Boys U16 (2011) Major 2 - Naas AFC Blue
For the second time this season, Naas Whites played Naas Blues in the derby that was never meant to be.
And yet here we are with two legs of the trilogy over. One more time we'll meet in the shield where a semi final spot will be the reward for the victor.
Today, on a heavy pitch, for 70 minutes, the lads were brilliant. For the other ten minutes, the bad habits of old returned. Panicked, rushed football. Conceded 3 on the bounce. From being comfortable with a two goal lead to being stunned and on the canvas with the referee reaching the end of the count.
Rocky Balboa famously said that life ain't about how hard you can hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.
How much you can take.
And keep moving forward.
That's how winning is done.
When we went behind I thought we were done.
Looking back on it, I was the only one who thought that way. Niko and Sean gave me that stare from the sideline. They insisted with their eyes that they needed to be back on the pitch and back on the pitch now. Back on they went.
They backed themselves and their team mates. Their team mates backed each other. They gave everything.
And got their rewards.
As soon as Niko picks up a ball on the left wing and cuts inside there's a sense of inevitably that grows. He struck his shot today so perfectly that two keepers wouldn't have saved it. An equaliser as good as you will see.
And he wasn't finished. None of them were finished. Deep into injury time, we kept passing our way up the field. Kept trusting the way we played. Kept believing. The ball was worked into the box and landed at the feet of Niko. The final kick of the game belonged to Niko. The hat-trick belonged to Niko!
There was brilliant performances all over the pitch today. David in centre midfield was majestic. Sam at the back shielding his goal. Cian O'Neill with two assists. Sean Carey up and down the flank like a greyhound until he couldn't give any more.
PS. It was great to have Eoin Hennessy back on the sideline with us. He's currently recovering from a nasty injury and has been missed. With a bit of luck he'll be able to return to training soon.
