Championship: West Utd 3 – 1 Colemanstown A Team. Our A team fell to their second league defeat of the campaign, as Andy Mckelvey’s side lost out to West Utd in strong wind conditions in the swamp yesterday morning. Playing with the breeze in the first half, Colemanstown were dealt 2 early sucker punches and were 2-0 down on 11mins following poor defensive play. Midway through the first half, Colemanstown pulled one back through Kevin Barrett. West were forced to defend for the remainder of the first half as Colemanstown were camped in their half, predominantly due to the strong sea breeze. Colemanstown earned numerous corners but were unable to penetrate a resolute West Utd defence. 2-1 to West at half time. In the 2nd half, a few changes saw Mossy Carr introduced following his return from injury, & Harry Mitchell. West extended the gap further in the strangest of fashion. A kick out from their keeper, found its way to the net without even 1 outfield player touching the ball. This put the game past Colemanstown’s reach. We created a few chances late on but were not ruthless enough in front of goal. Thady Moran was introduced late on but he was unable to do enough to help claw back a goal. Padraig Quirke, Kerrill Hardiman & Richie Lally were the stand out players & the architects of most of Colemanstowns’s good work. Final score from The Swamp: West Utd 3 -1 Colemanstown. Match report: Andy McKelvey.
Squad: Alan ‘Junior’ Finn, Geordan Kenny, Jason Finn, Jack Kennedy, Jack Dillon, Padraig Quirke, Kerrill Hardiman, Kevin Barrett, Richie Lally, Dylan Grady, Aronas Kantauskas. Notable absentees were Sean Hardiman & Callum McKelvey.
U16 Boys Connacht Shield. Colemanstown 1 – 7. St John’s (Sligo). In the BU16 Connacht Shield match at home against St. Johns played in exceptionally windy and wet conditions, our boys faced a tough defeat. The final score was 7-1 in favor of the visitors, but St. John’s didn’t leave without some scares, especially given the ghoulish time of year and weather. From the first whistle, St. John’s exhibited superior teamwork and impressive plays, quickly seizing control of the game. Their relentless efforts led to several attacks, putting Colemanstown’s defense and midfield under constant pressure. The first goal came from a close-range header. Shortly after, the St. John’s keeper utilized the strong wind to assist his striker with a kick out, resulting in a neat finish and a 0-2 lead. Despite the setback, our boys remained determined. Tadgh Harte nearly scored after a neat exchange with Martin Mellody but the post saved St. John’s keeper. A goal at this point would have bolstered our boys’ belief, but it wasn’t to be, leaving the score 0-2 at halftime. It’s fair to say that a super display by Tommy Nutley in goals, pulling some great saves, prevented a heavier margin in the first half. In the second half, with the wind at our backs, Colemanstown started strongly, putting pressure on St. John’s . However, the visitors were lucky this time to add a third goal. Martin Mellodys shot was once again denied by the post, but no one could stop his sweet kick from 25 yards out, making it 1-3. Exhausted, the boys gave everything, the bench was emptied and everyone who could at this point went to tog back in, dry up and warm up. St. John’s added four more goals to close out the match. It was a clear demonstration of their prowess and strategic play, securing their position as formidable contenders in the Connacht Shield. It’s a tough loss for Colemanstown, but a valuable learning experience. Till the next match… Match report: Luca Lualdi
U12B Boys Div2. It was a tough day at the office for our U12B Boys when they took on Carraroe side MacDara at home on Saturday. The first few minutes saw the two teams probing each other’s defences looking for weaknesses but it was MacDara that showed the quality that keeps them as table toppers with 4 games played. MacDara scored two early goals in the first 10mins but after that it was all pressure coming from Colemanstown and eventually our boys were rewarded with a well taken goal from long range by Riley O’Donoghue. Our second goal came from a header from close range by Conor Finnerty after Riley O’Donoghue provided the assist. Both sides created chances but failed to convert and finished 2-2 at half time. The second half saw MacDara dominate the game outscoring us 6 – 2 with our goals coming from Eoghan Burke and Andrew Davoren. We now move to third on the table with our next game at home against Cregmore Claregalway. Match report: Peter Kelly.