The under 8’s & 10’s went full pelt in a mini blitz hosted by Tuam Celtic yesterday morning. As the lads came togged in every kinda jersey and insulating tape keeping their shinguards in place, the scene was set as parents exhibited real joy & smiles watching their budding Ronaldos in action. We had 3 teams in action; a brief rundown as follows:
Team A: Managed jointly by Lee Murphy & Ronan Carr, they won all 3 games but it was a real tug of war with possession as all 4 teams were evenly matched. They won their first game 1-0 with Kyle Concannon’s great effort from distance taking a deflection before finding the net. A solitary goal also separated the sides in game 2 as Shane Quirke showed enough magic to tap home a rebounded effort after Jonah Donnellan’s initial effort was well saved. Game 3 saw Colemanstown win 3-2. Kyle Concannon showed great panache when he nicked the ball off the opposition for the first goal as the game was only 2mins old. He won the ball well, took 2 steps past the defender & finished neatly. Almost straight from the kick off Tuam equalised and 4 mins before the break they went 2-1 up but Darren Moran equalised matters before half time with a well taken goal from a goalmouth scramble. Shane Quirke sealed the game not long before the end when a long clearance from defence fell to the inrushing Quirke, who held his nerve well with a perfectly executed goal into the far corner. Cian Ruane was solid in goal with some splendid saves while Jonah Donnellan & Roan Burke in defence mopped up plenty of ball between them. Kyle Concannon & Shane Quirke were a joy to watch while up front Eoghan Ryan & Darren Moran saw plenty of action. Team: Cian Ruane, Jonah Donnellan, Roan Burke, Shane Quirke, Kyle Concannon, Darren Moran & Eoghan Ryan.
Team 2 managed by Jayo Finn & Robbie Parker had a mixed bag of results from their 3 games. They were unlucky in their first game as they lost 1-0 thanks to a fortunate goal from Tuam Celtic as Colemanstown were experimental in their line-up of players. Game 2 saw a different mix of playing positions as Jason Rabbitte entirely dominated the action and his left footed cracker from 30yards was enough to see Colemanstown win 1-0. Josh Buckleys brilliance in goal helped maintain a clean sheet and he even saved a penalty in one of the games. In game 3 Conor Walsh & Eanna Burke came to the fore as a tired team were beaten by a much fresher Tuam outfit. Conor Walsh took a few tough knocks but was outstanding and rose well to the game. Daniel Moran was solid in all 3 games while the towering Diarmuid Ryan, (it’s hard to believe this boy is only 8years old) & Conor Laffey showed great flexibility in every position they played. Team: Josh Buckley, Diarmuid Ryan, Jason Rabbitte, Conor Walsh, Conor Laffey, Eanna Burke, Daniel Moran.
Team 3 coached by Gary Lally saw another mixed bag of results coming away with a draw and 2 losses. Game 1 was a clash of the titans with both teams evenly matched while a draw was the deserved result. There were lads from both sides flying in with full hearted challenges and don’t tell anyone of this age that this is non-competitive action. Ryan Concannon scored a class goal in the first came in which they came away with a 1-1 well deserved draw. They weren’t as lucky in the 2nd losing out & also narrowly lost the 3rd 3-2 with Thomas Mellody rewarded for his hard work waltzing up & down the field as he scored our 2 goals. All players explored different playing positions to give themselves a taste of the action all over the field. Ross Lally had 2 games in goal and was redeloyed in backs for the other game. David Walsh, Eoin Keague & Thomas Mellody were up to their usual trickery on the ball while Ciaran Keating, Joshua McDonnell, Ryan Concannon & Joe Carroll all played their part in a good day and got a good taste of football action. Team: Ciaran Keating, Ross Lally, David Walsh, Thomas Mellody, Joshua McDonnell, Ryan Concannon, Joe Carroll, Eoin Keague
Thanks to the management team of Jayo Finn & co.; Robbie Parker, Lee Murphy, Ronan Carr & Gary Lally for their efforts on the day. They have opened these boys eyes on the real enjoyment of the game of soccer and team spirit.