Congratulations to Listry U-12 boys and girls on another fantastic victory over St.Pats. With victories over Cordal, Scartaglin, Kilgarvan, Templenoe and St.Pats,Listry are Co.league champions for 2014. Thank you to all our fantastic young footballers, coaches Brian McCarthy, Peter Keane, Paul O Donoghue and Tony O Dowd and the wonderful parents that provided a party for everyone after the game. It was great to see so many Listry people supporting the team and it was great to see our senior players and club President Johnjoe Tangney celebrating with the U-12s.
Up Listry!
Murt, Fergus, Keith,Ann,Colman and Jules-Listry Coiste na nOg.
Match Reports
On Sunday night , Listry under 12’s completed phase two of the county league . After re grading following phase one Listry were placed in division eight .
Cordal , Scartaglin , Kilgarvan ( again ) , Templenoe and St Pat’s Blennerville were our opponents in this phase .
We began against Cordal away . We started very well and were well ahead at half time . Cordal came back in the second half but the team held on for a good win in the end .
Our second game was against a very strong Kilgarvan team who were the only team to beat us in the first phase . This game was played in Listry with a strong home support . Again we started well with some excellent scores . Some excellent defending and strong support from the substitute bench ensured we got revenge for the earlier defeat .
We headed to Scartaglin last weekend hoping to keep up the winning run . Ultimately , our team was stronger and found scores easier to get . We ran out comfortable winners .
So we headed into this weekend with three wins from three . We had a back match with Templenoe on Friday and a final game with St Pat’s on Sunday .
Templenoe have a strong under twelve team and along with Kilgarvan they were the strongest we had played . Listry started very well and built a big lead . Templenoe got a couple of goals and a few points before half time to leave Listry up by five at half time . After the break the visitors managed to get the score back to level . There was a period of intense football with no scores when the game was in the balance . Then our forwards broke free to score a great point followed by an even better goal . Through outstanding defending we held on to claim a brilliant victory and set us up for the final game .
St Pat’s arrived to Allman Park on Sunday evening with a difficult task knowing that our team were now on the verge of claiming the title and completing the second phase unbeaten . In truth this game was effectively over at a very early stage . Our defence were rock solid and our attackers were picking off scores with relative ease . In the end we had twenty points to spare on the visitors and the celebrations had begun before the final whistle .
This has been a fine achievement for this team . Through both phases they have played nine games and won eight . The one team that beat them were overcome in the return game . In phase two they won all their games . The group is made up of players with different skills and qualities which combines to form a great team .
Jack O’Leary played the majority of the games in goals . He is rock solid under any dropping balls . His kickouts are very accurate . He has made some outstanding saves including a pointblank block near the end in the Templenoe game .
Aileen O’Leary has defended close to the goals in most games . She is comfortable on the ball and gets great length into her powerful clearances . She definitely made a big difference in the Templenoe game when she came on at half time having already played a game in Milltown for ladies team .
Joseph Courtney played on the full back and half back line . He is very strong on the ball and will always look for a forward pass when powering his way out of defence . No opposing attacker got much of a break from Joseph during the games so far .
Stephen O’Brien has provided excellent back up in both defence and attack . In our final game when St Pat’s were still in the game Stephen made a great interception and cleared the ball out to start another attack . He is still under ten and can expect to be a mainstay of the under twelves for the next two years .
Tallulah Courtney is probably one of our most enthusiastic squad members . She has played in defence and attack . She , unfortunately , missed the final game but again she showed her dedication the team by joining the team having played in the ladies game prior to the Templenoe game .
Aaron O’Donoghue played mostly on the half back line but also when needed he played in the forward line . He picked up plenty ball and scores when playing forward but he will be remembered most in this phase for powering forward from the half back line .He is a difficult runner to stop and is very comfortable carrying the ball .
Conor Crowley started as a tight man marking corner back but as the games progressed he ventured forward more and more . He is not afraid to come out in front of his man to claim the ball . On the few occasions that he missed the ball he has loads of pace to get himself back into a defending position . Again an under ten that will be an under twelve for the next few years .
Dylan Brennan played better and better as the games came thick and fast . He is very comfortable under the high ball and his left footed clearance are both long and accurate . His display in the penultimate game against Templenoe against a very strong opponent was as good a display of all aspects of the game as has been seen this season .
Kate Spillane joined the squad this year . She is very athletic , fast and not in anyway afraid of the bigger opponents . Her skill levels with the ball have improved dramatically over the games that she has played . We remember the great cheer she got in the Scartaglin when she kicked over a point from a free .
James O’Dowd came into this year having played mostly in the inside forward line . He was moved to midfield and he has made the position his own over both phases . He has had a number of partners but has been very disciplined in managing the middle of the field . He has ventured forward on occasions and has got some excellent scores including an excellent long range point in the crucial win over Templenoe .
Mason Courtney , another of the under ten squad , has been very dedicated to the team attending regularly for training and matches . He has been a regularly used substitute adding to the attack when needed . He popped over a great point in the final win over St Pat’s .
Daire Murphy is a livewire forward . He is very nippy and with the ball in hand he is difficult to stop . In the Templenoe game when every player was needed to be at their best he did very well to get ball up front and track back when needed .
Joseph Clifford has again added a lot to the Listry attack . He had a few games when things just didn’t seem to click but that changed in the final game when he scored two wonderful goals and would probably have scored more except for having to go off injured .
Ruari Murphy is a player of exceptional skill . We have played with and against players with lots of qualities in the games so far but I’m not sure we have seen anyone with the skill level that Ruari has . He has scored heavily in every game and is not afraid to get stuck in when required .
Micheal Keane is probably the hardest worker on the pitch , calling for every kickout and seconds later he is up in front of goal taking a point with right or left leg . He tracks back and plays a deeper role when extra defenders are needed . Again not afraid to get stuck in as seen in the Templenoe game when he suffered not one but two serious injuries .
Aaron O’Shea is our lethal weapon – a finisher of the highest order . Some teams have been beaten by the time they have managed to get a defender that can get close to Aaron . He can stroke over a lovely point or power home a goal . Again , in the Templenoe game when we were a point up and Aaron was heading staright for goal , we all knew the result would be a goal and the game was secure .
Aisling O’Callaghan can definitely make a claim to be our most improved player . A regular from the bench but not afraid to go after the ball . She had her best game against Cordal where she defended from the front to get us a valuable 45 . Also , she had a brilliant final pass to Micheal for a wonderful goal .
We are not forgetting Niamh Broderick who’s sterling displays in phase one got us to this division . She , unfortunately , got injured in the first Kilgarvan game and so was unavailable for the second phase . It was great to see her for the final game and the celebrations as she is as big a part in the success as any of the rest of the squad .
There has been great enjoyment for all involved with this group of players and these phases of games . The two home games against Templenoe and Kilgarvan were as exciting as anything seen in the pitch at any level for the last few years . It is great to see the support for the team and all the kids have had parents , siblings , grandparents ,relations and friends supporting them in the last few weeks .
Brian , Peter , Paul and Tony have tried hard to win the games while developing the lads skills and ensuring , hopefully , that everybody is getting better but more especially that everybody in enjoying the games and the training . Also , special mention to Murt for all the support and reminders . The ‘party’ on the final night was a lovely gesture and was a fitting end to this county league .
Congratulations to all who have played a part in the success of this team but special thanks to Jack , Aileen , Joseph , Conor , Stephen , Aaron , Dylan , James , Niamh , Kate , Micheal , Mason , Ruari , Daire , Aaron , Joseph , Aisling and Tallulah .