build up involving Harry Tierney & Ryan Glynn who slipped a beauty through for Hart who beat the offside trap but the keeper made a super stop.
The hosts were in full flight by the time they scored their 3rd when a corner was whipped in which saw Tommy Nutley parry the shot; the rebound wasn’t fully cleared, fell kindly for their striker who had the easiest of finishes to make it 3-1 to the hosts. Colemanstown created little further chances and it looked like matters were exacerbated further when Tommy Nutley had to retire due to an injury to his hand, showing great bravery in the process & Noah McDonnell took up the keeper’s role. Then to make matters worse, Joe Carroll was substituted with an injury as West Coast struck for a 4th close to half time to leave the score 4-1 at the break with the hosts well in charge.
The 2nd half saw a different Colemanstown outfit as the boys in green rallied and fought back. They created chances and were rewarded 20 mins into the half when a mishit by the keeper saw the ball fall at the feet of Harry Tierney who found himself one-on-one with the keeper & finished well. With 5mins to go Colemanstown were in the ascendancy as Ryan Glynn attempted to round the keeper, was floored in the process & the loose ball spilled to Sean Keating who made no mistake and tapped into an empty net to make it 4-3 adrift. For the last 5mins with the momentum with them and the Colemanstown boys in full flight, they threw everything they had into salvaging 1 point but time ran out in the end as the game finished Colemanstown U14’s 3 – 4 West Coast Utd.
Squad: Tommy Nutley, Joe Carroll, Eoghan Ryan, Conor Keating, Tadhg Bardell, Ryan Glynn, Harry Tierney, Noah McDonnell, Jamie Lally, Ryan Shaughnessy, Tadhg Hart, Fionn Proulx, Sean Keating.