Boys U10 (2015) Blue - Clane Utd
A beautiful sunny day on the outskirts of Clane village was the setting for a thrilling encounter between these two strong sides.
Some prematch intelligence gathering informed us that this Clane side had already turned over Athy Town convincingly this season but were then beaten by a stronger Rathangan side.
The game was even from the outset with both sides feeling each other out. It was Clane that took the lead when Naas were left short at the back and a through ball put their striker through one on one and he slotted home well. Not much our keeper could do. 1-0
The goal conceded seemed to inject some impetus into the Naas team who didn’t take long to get back on level terms. Padraig Morgan drove forward having picked the ball up around the middle of the field. He played a clever one-two with Cillian Byrne and finished with a low shot into the corner of the Clane goal. The keeper had no chance. 1-1
The Naas defence of Freddie Finan, Caoimhin Sheehy and Padraig Morgan was steadfast, but lived a bit dangerously at times with goalkeeper Sean Gallagher being called into action on a couple of occasions after Clane played through his outnumbered defence.
A triple Naas substitution freshened up the side and it wasn’t long before their impact translated onto the scoresheet. Robert Culkovs took possession around midfield and drove confidently at the Clane defence. When the gap opened up in front of him he didn’t need to be asked twice before rifling a long range low shot past the Clane keeper. 1-2 Naas.
At half time the coaches asked our players how they felt the match was going. They were comfortable but identified two points of weakness themselves: they were getting caught short at the back at times and our midfield needed to try to play through balls to get our striker behind the Clane defence. Great to hear the boys problem solving for themselves - these skills will really stand to them as they grow as footballers and teammates.
The second half began and Naas were beginning to exert a level of control on the game, but the two defences were very much on top. Freddie Finan intercepted some dangerous Clane balls well and put his team on the front foot feeding his midfield with go-forward ball.
However it was Clane that got the next score when a well taken corner fell to their striker on the back post who knocked the ball into an empty net.
But the Naas lads dug deep and after a dangerous attack forced a corner down the left side of the pitch, John McCoy delivered a superb corner kick which landed to Finn Barrett’s feet in the six yard box. Finn didn’t hesitate as he finished with a toe tap past a hapless goal line defender. 2-3 Naas.
The last few minutes were nail biting for the watching parents and coaches as the lads worked hard for each other to hold on to their lead. The Naas defence of Sean Gallagher, Robert Culkovs and Padraig Morgan and goalkeeper Caoimhin Sheehy were resolute in dealing with everything that the Clane boys threw at them as they went hard for an equaliser, which just wouldn’t come.
The final whistle blew with both teams out on their feet - there was barely a sound of celebration from the Naas team as they had left it all out on the pitch! The players shook hands on a highly competitive game played in an excellent spirit.
Finn Barrett was always a threat on the left wing. Charlie McDaid covered a lot of ground and linked up well with his teammates. Cillian Byrne worked tirelessly in midfield and deserved his assist. Seamie Keating kept the Clane defence on their toes but was living off scraps for most of his game.
So another excellent performance from this Naas Blue team, who are growing with confidence with every match that they get under their belt. Overall it’s been a very satisfactory start to the season. The boys are adapting really well to the larger pitch format and learning how to play in various positions.
Just a side note to parents - the coaching team we will continue to experiment by sometimes playing players in different positions. We understand that this can be a bit uncomfortable for the boys - especially when the position is new to them - and it might not be universally popular with them! Please reassure them that the experience of playing in new / different positions will stand to them in the long run!
