MINOR Bs CLAIM DUBLIN TITLE - MATCH REPORT

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Kilmacud Crokes 2-7

Na Fianna           2-6

The Crokes Minor B team staged a magnificent second half recovery to claim the Championship title on Sunday last at a rain sodden O'Toole Park.

Trailing by 8 points at half time to a slick Na Fianna side they thundered into the game in the second period and were well worth their one point victory at the end.

Despite the heavy underfoot confitions Na Fianna started in whirlwind fashion with 2 goals in the opening 4 minutes.  It took the Crokes boys a full 15 minutes to register their first and only first half score from a Keelan Noon free, by which stage the Glasnevin team had 2-2 on the board.  Despite having plenty of posession Kilmacud were finding it difficult to turn this into scores and they went into the break 2-3 to 0-1 in arrears.

Some shrewd substitutions coupled with stern words from manager John Shovlin at half-time saw the Crokes boys transformed in the second half.  With their first attack Rob Foley brought a great save from the Na Fianna 'keeper and thumped the rebound off the crossbar. However points from frees from Keelan Noone kept the gap narrowing and sowed the seeds of doubt in the minds of the Northsiders. The turning point came midway through the second half when at the end of a flowing movement involving Andy O'Malley and Fionnan Motherway, Keelan Noone crashed home a wonderful goal to leave Kilmacud trailing 2-4 to 1-5.

Playing with much more fluidity up-front and with great bravery and dicipline in defence the Crokes boys added a point from Motherway and following another great movement involving Ross McGowan and Niall Carr, another goal that this time went in off a Na Fianna defender.  It was at this stage that Na Fianna played their best football of the half launching wave after wave of attack that yeilded however just one point to narrow the margin to the minimum again. A fine point from substitute Matt McNicolas put two between the teams again with the game going into injury time.  The referee controversially added 4 minutes during which Na Fianna went in search of an elusive goal.  Their attacks were broken up by a series of magnificent blocks and tackles none better than Ciaran Sheehy's block of a goalbound shot.  With JJ Shovlin playing a captain's part Na Fianna were limited to just one point in this period.  Their final attack was repelled with a brilliant save from goalkeeper Peter Ferris (who had taken over from the unfortunate Alan Smith who had been injured in training during the week). From the resulting clearance the referee finally blew full time and this heralded scenes of unbridled joy from players, mentors and supporters alike.

So the Minor B championship campaign ends in success and well do to all the lads.  The focus now turns to doing the League and Championship double !!!

PANEL AND MANAGEMENT

1. Peter Ferris

2. Brian Lemass

3. Ciaran Sheehy

4. Darragh Hayes

5. Emmet Doherty

6. David McNamara

7. Paul Sheridan

8. JJ Shovlin

9. Andy O'Malley

10. Fiachra Lynn

11. Jamie Clinton

12. Lorcan Berry

13. Keelan Noone

14. Fionnan Motherway

15. Rob Foley

 

Subs: Ross McGowan, Matt McNicholas, Justin Cassidy, Jack Hutchinson, Alan Smith, Shane Moran, Art O'Connor, Conal Seoige

Manager: John Shovlin

Selectors: Rory Ward, Ian Byrne, Damien Kenny

Football, Football Minor.