U-11 spoils shared
Corach and Fethard well matched
TWO GOALS in a minute, late in the first-half, lit up a competitive game between two evenly-matched sides in Under-11 Division 2A of the Wexford and District Schoolboys Soccer League on Saturday.
Once again, two committed teams, out to enjoy themselves and play good football, proved that lowly league positions mean nothing when you step over the white line.
Both played with confidence, attacked in numbers and defended superbly.
The hosts Corach Ramblers, who have managed three wins already this season, settled the quicker of the two sides. They were happy working the ball through the middle, and out wide, with Kyle Cleary and Conor Miller dangerous in attacking positions.
However, it was Cian Rossiter who fired the first shot in anger, narrowly missing the target. Fethard had few early chances as they attempted to find their feet but they did possibly have the most dynamic player on the pitch in Tomasso Hickey.
One typically dangerous run saw the marauding midfielder dance past two tackles and eventually find Lennon Foley close to goal.
The Rangers forward quickly cracked a shot that hosts ‘keeper Jack Cleary was equal to.
Ramblers started to exert pressure as things settled down. Kyle Cleary fired wide, Rossiter forced Páraic Wall into a smart save, and Conor Miller’s header from Dan Sinnott’s corner was also well stopped by the visiting stopper.
When substitute Callum Kirwan crashed a shot narrowly over in the 21st minute, it started a breathless couple of minutes. Fethard broke through Shayne Murphy and he squared to Mark Foley whose deft pass inside picked out Hickey, and he made no mistake from close range.
Ben Foley was injured in the build-up and it unsettled the Rangers defence. Corach broke quickly from tip-off and Dan Sinnott ghosted into space at the back post.
He steadied himself and lashed across Wall, low to the net to make it 1-1.
The drama before the interval seemed to lull both sides into a quiet start after the break. Only Lennon Foley’s snapshot for Fethard tested either goalkeeper in the third quarter as the sides shadow-boxed.
However, it was never going to last and there was sheer mayhem in both goalmouths as the game ticked into the final ten minutes. First, Kyle Cleary sent in a rocket that stung the hands of Wall. Fethard broke and Hickey replied with a rasper that Jack Cleary stopped.
Back came Corach and Nathan Butler somehow scraped another Kyle Cleary effort off the line. Fethard pressed forward again and forced their opponents to clear another Lennon Foley effort.
After that crazy passage of play in the middle of the half, things settled and there couldn’t have been a fairer result, as neither set of players deserved to be on the losing side after a superb game of football.
Corach Ramblers: Jack Cleary; Emmet Ralph, Craig Sinnott, Diarmuid Wall; Dan Sinnott, Cian Rossiter, Harry Murphy; Kyle Cleary, Conor Miller (capt.). Subs. (rolling) - Alec Moran, Jack Moran, Callum Kirwan.
Fethard Rangers: Páraic Wall; Jack Colfer, Max Nunan, Ben Foley (capt.); Mark Foley, Tomasso Hickey, Nathan Butler; Shayne Murphy, Lennon Foley.
Referee: Jack Stafford.