Colemanstown’s U18 Boys made the early morning journey to Umbro Park, Castlebar on Saturday morning for the Connacht Shield final, full of anticipation as they faced a formidable & much higher ranked Knocknacarra side. With the whitethorns conspicuously in bloom along the route & spirits high, hopes were somewhat deflated on arrival when news broke that standout performer Aironas Kantauskas was unable to line out through an untimely ankle injury.
Still the pristine conditions of the Umbro Park surface – almost carpet-like & the professional set-up of the final lifted spirits again as the game got underway in front of a lively crowd. Knocknacarra showed early intent & almost found the net inside 3mins with a central move that ended with a shot which narrowly evaded the top corner. Knocknacarra followed with a long-range free-kick that also cleared the bar.
Colemanstown responded well. A floated free-kick from David Walsh nearly found the net from Diarmuid Ryan’s glancing header, while minutes later a long kick-out from keeper Fionn Flattery found Tiarnan Proulx, who nodded on for Tiarnan Lohan. Lohan’s left-footed strike forced a superb 1-handed save from the Knocknacarra keeper who tipped the ball around the post on 12 mins.
Both sides had chances in an evenly contested half. Fionn Flattery had to be alert to smother a low effort after a slick Knocknacarra build-up & at the other end, a David Walsh corner caused havoc in the box but was eventually cleared.
The breakthrough came on 34mins. Knocknacarra capitalised on a scrappy passage in the box, where No 10 Mike Mullery toe-poked home from close range. Colemanstown had a quick response when Tiarnan Lohan won and took a free-kick himself, but his low drive lacked adequate power to test the keeper.
Just before the break, Knocknacarra doubled their lead after a handball in the box. Rory Dixon stepped up and slotted the penalty to Flattery’s right, leaving the Colemanstown keeper with no chance. At half-time, Knocknacarra held a 2-0 advantage.
Colemanstown came out fighting in the 2nd half. Tiarnan Lohan fired an early effort over the bar, before linking up nicely with Shane Quirke to set up Matthew Keane, whose strike narrowly missed the top corner. The pressure paid off midway through the half when David Walsh lofted a ball over the top for the ever-industrious Tiarnan Lohan. Beating the offside trap with a perfectly timed run, Lohan raced through & drilled a clinical low finish into the net, pulling Colemanstown back into the tie at 2-1 & game on!
The remainder of the game was a fierce battle, with physical exchanges & committed tackles from both sides. Subs brought fresh legs in the form of Cathal Kennedy (replacing the injured Kyle Madden), Matthew Keane pushed further forward & Ross Lally helped to shore up the left side of defence.
Knocknacarra nearly sealed it late on, but Fionn Flattery made a brave save in a one-on-one effort to keep Colemanstown’s hopes alive. Despite a spirited final push, the equaliser proved elusive & at the final whistle it was Knocknacarra who claimed the Connacht Shield title. It was a proud performance from the Colemanstown lads, who gave it everything & left nothing behind.
A big thank you to Mick Flattery, who bravely took the managerial reins at the start of the season when no one else stepped forward – proving once & for all that hesitation leads to a year-long commitment! Credit too to his committed sidekick Orla McCaffrey, who provided endless support, encouragement, & occasional threats of substitution when the lads got cheeky. And finally, thanks to Jason Finn, whose football brain was once again in flying form – offering tactical wisdom, sharp observations & just the right amount of sideline shouting to keep everyone on their toes (including the referee).
Couldn’t let this report go without mentioning Conor van & Donnacha Walsh who marked the occasion with two freshly minted haircuts, the kinda trims that screamed Connacht Shield Final even louder than the warm up music put on by the Connacht FA.
A huge thanks to Frank & Bernie Burke for treating the squad to pizzas from Supermacs – post-match recovery fuel at its finest!! Also hats off to Trisha Sullivan for braving the pizza run – rumour has it she overtook a few tractors with the urgency of a woman on a mission to deliver hot pizzas straight from the oven. The pizzas went down faster than Knocknacarra’s No. 10 in the box. Match Report: Martina Donnellan
Squad: Fionn Flattery, Donnacha Walsh, David Walsh, Diarmuid Ryan, Shane Duffy, Conor Van Oosterhout, Shane Quirke, Tiarnan Proulx, Tiarnan Lohan, Josh Buckley, Kyle Madden, Sean Cooke, Matthew Keane, Sean Connolly, Cathal Kennedy, Fionn Campbell, Ross Lally, Tyler Collins, Aironas Kantauskas (inj)