Celtic footballers having busy season
BOYS U12 WW/EC U12 CUP LISMORE AFC V KILWORTH
Our under 12s headed to Lismore for their WW/EC cup semi-final knowing they'd be up against it, facing a team that have been remarkably dominant this season. Nevertheless with a strong team out we thought we might have a chance, but an early double blow made the challenge even harder.
With 5 minutes on the clock Lismore got through on goal. JJ Cahill dived bravely at the attacker’s feet but unfortunately he was caught by the strikers follow through as the ball headed to the net. 1-0 down and with JJ having to be substituted, it was never going to be easy.
Our lads fought bravely with Darragh Crowley and Micheal Quirke putting in massive shifts in midfield. Poor marking from a free kick put Lismore 2-0 up at half-time.
Into the second half and Lismore piled the pressure on. Excellent defensive play from Jack Condon and textbook goalkeeping from Darragh Lynch kept us competitive but ultimately our opponents added two more goals to win 4-0.
Our season ends in disappointment but we've taken in a lot of new players this season and improved as the year has gone on. We look forward to next season and as the lads focus on the summer sports, we hope to improve on our second place league finish this time next year.
Thanks to our sponsor Camida.
KILWORTH LADIES Kilworth 0 Kinsale AFC 4
On Wednesday, 26th April, the CWSSL First Division kicked off with all 10 teams playing their first league game of the season. It was a highly anticipated affair with Kilworth Celtic ladies hosting Kinsale AFC. In previous meetings, Kinsale, a young, pacey side, proved far too strong for Kilworth so it was a chance to measure how far our girls had come.
The first half started with a spritely Kinsale moving the ball well down the wings. The back four of Marian, Michelle B, captain, Eileen Hogan and Aileen Gallagher were prepared well and kept their shape throughout a tough first half. Kelly Condon in goals was prepared for a busy game with Kinsale known to play attacking football. Defensively, it was an excellent display from Kilworth. The back four closed the ball down well and put in some great challenges and Kilworth found themselves just one goal down at half-time.
Our midfield contributed with defensive duties whilst also trying to create our own chances. Kinsale were tough to break down but Rebeka, Louise, Karen and Aoife O'C worked tirelessly to win the ball and dominate in the centre of the park. Louise had a brilliant game which was recognised by all, including the opposition as she covered every blade of grass with her pace and skill.
Grace K and Jackie led the line in a tough game. Kinsale were quick to clear their lines but the girls were unlucky and attempted to play attractive football. Grace K put in a great shift and showed her strength on the ball and determination.
Michelle Geaney, Florence, Helena, Aoife Foley and Beth added an extra dimension to our game and they were called on early to make an impact. Ever hardworking, they did just this. We have been unlucky with some injuries so every girl has worked tirelessly to help the team push on. The ladies were also without their tricky defender Chloe Hoare who picked up an injury against Douglas Hall in the National Cup.
The second half proved to be a different challenge. Kinsale, in a short period of time managed to turn the game over to the dismay of Kilworth. A screamer of a second goal soared in, but heads didn't drop. A third and fourth came shortly after, again, 2 powerful strikes.
Karen went on a powerful run in an attempt to get one back. After beating 2 defenders she was unlucky to be denied by a great save.
The girls were disappointed even with our improvements against Kinsale who have historically been one of the tougher sides to play. We'll use the disappointment to hopefully push on against East Cork side Youghal in round 2.
Thanks to our sponsors Fiona Turley Gallery and The One Stop Homestore, Fermoy.
GIRLS U14 PAINTBALLING AND BELLA CAFÉ PIZZA
KCFC’s U14 girls team rocked up at Kartworld last Saturday afternoon for an end of year paintballing experience. Accompanied by a few brave parents, the teams were split into the red team and the blue team, with a coach on each team.
With a bit of apprehension mixed with excitement the teams geared up and took to the arena. Battle lines were quickly drawn and intentions were made clear. The red team protected their coach with every fibre of their being while the blue team weren’t as protective and their coach suffered a few hits of ‘friendly’ fire, including a couple of close up shots from his own daughter! Two missions were fulfilled and all the players left the battlefield bruised, tired and hungry but extremely happy and in high spirits.
Everyone retired to the clubhouse for some drinks and delicious pizza from our team sponsor, Bella Cafe. Once the hunger was satisfied and energy levels replenished the girls took to the soccer pitch for an unscheduled match amongst themselves. All in all, it was a great day and a fantastic way to finish a successful season.
Thanks to our sponsor Bella Café, Fermoy.
GIRLS U12 KILWORTH V MIDLETON
A brilliant match at Sheila Flynn Park between our U12 Girls and Midleton FC Magpies. End to end stuff with some cracking play that was a credit to both sides.
Kilworth scored a last-minute equaliser that saw the final scoreline at 2-2. Well done to both sides and the coaches. Just fabulous! Thanks to Midleton for travelling - you're a class outfit.
Thanks to our sponsor MMD Construction.
BOYS U11 Game 1 - Kilworth Reds v Valley Rangers
A good game played between two evenly matched teams in Conna on Friday evening. Early chances for both teams before the game settled. As the rain started to fall, the game came to life with Valley going two up.
Kilworth came back into the game with a goal from Gabbi Ciosmak, but the lead did not last long with Valley scoring two further goals and showing in the second half their superiority. A consolation goal and second of the game from Gabbi Ciosmak but the game was over as a contest. Good performances from Cian and Shane O’Donoghue, and Darragh Casey.
Game 2 - Kilworth Blacks v Valley Rangers
A good run out for both teams as U11 cup winners Kilworth Blacks played Valley Rangers. The game was evenly matched in the first half and some great defensive play from Valley kept the game level.
In the second half, the game went up a notch and goals from Kai O’Meara x 3, Fergus McCallum x 2 and Evan Ahern completed a good win for Kilworth Blacks. Good performances from Hugo Sarsfield and Jamie Brosnan.
Thanks to our sponsor Specsavers Mallow.
GIRLS U12 HOLLYHILL V KILWORTH
Kilworth Celtic U12 girls travelled to Hollyhill on Saturday for their penultimate game of the ‘22-‘23 season.
Kilworth started well, passing the ball around with confidence and probing the Hollyhill defence for gaps with some through balls from Muireann and Rachel, and Sarah kept the defence honest out on the wing with some fine dribbles. Beth and Aideen had a couple of early chances snuffed out by the Hollyhill keeper.
Hollyhill settled into the game after the first ten minutes and began to test our defence regularly. Isobel, Rachel and Ellie-Grace were up to the task and played some fine passes to clear the danger, with Brianna in her usual excellent form in goals. As the half wore on, the Hollyhill pressure eventually wore us down, and a couple of quick goals put some distance between the teams.
The half-time break was a welcome break, a chance to regroup. Fresh legs were needed, and Ciara and Siun provided these in defence, putting in some great tackles. Aoife C, Aoife H and Hollie also brought energy into the midfield and attack, and the whole Kilworth team were sharper and quicker to the ball in the second half.
Great pressure on the Hollyhill defence from Sarah and Aideen gave Kilworth a number of opportunities, one of which was well taken by Aoife H with the keeper off her line. After a tough first half, the Kilworth girls showed great spirit to keep Hollyhill scoreless in the second half, and were worthy of their goal, with chances for a few more.
Special thanks to our travelling support, Hollyhill for their excellent hospitality, and especially to Ciara Mac from Cork City Women's team for the team talk with our girls after the game - they were thrilled!
Thanks to our sponsor MMD Construction.
YOUTHS V PARK UTD
Unfortunately we are unable to field a team for our final U18 Cork Youth Leagues fixture of the season and had to concede. Not the way we wanted to close out a successful season. Many congratulations to league winners Park United on your fantastic title win.
Thanks to our coaches Kevin Wheeler and Emmett Coffey, to the team members who put in a mighty effort all season, to the parents and supporters, and to our sponsor Centra, Kilworth.
SENIORS V BALLINHASSIG
Our Senior team travelled to Ballinhassig on Saturday to play their first league game since the split, with both sides eyeing up the three points on offer.
Celtic started on the front foot and some solid pressure on their defence saw a stray pass from the goalkeeper land in front of Cathal Donnellan who fired a classy half volley to the bottom corner.
This great start was very quickly undone however when we were caught napping on a short corner and a long ball to the back post found its way to the net. With the game level, Celtic again enjoyed some prolonged periods of possession and looked the more dangerous side. A Dean Jordan free kick from the right wing was deflected to the back post where Sean Beecher was first to react to finish well, giving Celtic back the lead.
Again however we were the authors of our own downfall when the first possession after the kick off made its way down the left flank and after a series of Celtic errors. the ball found the back of the net - 2-2.
Celtic were furious with themselves and responded quickly from an inswinging corner when the unmarked Taran Kelly gave Celtic the half-time lead, 3-2.
Positive feedback from Heskin and Aherne at half-time meant Celtic took to the field full of confidence for the second half. This bore fruit immediately when the first corner of the half was met by Taran Kelly whose glancing header found the top corner of the net, a real beauty of a goal.
A 4-2 lead was reflective of our dominance to this point but it also meant the opposition were now going to come at us with nothing to lose. This was the case and they eventually scored in the 80th minute to bring it back to a one goal game.
It was backs to the wall for the final 10 minutes. Killian Heggtveit made a great save to keep our lead, while Pa Coughlan, Ryan Jordan and Jason McCarthy stood strong in front of him. Ciaran Colfer was calmness personified in the middle alongside captain Eoin Condon who led by example. Young Patrick Kenny worked his socks off up front for the whole game, and Mark Scannell added fresh legs when introduced.
The final whistle was a long time coming and was welcomed by all those in the Celtic camp. Three huge points in the bag and attention now turns very quickly to our next league game against Mallow.
Thanks to our sponsor The Village Inn, Kilworth.
BOYS U10 BLITZ IN TALLOW
A wonderful occasion in Tallow saw multiple WW/EC teams compete in an end of season blitz.
Kilworth Celtic U10s boys played two highly entertaining games. The first game was against Inch Utd, where both teams played some excellent football. Inch took an early two goal lead before Kilworth brought it back even with two splendid goals from Hugo Sarsfield, one of which was a long range free kick.
The game continued to be very even with chances at both ends; Jack Prendeville in goals for Kilworth making some fines saves. With 10mins left in the game, Nathan Molnar finished off a well worked Kilworth move, slotting the ball past the keeper to win the match 3-2.
The second match saw Kilworth take on Castlebridge Celtic FC. Again, both teams were evenly matched. Solid defensive displays from Aidan Tobin, Tomas Dennigan and Ryan O’Dwyer kept out some fine play from Castlebridge, before Kilworth Celtic’s Leo Simmons scored an excellent solo effort to put Kilworth 1-0 up. Castlebridge soon made it one all, but Kilworth did not panic and a fine passage of passing saw Jack Brokenshire finish into the corner to regain the lead.
While Castlebridge continued to press, Kilworth put the game out of sight when Hugo got his third goal of the day, eventually winning the match 3-1.
A great day out for Kilworth. Thank you to Inch and Castlebridge as well as all the parents that travelled. Thanks to our sponsor GC Autospares.
GIRLS U8 AND U9 BLITZ AT COLLEGE CORINTHIANS
Being played on bank holiday Monday - details next week.