Boys: Our U12 Boys lost 4-3 at home to Castlebar Celtic in Round 3 of the SFAI National Cup in what was one of the most exciting games with such a high standard of football in recent times. Colemanstown went 1-0 down with 5 minutes before half time…however equalised immediately from brilliant work rate from Joshua Lualdi and finished by Darren Quirke. Half time saw 3 substitutions who picked up where the boys left off….and early in the second half Colemanstown went ahead from a corner that fell kindly to Thomas Screene 20 yards out and hammered it home….. an unreal strike. Castlebar began to press higher up the pitch when they realised they were in trouble and got a lucky goal with a cruel deflection from 18 yards out and then pulled away to make it 4-2 with the Colemanstown boys hurting. After some tactical changes Colemanstown began to take control again for the final 10 minutes of the game and Darren Quirke won a free from 20 yards out in front of goal that he took himself and rifled it into the top corner to make it 4-3. Castlebar held out for the final whistle and were certainly relieved going home.
Squad: John Parker, David Barrett, Dermot Parker, Adam Devaney, Thomas Screene, Darren Quirke, Riain Donohue, Joshua Lualdi, Keelyn Kirby, Cathal Maybin, Adam Kenny, Caolan O’Neill, Scott O’Donoghue, Liam O’Connor.
Our U14A boys squad put in an epic display against Carraroe side MacDara who made the long spin to Colemanstown for the 2nd year running. This game was tit for tat as it ebbed and flowed. Colemanstown were 1-0 down, levelled through a super free kick by Darren Moran. Suddenly Colemanstown found themselves 2-1 down but after a period of sustained pressure which resulted in 6 consecutive corners, Cillian Roche headed home the equaliser. The joy was short lived though as the visitors scored almost immediately from tip off and half time arrived at the opportune time. As the rain eased & the team re-grouped, the boys came out much stronger for the 2nd half. Soon after the re-start the powerful Cillian Roche was taken down in the box; up he popped, dusted himself off & prepared himself for the resultant penalty which he dispatched with ease to equalise for the 3rd time in this equally contested encounter. The winner arrived following a great run down the wing from Josh Buckley, mesmerising a few players on his way and fed an inch perfect through ball for Darren Moran to run on to & he finished a beautiful strike to make it 4-3. The hosts showed great resilience right to the end, resolute in their defending while Joshua McDonnell had to pull off some good stops to keep Colemanstown in command. Colemanstown had another few chances to put a bit more daylight between the sides but the game petered out & Colemanstown held on for a well-earned win.
Meanwhile our U14B side had a tough away encounter against St. Pats in Caherlistrane. This is St. Pats first team and Colemanstown knew an uphill task was in store against the Div4 table toppers. Although our lads & ladies tried hard, many of whom are part of the U13 squad, St. Pats dominance showed through from the start as the game ended 7-1 to the table toppers.
Our A Team received a walkover at the hands of Manor Rangers and so advance to Round 4 of the Connacht Junior Cup. Our B Team had to concede to Galway Bohs in their Connacht Junior Shield as they had insufficient numbers to field due to other sports & injuries.
Girls – Our U12s lost 4-1 to Knocknacarra in Round 2 of the SFAI National Cup played in Cappagh Park astro pitch on a bright sunny Sunday morning. Chloe Flynn was the goalscorer on the day. It might easily have been much more only for the superb defensive efforts of trio Roisin Ruane, Leah O’Connor & Sophie Kelly. Chloe Flynn & Lillie Kirby had numerous attempts on goal too but in their way stood a fine keeper. Meanwhile 8 of these U12 players had to wait around to play U13 Div 1 against the same opposition at 2pm in Cappagh Park, this time played on grass surface.
For the U13 Girls league encounter, the management used continuous roll-on/ roll-off tactics to maximise game time for all 14 girls. Ruby Lynch, Roisin Ruane, Laoise Maybin, Aisling Ruane and super goalie Honor Tuohy held a tight line of defence throughout the 60 mins. Energetic midfielders Sophie Kelly, Eva Molloy, Lillie Kirby, Leah O Connor and Nicole Brennan showed true resilience, skill and fought with sheer determination. Up front Chloe Flynn, Anna Barrett, Grace Mitchell and Liliana King kept the Knocknacarra defence under immense pressure. Chloe Flynn flawlessly secured herself a hat trick, Eva Molloy effortlessly scored from midfield and Lillie Kirby skilfully blasted to the back of the net! A promising enthusiastic bunch of young girls that showed true teamwork and never failed to impress with this 5 – 1 away win against Knocknacarra yesterday.
Jumble Sale: Meanwhile Saturday was also a busy day with our Jumble Sale taking place for the duration of the day in the clubhouse under Covid rules. There was everything & anything for sale & the beauty of these kinda Jumble sales is you’ll always pick up some bargain or other. Thanks to all who donated items for sale from shoes, bags, clothes, knick-knacks, chairs, photo frames, clocks, mirrors, toys, books etc. Thanks to the hard working group of volunteers who worked tirelessly all week preparing & decorating both our changing rooms to enable the sale to take place & thanks to all buyers who came along to support the fundraiser. Its extremely heartening to see so many new faces come on board to help out with ‘new’ fundraising initiatives as it assists the club greatly in raising much vital funds. Thanks to all who donated many spot prizes for the hourly Wheel of Fortune draws and to all those who donated goodies for the tea & coffee stand and provided the welcome hot beverages including Tricia’s mulled wine which helped to get some prepared for the impending festivities. It was also great to see Donna Broderick of DoTerra Oils present to offer her advice for anyone with queries. It was a wonderfully successful day with all monies raised going straight to our Playground fund. A huge ‘Thank you’ to all. The playground is now open for a few weeks and it’s heartening to see children not just swinging about on the swings or the glider but we all know playgrounds play such an important part in a child’s development in many ways. We will continue with our fundraisers until we get ourselves over the line. Very slowly but surely we are getting there…… A busy weekend was had for sure.