Good show, Good Counsel!
THE first ever soccer team to emerge from Good Counsel College have pulled off the amazing feat of coming second in Ireland in the All Ireland Futsal competition.
Having qualified for the Leinster finals, which were played on November 21 at Abbottstown, the team went on to draw three matches and win two, meeting Ashbourne in a play off semi-final, which Good Counsel College won 3-0.
They played Dublin Oak Academy in an end-to-end game in the Leinster final. Oak Academy went 1-0 up after one minute, but the Good Counsel boys weren’t phased and fought back, scoring three goals in four minutes to take the trophy. The National Futsal Post Primary FAI First Year All Ireland finals were held at WIT on December 5.
The Good Counsel boys were up against the three other best schools in the country. Good Counsel won 3-1 against the Connaught champions. They then beat Carndonagh 5-1, with Sam Norval – in blistering form – scoring all five goals, having scored in the previous match also, along as did Darby Purcell.
So the team, who barely had a training session, marched into the national final against St Francis College of Cork. The super blues of New Ross went ahead with a stunning free kick courtesy of Kyle Rankin.
From there on the Cork champions took control and slotted home five goals, two scored from a future Man United hopeful, Harry Nevin.
The Good Counsel boys pulled off an amazing feat in getting so far having never trained or played together as a team in futsal before. They learned the sport on Maths days under John Fanning and Seamus Walsh at the college.