Boys U12 (2014) Major - Dunlavin
Match Report – KDUL Shield Round 1 Dunlavin 1–3 Naas AFC
Naas AFC booked their place in the next round of the KDUL Shield with an impressive 3-1 away victory over Dunlavin, extending their excellent away form to five consecutive wins on the road.
The visitors made the perfect start, taking the lead after just one minute. Bobby showed great awareness to slip Eoghan through, and he calmly finished to put Naas 1-0 ahead.
Dunlavin responded well and drew level on six minutes when a dangerous ball into the box unfortunately resulted in an unlucky deflected goal. To their credit, Naas didn’t let the setback affect them and quickly regained control of the game.
On 10 minutes, James turned provider with an excellent assist for Bobby, who made no mistake to restore Naas’ lead. It was a deserved reward for a positive spell, with James seeing a powerful effort brilliantly saved three minutes later before Bobby was also denied by an excellent stop from the Dunlavin goalkeeper.
At the other end, Evan was called into action on 18 minutes and produced a fine save to preserve Naas’ advantage. Charlie McDaid, on loan from the U11s for the day, then came close with a shot just wide before finishing the half with an excellent driving run as Naas went into the break leading 2-1.
Naas continued to create chances after the restart. Charlie produced another excellent pass to start the second half strongly, while Bobby tested the keeper once again. Dunlavin threatened to get back into the game, but Evan produced a magnificent double save before the hosts also fired a free-kick wide and later rattled the crossbar.
James was inches away after another strong run and left-footed effort, while good combination play between Charlie and Bobby created another dangerous cross. Eoghan also burst through and was unlucky to see his shot drift just wide before Evan made yet another outstanding double save to keep Naas firmly in control.
The game was finally put beyond doubt on 55 minutes. Eoghan turned provider this time, setting up Bobby to score his second goal of the afternoon and make it 3-1 with a newt finish.
Naas continued to press until the final whistle, with Bobby, Max, Charlie and James all testing the Dunlavin defence. The final opportunity came from a Naas corner when Max powered a header on target, only for the goalkeeper to make another good save.
Overall, this was a disciplined and mature away performance. Naas created chances throughout, defended with determination when required and showed great resilience after conceding the equaliser. Five consecutive away victories is a fantastic achievement and gives the squad plenty of momentum heading into the next round of the Shield.
