Match Reports 2012 - U14C
U14C FEILE MATCH REPORTS:
For pictures of the champs click 14C FEILE PICS
1st Match 5th May 10.30am
Kilmacud Crokes C Vs Cuala C
These two teams have played each other many times and there is rarely much between them at the end of their games. Crokes starting team had Alan Lundon in goal, Eamonn Keating, Dermot English, Conal Keane, Jack Byrne, Eoin Bleakley, and Oisin O Siochru in the backs, Alex Kinahan and Matthew O'Neill at mid-field and a forward division made up of David O'Farrell, Daithi Sultan, Ciaran Horan, Fergal McGinley, Calum Raftery and Ciaran Byrne. The first half was a very closely fought contest with just four points in total to entertain a large crowd of enthusiastic supporters on the sideline. Two points from Ciaran Horan, one from a free kick, equalled the two from Cuala. After some highly motivational words from the mentors, Aidan and Eoin, at half-time Crokes took to the field in a different frame of mind in the second half. Positional switches at half time saw Callum go into goals, Alex move to mid-field and Matthew at full-forward, A goal from Daithi and a point from Ciaran shortly after half-time sent out a signal that the team were chasing victory. Cuala fought back bravely. They scored a point half way through the second half but another goal from Daithi and a point from Alan made their task almost impossible. Cuala scored another point late in the half but a last minute goal from Jack after a quick exchange of passes with Mika Mc Keever, who had come on as a sub, ended the game as a contest.
Final Score: Kilmacud Crokes C 3 - 4 0 - 4 Cuala C
2nd Match 5th May 11.30
Kilmacud Crokes C Vs Na Fianna C
Na Fianna had lost their first match to Erin's Isle and so were in a 'have to win' situation in order to stay in the Feile competition. Crokes started with the same starting 15 players but, again, positional changes that saw Alex in goal, Alan at mid-field and Calum at full-forward. Crokes were first off the mark with a fine point by David. The fight-back from Na Fianna came quickly with first a point and then a goal. Crokes' response was sharp and swift - first a goal from Daithi, then a goal from Alan and just before half-time an outstanding shot from Matthew from all of 45 metres that sailed over the defence and crept under the crossbar to leave it 3 - 1 to 1 - 1 at the break. Any chances of a second-half fight-back by Na Fianna were quickly dashed just a minute in when Fergal quickly slotted home another goal for Crokes. Ciaran Byrne added to the goal tally ten minutes into the half. The strength in depth of the Crokes squad was underlined in this game when Sean O' Sullivan, Mika Mc Keever, Adam Liffey, Lochlann Regan, Conor Blaides and Shane Holohan came on as substitutes during this game. The pressure from Crokes continued until the end with Shane finding space and putting over a fine point in the dying minutes. While the scoring tally speaks volumes about the quality of the play from the forwards, the contribution to the win from the mid-field and defence was just as great. As well as providing the forwards with good supply they held Na Fianna scoreless for the whole second half.
Final Score: Kilmacud Crokes C 5 - 2 1 - 1 Na Fianna C
3rd Match 5th May 12.45
Kilmacud Crokes C Vs Erin's Isle B
Erin's Isle came into this game with one win and one defeat behind them and so were in the position of having to pull off a win to stay in the competition. Crokes, with two wins, had already secured a semi-final place and were looking for another win to get home advantage in the semi-final. Crokes settled quickly to the task. David O'Farrell put the ball in the net inside three minutes only to have the goal disallowed. The Crokes forwards, however, were unstoppable. Free taker Ciaran Horan was first on the scoreboard with a point. This was followed by points from Daithi, Alan and Fergal. David netted again minutes later and this time the referee had no complaint. Two more goals followed, one from Matthew and one from Alan. Ciaran scored another point from a free and the half ended with a point from Hugh Rooney. Erin's Isle failed to register a score in the first half.
The second half got off to a good start with a point from Alex before Alan scored a goal from close-in following some frenetic action in the square. Erin's Isle got their first point mid-way through the half. Crokes captain, Oisin O'Siochru, who led his team by example with a tireless display of ball-winning in defence and distribution to his forwards, put his own name on the score-sheet with a point. Erin's Isle got a goal late in the half before Alan put the ball in net for his third goal just before the final whistle.
Even though the score line suggests a one-sided game this match was fiercely contested right up to the end by an Erin's Isle team that never gave up. As well as the outstanding display from the forwards in racking up a score of 5 - 9, Crokes had to produce a defensive performance from the top drawer to contain the opposition to two scores over the 40 minutes. Goalkeeper, Alex, was solid under some testing high shots. The back line of Eamonn, Dermot and Conall had a 'no way through' approach to all attackers. The determination of the half backs, Jack, Eoin and Oisin to be first to every ball, to tackle aggressively and to stick doggedly to their task was the springboard for many of the Crokes' attacks. Injuries took their toll in this game with Matthew, Eoin and Adam Liffey, who had come in as a sub, all having to retire in the second half. Regrettably Adam was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament but hopes were high that Matthew and Eoin would recover overnight. Conor Mongan, Mika McKeever and Conor Blaides also came on as subs and provided fresh legs to pile on more pressure on a tortured Erin's Isle defence that must have been relieved when the referee blew the final whistle.
Final Score: Kilmacud Crokes C 5 - 9 1 - 1 Erin's Isle B
Semi-final 6th May 10.00
Kilmacud Crokes C Vs Castleknock C
The news that we would meet Castleknock in the Semi-final was greeted with some apprehension as we had played them three weeks ago and had been on the wrong end of the result. The good news was that Matthew and Eoin had recovered and were available to play. The starting team had Alex in goal and Alan at mid-field. Otherwise the selected players were as for starting line-out in game 1 above. Hugh Rooney came on as sub late in first half.
The game was very evenly balanced with neither side registering a score for the first ten minutes. Castleknock were first to score with a point that was cancelled out by a point from Ciaran Horan within 60 seconds. Crokes had a penalty, which went narrowly wide, before Castleknock struck again with points in the 17th 18th and 19th minutes and were looking like carrying a comfortable lead into the break, when Ciaran Byrne slammed home a superb goal just on the stroke of half-time to leave it all square 1 -1 to 0 - 4 at the break.
Positional switches at the break saw Calum going in as goalkeeper, Alex moving to mid-field and Matthew to full-forward. Less than two minutes after the restart Matthew scored a great goal to put Crokes three points in front. Ciaran Byrne followed up with a point to extend the margin to four points. As in the first half every ball was hotly contested. The Crokes defence stood solid in this half with Calum pulling off some critical saves to frustrate the Castleknock attack, which managed just a single point in the 20 minutes. As the half wore on Crokes superiority became more and more obvious and when Ciaran Byrne knocked over the last point to restore the four point gap the result was no longer in doubt. The considered view of the more seasoned supporters was that this was the best performance ever produced by this team but that their finest hour might still be to come before the day was over. As the team did their warm down on the sideline the delighted spectators made their way back towards their cars studying maps of Blanchardstown and discussing the best way to get to St Peregrines.
Final Score: Kilmacud Crokes C 2 - 3 0 - 5 Castleknock C
Final 6th May 1.00
Kilmacud Crokes C 1-5 Cuala C 1-2
Because the other semi-final between Cuala C and Naomh Barrog had gone to extra time, it wasn't clear which team we would be playing until we arrived at St Peregrines in Blakestown. When it turned out to be Cuala it was greeted with mixed feelings by team and supporters alike. While we had beaten Cuala in our first match there was always a belief that a repeat fixture would be a big challenge. Aidan and Eoin went to great lengths to counteract any ideas of complacency amongst the players about the result being a foregone conclusion. The team arrived in St Peregrine's in time to witness the 'miracle' second-half comeback by the Kilmacud A team in beating Oliver Plunketts. This was an object lesson in the old adage that a game isn't over until the referee blows the final whistle.
Crokes lined out with what had become the established starting 15 players i.e.Calum Raftery in goal, Eamonn Keating, Dermot English and Conall Keane in the full-back line, Jack Byrne, Eoin Bleakley and Capt. Oisin O'Siochru in the half-back line, Alan Lundon and Alex Kinahan at centre field, David O'Farrell, Daithi Sultan and Ciaran Horan in the half-forwards and Fergal McGinley, Matthew O'Neill and Ciaran Byrne in the full-forward line.
As in the previous games the first seven minutes were tense with few clear-cut scoring chances. Then some uncharacteristic confusion in the Crokes defence allowed Cuala to slip in and score a goal eight minutes into the game. Crokes came back and their aerial bombardment of the Cuala defence eventually led to a free kick, which we pointed. The continuous pressure from Crokes yielded a point from play by Matthew O'Neill and another free kick. Again Ciaran Horan pointed to bring the sides level. Towards the end of the first half some good forward play from Cuala resulted in two points for them - a lead they carried into half-time.
Crokes hit the ground running in the second half and quickly cleared the two point deficit with two superb points - one from Fergal McGinley and one from Ciaran Byrne. Hugh Rooney came on into the half forward line. With matters all square on the scoreboard the game entered its critical phase. Five minutes went by with neither side creating any clear scoring chances. The feeling was growing that the next score could be the most important one of the entire tournament. When it came it was swift and decisive. The ball was passed quickly from the Crokes defence through mid-field to the waiting Fergal McGinley, who picked his spot and gave the Cuala goalkeeper no chance with a rocket to the back of the net. Three points up with three and a half minutes left, the game was far from over. Cuala, to their credit, came back quickly and produced a few good attacking moves, but they all ended in failure against the Crokes defence unit of Calum, Eamonn, Dermot, Conall, Jack, Eoin and Oisin. Crokes, for their part, resisted the temptation to pull everyone back into a blanket defence and in the dying seconds of the game Alex and Alan, who had dominated mid-field were still driving high ball into the forwards. Unbelievably the six front men -Hugh, Daithi, David, Fergal, Matthew and Ciaran - who had given nothing less than 100% over the weekend, were still chasing scores right up to the end. The final whistle was greeted with a tumultuous roar from the spectators in a packed stand, who stood and applauded the efforts of both teams in a highly entertaining game that was fought with great passion and flair.
Following the ceremonial 'dunking' of Aidan by the players, Oisin stepped up to accept the cup and deliver the victory speech. The team and supporters returned to Glenalbyn for presentation of the medals and a well-earned celebration. The whole experience will live long in the memory.
Final Score: Kilmacud Crokes C 1 - 5 1 - 2 Cuala C
Full Feile Squad:
Conor Blaides, Eoin Bleakley, Jack Byrne, Dermot English, Shane Holohan, Ciaran Horan, Conall Keane, Adam Liffey, Mika McKeever, Peter Monahan (unavailable due to injury), Conor Mongan, David O'Farrell, Matthew O'Neill, Oisin O'Siochru, Sean O'Sullivan, Calum Raftery, Lochlann Regan, Hugh Rooney, Daithi Sultan, Fergal McGinley, Alex Kinahan, Eamonn Keating, Alan Lundon and Ciaran Byrne
February 25th 2012
Silverpark
Kilmacud Crokes 0-1 Lucan Sarsfields B 4-9
This Saturday afternoon game against Lucan Sarsfield B was played in good conditions in Silverpark. At half time there was only 4 points between the teams. However, following a strong start to the second half, Lucan pulled away with some fine scores to win the game.
In the first half we had many good chances for goals and points, playing with the wind advantage, but a combination of poor finishing and good goalkeeping meant that our only score in that half was a point from a free. The final score was maybe not a fair reflection of the effort and it did point up areas for improvement.
Our goalies today were Sean O Sullivan and Conor Mongan and both were busy and acquitted themselves well. We won a good share of the kick outs and both of them were clever with their distribution. The back line of Mika McKeever, Dermot English, Peter Monahan, Jack Byrne, David Dagg and Conall Keane worked very hard and were obviously under a lot of pressure throughout the game. Our midfield of Calum Raftery and Cian Moriarty were also to the fore helping the backline and also supporting the attack.
The forward division of Daithi Sultan, Hugh Rooney, Ciaran Horan, Lochlainn Regan, Shane Holohan and when he came on Conor Blaides did their best and deserved better for their efforts.
As usual we were well supported for this home game with good encouragement given and it ensured the boys did not lose concentration and kept going until the end.
February 18TH 2012
Kilmacud Crokes 2 - 5 Cuala C 1 - 6
This was evidence of the old cliché "a game of two halves" and an excellent and spirited second half performance saw our team turn around an eight point deficit in the first half to earn a hard fought victory away against a very determined and skilful Cuala team.
Playing against the wind in the first half, we had to work very hard to keep in touch and we were very unfortunate on a number of occasions, when having worked the ball up the field, our shooting boots seemed to have deserted us. The Cuala goalkeeper deserves special mention and was assured all day and repelled many of our efforts.
Having conceded a goal early on, we did restrict them to a further six scores for the remainder of the half. We struggled to win our fair share of the kickout ball in that period and this meant we had to be tenacious in the tackle with a lot of pressure on the back division. Peter Monahan and Dermot English worked really hard and made some very impressive blocks and smart clearances. Our half back line and midfielders of Jack Byrne, Cian Moriarity, Conall Keane, Matthew O Neill and Sean O Sullivan worked tirelessly up and down the heavy pitch, stopping attacks, moving on and carrying the ball and supporting the forwards with overlapping runs. Their play laid the foundation for the fantastic comeback we saw in the second half.
Our goal scorers were Calum Raftery, who netted the rebound off the post from his initial penalty and David O Farrell who showed great composure and made up for an earlier chance which went by the post. On the second occasion, there was no doubt and he buried it. Our inspirational point of the day was from our captain for the day, Sean O Sullivan, who won a ball, made the space and slotted a great point between the posts from a narrow angle and this spurred us on to draw level and ultimately get our noses in front.
Calum, Hugh Rooney and Ciaran Horan on the half forward line poised problems for their defence all day with their strong running, support play and smart use of the ball. Lochlainn Regan, Adam Liffey and Sean also tormented the defence, scoring and contributing to the great comeback. The goal opportunities came from very good combined play working into the full forward line and making use of the wind advantage in the second half.
The final result was in the balance to the very end, and the "never say die" attitude and the willingness to keep going in adversity was great to see. All the supporters were very proud of the performance and the boys can take great credit for achieving our first win of the year. As always we take lessons from the game and we go back to the training pitch to practice and improve. Training is on Thursday.
February 4th 2012
Kilmacud Crokes 3-3 St Sylvesters 5-2
this was our first league fixture of the year, played in Silverpark. In spite of a very spirited performance we suffered a five point defeat with the final score St Sylvesters B 5 goals and 2 points to a Crokes score of 3 goals and 3 points.
We started slowly and some strong attacking play by St Sylvesters coupled with some poor defending allowed them to amass three goals in the first 20 minutes. It took us 15 minutes to register our first score. After this initial blitz, we defended much better and challenged more strongly and indeed enjoyed as much possession as the opposition.
Our top scorer (and Man of the Match) on the day was Calum Raftery with two goals, including an excellent penalty in the second half after Oisin O Siochru has been fouled in the square. David Dagg scored the other goal having made a foray up from midfield. At the other end Hugh Rooney made some great saves in the second half. The final result might have been different, if we had brought our shooting boots but this leaves another area to focus on in training next Thursday evening.