Match Report - U16 Boys Division 1, Sun 3rd Sept 2023
Kiltullagh 2-3 Kinvara United
We had a winning start to this year’s campaign away to Kiltullagh in a thrilling game that went to the wire. We started the stronger but found ourselves 2 down after 20 mins. The boys never lost heart and shots from Evan, Charlie F, Róan, Adam, Isaac and Eli kept Kiltullagh on their toes.
The second half continued in similar vein, Kinvara pressing to find a way back into the game. Last ditch defending kept Evan out on more than one occasion. Conor and Róan showed tight control in the box but the keeper saved from both of them.
At the other end Otis had to be alert to through balls, all of which he won. The defence showed bravery and good decision making to deal with whatever Kiltullagh threw at them.
Kinvara’s 1st goal came curtesy of a very well struck free kick by Evan with 20 mins to go, the ball being helped along by Eli past the diving keeper… 2-1… game on! Kinvara’s second came after a great passage of play ending with Róan firing the ball to the bottom corner. 2-2
Our hearts were in out mouths when Kiltullagh slipped their striker through 1 v 1 with Otis who somehow blocked what looked like a certain goal. This capped an excellent day’s work for him!
Kinvara’s pressure forced a mistake from the Kiltullagh defence in the dying minutes of the game. Charlie F came on to the ball like a freight train and powered through into the box where a tackle in desperation brought him down. The referee immediately pointed to the spot… the great comeback seemed on. Róan stepped up to take the penalty and powered it past the keeper. 2-3.
We saw out the last couple of minutes and were grateful to hear the final whistle. Kiltullagh played the game in a sporting manner and the referee, Benny Fahy, refereed the game well. Special mention goes to Charlie McKernan and Conor O’Donnell who made their debuts today, they both put in great performances. It’s early days in the season but this was a great start. Even at 2-0 down we felt happy with the performance of the team. You don’t always get what you deserve in soccer, it seems, but today, I feel, we did. Thanks to the travelling support, it’s great to have you there.
Kinvara Utd: Otis Warwick, Samuel O’Donoghue, Jake McMahon, Shane Talty, Charlie McKernan, Isaac Warwick, Evan Canning, Róan Cassidy Ó Máirtín (c), Adam Hammer, Charlie Forde, Eli Huban, Conor O’Donnell, Luke Marchant, Lorcan Ward, Keelin Morud.
Management team: Pádraig Ó Máirtín, Damien Forde, Paul Canning
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