U14 Football League Semi Final Replay – Trim vs St. Colmcille’s
U14 Football League
Semi Final Replay (02/05/12)
Trim 0-07 St. Colmcille’s 6-10
Trim’s dreams of a Football Féile have been put on hold for at least one more year after our U14 Footballers were defeated in their Semi Final Replay on Wednesday night. The first half was a joy to behold as both teams played some brilliant football but unfortunately Trim ran out of steam in the second half and were comfortably beaten in the end.
With a good home support in place, Trim took to the field like a team on a mission. Playing on the main pitch, with it’s the huge open spaces, there was much ground to be covered. Trim got up and down the field very effectively for forty minutes playing a brand of total football where positions meant very little.
The game was all action from the beginning. Within the first minute Zak McGowan made an outstanding tackle to dispossess an opponent in the Trim area and at the opposite end of the field Trim dropped a shot short into the goalkeeper. Indeed Trim had the first half chance of a goal; Devlin played a ball diagonally in across the goal but Farrell couldn’t get a enough on his fisted effort to force it beyond the keeper.
However it was St. Colmcille’s who opened the scoring with a goal in the fifth minute – a deflection on the shot wrong footed Carey as it looped into the net. The away side added a point on nine minutes before Trim opened their account.
Dowling and Devlin worked a ball out of the corner before Keane Geraghty pointed from straight in front of the posts. Trim continued to press and kicked the next two points. Monaghan beat his opponent to a ball in midfield and handed it off to Murtagh who picked out Cullen in the corner. Mickey Cullen beat his man and shot over from a tight angle. Geraghty kicked his second point after taking a beaut of a pass from Dowling in the fifteenth minute.
Sport can be cruel sometimes as Trim’s period of dominance was brought to an abrupt end. Following a goal mouth scramble Peter Farrell’s effort was parried and took a funny bounce caused by the spin on the ball before going out for a forty five. Trim subsequently lost the forty five as they didn’t take the kick from right mark. St. Colmcille’s won the hop ball and sickened Trim with a goal on the counter attack.
Trim now trailed by 2-01 to 0-3. The home side kicked two points to half their opponents lead. Peppard and Cullen were involved in the build up as Costello fired over with a shot that could just as easily have finished in the roof of the net. Devlin then kicked a free.
In another 45 metre oddity, it looked like Trim should have had a 45 which wasn’t given. Straight from the kickout, St. Colmcille’s went down the field and kicked a point. The sides exchanged points again with Costello scoring for Trim in the twenty ninth before St. Colmcille’s pulled it back in injury time. Half time Trim 0-06 St. Colmcille’s 2-03.
Three points down at half time was no major issue but Trim needed a bright start to the second half with a few early scores to put their opponents under pressure. Alas it just didn’t happen for Trim.
St. Colmcille’s scored their third goal after six minutes. Cullen responded with a point for Trim two minutes later. He took a pass off Peppard and carried the ball straight for goal but his effort was parried over by the keeper.
Trim’s challenge soon faded away as the open spaces started to take their toll on the Trim legs. Trim were visibly tiring by the tenth minute of the half as their opponents hit a purple patch. The home side still had an outside chance after fifteen minutes of the half when they trailed by 0-07 to 4-06 but fatigue was really playing it’s part. St. Colmcille’s, enjoying their second wind after such a strong start to the half, glided into space and picked off scores. Trim battled on but the harder they tried the more their moves started to breakdown as they struggled to cross midfield.
The game ended 0-07 to 6-10. The score doesn’t do justice to the effort and skill shown by the Trim team. Best on the day were Zak McGowan, who was ferocious in the tackle, Gerard Dwane, Keane Geraghty and Evan Buckley until he had to be withdrawn with an injury.
Trim team: Alan Carey, Pierce Darby, Gerard Dwane, Alan Monaghan, Zak McGowan, Evan Buckley, Dominic Peppard, Keane Geraghty (0-2), Cillian Shortt, David Murtagh, Nathan Costello (0-2), Fintan Devlin (0-1), Mickey Cullen (0-2), Peter Farrell, Brian Dowling, Aaron Lynch, Dylan Finnerty, Conor Smith, Cian Healy, Eoin Mahon.
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