Brilliant display from Blacks
Rankin shows class with hat-trick in impressive victory
ALL BLACKS produced a superb footballing performance to claim the Wexford and District Schoolboys Soccer Under-14 Cup in Grove Park, Kilmuckridge, on Saturday.
The Mayglass boys glistened with confidence as they passed the ball around in the Forth Celtic half of the field, always looking to pick holes in their opponents’ resolute and gutsy defence.
It took a while for the champs to bare the fruits of their labour but the result was never in doubt.
This was simply a game All Blacks were determined to win and no amount of Celtic grit was going to stop them.
The Murrintown boys have done a fabulous job to get to this point. As a ‘B’ team you are always facing sides that are expected to beat you, but they got to this position on merit and it was easy to see how in this performance.
Their defence was superb throughout. They were under constant pressure from players that drifted into any pockets of space they could find, but for the vast majority of the 70 minutes they repelled everything that was flung their way.
The stall was set out in the first few minutes as All Blacks star player Kyle Rankin looked to get on the ball and pick holes.
His pass allowed Tadhg Deegan to get a weak shot away in the sixth minute, but copportunities were few and far between in the early stages, despite all that pressure.
Then, with 14 minutes on the clock, All Blacks started peppering Harry Quirke’s goal with shots.
The Forth ‘keeper repelled some, and saw more miss the target, but it seemed like a breakthrough was inevitable.
It came in the 27th minute when Tadhg Hayes burst through the middle, and fed Rankin on the right.
Running towards the byline, Rankin lofted a cross-cum-shot over Quirke into the far top corner of the net.
Four minutes later All Blacks made it two. With Celtic in the rare situation of having players pushed upfield, Cathal Parker played a long ball over the top, Rankin ran onto it, rounded Quirke and slotted calmly to the net.
Two up at the break, All Blacks’ intent was clear from the start of the second-half.
They controlled the game without ever getting the same mojo back in their play that got them two ahead.
They had other chances, with the talented Rankin in particular going very close with a free-kick.
As substitutes flowed on, Forth got a little more possession and Alfie Jeffares flashed a 25-yard shot across goal and wide in the 61st minute.
It never really felt like a two-goal lead, as All Blacks were always confident and they added the deserved third to their tally in the last minute of normal time when Tadhg Deegan’s right wing free fell to Rankin.
He controlled and drilled home his hat-trick goal from the edge of the area to complete a superb individual and team performance.
All Blacks: Lee Kelly; Philip Tierney, Evan Cullen, Luc Farrell; Daniel Devereux; Tadhg Hayes, Kyle Rankin (capt.), Cathal Parker, Tadhg Deegan; Tadhg McDonald, Ben Rossiter. Subs. (rolling) - Matthew Lewis, Conor Swan, Jake Cleary, Jamie Wright-Doyle, Ryan Goldsmith, Oisín Lyons.
Forth Celtic ‘B’: Harry Quirke; Cian Rossiter, Josh Whitty (capt.), Liam Donoghue, James Dunne; Thomas Connick, Cillian Gondard, Aodhán Collins, Mogue Cleary, Reuben Lafferty; Lewis Martin. Subs. - Alfie Jeffares, Paul Coggins, Conor Mullen, Callum McClean, Aaron O’Brien, Mark Hennessy.
Referee: Marc Kelly.