Schoolboys titles for Bunclody and Forth
Forth best in U-11 battle of Celtics
FORTH CELTIC 3 CAMOLIN CELTIC 2
CHARLIE CONWAY scored a stunning winner twelve minutes from time as Forth Celtic claimed a hard-earned Wexford and District Schoolboys Soccer Under-11 Cup success in Curracloe on Saturday.
The Forth Celtic player had given his side a 2-1 advantage at the end of the first-half, only for Shane Purcell to hit back with a second period equaliser.
However, there was no way back for a gallant Camolin Celtic side when Conway picked up possession 25 yards out and thundered to the corner of the net through a crowd of players.
It was a strike of the highest quality, a fitting way for the Jack Carthy Memorial Cup to be won. It came at the end of a highly entertaining game of football between two sides which have been coached to play the game the right way.
Both teams looked to get the ball down and pass it around, but had the players who were comfortable on the football and didn’t fear having it at feet in tight areas.
Realistically either side could have won it but it was Forth who had that moment of magic just when they needed it.
The first ten minutes were nervy as the sides struggled to settle down. It needed something special to get the game into a rhythm and Caleb Whitty provided it when he picked up possession just inside the Camolin half, sprinted away from the covering defenders and slotted to the net.
Just like that the game started to flow. Barely over a minute later Camolin equalised.
With bodies flying in front of the ball, Cormac Kinsella twice saw shots blocked before he took possession again and thumped a stunning strike high to the net from the left edge of the penalty area.
The same player volleyed narrowly wide as Camolin grew in confidence but Forth Celtic were the masters of the counter and they took a lead in at the interval when Conway fired home from Whitty’s feed from the right of goal.
Camolin bossed the early stages of the second-half and they equlised eight minutes in when Hughie Doyle picked out Kinsella on the right. He fired across the face of goal and Purcell tapped home from two yards out.
Conway’s wonder strike put the Murrintown club back ahead but they had to withstand a nervous ten minutes.
As the game opened up, Adam Connick made two fantastic saves from Kinsella and Alex Carton while in defence Richie Goff was outstanding.
Darragh O’Rourke almost wrapped it up when he fired over late on but it mattered little as Forth Celtic hung on to take the trophy.
Forth Celtic: Adam Connick; Cian O’Dowd, Seánie Duggan, Richie Goff; Kevin O’Mahony (capt.), Caleb Whitty (vice capt.), Charlie Conway. Subs. (rolling) - Darragh O’Rourke, Rúairí Pettitt.
Camolin Celtic: Adam Furlong (joint capt.); Hughie Doyle, Alex Carton (joint capt.), Tom Waugh; Noah James (joint capt.), Cormac Kinsella (joint capt.), Shane Purcell. Subs. (rolling) - James Brennan, Leo James, Patrick Finn, Adam Byrne, Shauna Murphy, Abbie Furlong, Cathal Dennehy, Danan Curran, Christopher Kehoe, also Oisín McDonagh, Ciarán Anderson, Codey Folliard, Daire Kinsella, Doireann O’Sullivan, Doireann Wheeler, Eoin Kenny, Seán McGrath, Stephen Byrne, Tomás Doyle.
Referee: James Doyle.