Boys U13 (2012) Premier White - Clane Utd

On a cold and windy day in Clane, the Naas Whites made the short trip to face their local rivals in what proved to be a thrilling and hard-fought encounter. 

With Daragh Nolan captaining the Naas side, they won the toss and opted to play against the wind in the first half. Both teams traded possession, but neither goalkeeper was seriously tested until Naas brought on substitute John Simwawa.

In an instant impact, Simwawa broke the offside trap and fired a powerful shot, only to be denied by a brilliant fingertip save from the Clane keeper, pushing the ball around the post. The first half ended in a stalemate, with neither side able to find the breakthrough.

The second half, however, saw the game spring to life. Naas substitute Ben Cox displayed superb footwork, delivering a perfectly weighted pass to Jayden Daniel, who in turn found the ever-influential John Simwawa. Simwawa beat the defender and poked the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper to put Naas 1-0 ahead.

Just minutes later, Simwawa was through on goal again, this time courtesy of a precise pass from Conor O'Toole. 

The result was the same – a cool finish into the empty net, giving Naas a 2-0 lead and leaving Clane reeling.

However, Clane responded almost immediately. A cross from the right wing was not cleared by the Naas defense, and the Clane striker pounced with a powerful volley to make it 2-1. The goal breathed new life into Clane, and their pressure paid off with a deserved equalizer a few minutes later.

Naas seemed to lose their shape as Clane continued to push, but they managed to hang on. A golden opportunity fell to Kebron Futsom, who almost restored Naas' lead, only for a Clane defender to make a heroic goal-line clearance.

As the clock ticked down, Clane had one final chance, but Naas goalkeeper Hayden Taaffe bravely contested a 50/50 ball, stopping the attack. A resulting scramble in the box led to nothing, and the game ended in a 2-2 draw, a fair reflection of the fierce contest.

Naas, who have added quite a few new faces to their team since the close of last season are continuing to gel well together and will go from strength to strength.

Naas Whites, still unbeaten after two league games, now turn their attention to next weekend's highly anticipated local derby against Naas Blues on September 21st. Roll on the derby day!