Boys U17 (2009) Major - Castle Villa

Naas AFC lined out in their usual 4-3-3 formation for Saturday’s opening fixture against Castle Villa, with several players making their debuts.

The game began in dramatic fashion when Castle Villa opened the scoring with a stunning overhead volley that left the Naas defence and goalkeeper with no chance. Shortly afterwards, Castle Villa midfielder Greg Kelly - who would go on to dominate proceedings - doubled the lead with a well-worked team move.

At 2–0 down, Naas settled into their rhythm and began pressing forward, but Castle Villa’s aggressive pressing and the strong wind made it difficult to build meaningful attacks. A mishit clearance then gifted the home side a third goal on 25 minutes, and with Naas chasing the game, Kelly’s influence in midfield grew. By half-time, Naas found themselves shell-shocked and trailing 7–0.

The break brought renewed determination, however, as Naas reshaped into a 3-4-3 formation and treated the second half like a new match. Their intent was rewarded early when Daniel Tarita opened Naas’s account with a composed finish. Confidence grew, and soon after Liam Mescal added a second before Tarita struck again to bring the score to 7–3.

For a spell, Naas were firmly in control, creating chances, forcing last-ditch clearances, and even striking the crossbar twice. There was real belief that an unlikely comeback might be on. But as Naas committed bodies forward, Castle Villa exploited the space on the counterattack, adding three late goals to seal a 10–3 victory.

Despite the scoreline, there were positives for Naas, especially the spirited second-half performance which showed the team’s resilience and attacking potential. Perhaps best summed up by the Castle Villa manager who asked to speak to the players after the match.

• “Lads, that scoreline didn’t do you justice – it was a much closer game than anyone just seeing the result will think. My lads are over there delighted but realising it could have easily been a very different result.”
  
  Naas AFC Squad
  GARY WISELY
  CRAIG ALMEIDA
  RYAN MC NEVIN
  CALLUM COFFEY
  SEAN O'DONNELL
  CONOR BYRNE
  ROSS WHEELER
  CHRISTY REILLY
  DANIEL TARITA
  LIAM MESCAL
  SENAN QUINN
  TADHG GIBLIN
  CILLIAN Ó Muirchéartaigh
  ADAM DONOGHUE
  ODHRAN SHERRY