Boys U12 (2014) Red - Clane United
The lads travelled to Clane this morning in search of a result following a run of 5 defeats.
It couldn’t have gotten off to a better start when, having won the toss (good man John), the lads took the lead within 5 mins when Jamie burst through the defence and saw his shot drop into the goal with a little help from the keeper.
The lads looked sharp and dominated for large parts of the first half. Geo had an excellent game on the right side of midfield with Eoin and Murilo working hard in the centre with Logan leading the line up top.
At the back, Conall marshalled the line with John the busiest of the full backs beating away the Clane attack. On the left side, Matthew showed the attacking side to his game with a darting run down the left wing which took him all the way into the Clane box. Unfortunately his pass to Murilo was cut out for the mean Clane defence.
Clane grew into the half and created a few chances of their own. Conall had some stern words for his defence when a Clane corner went unchallenged with the resultant header going narrowly over the bar!
Alfie, Adi and Leo all entered the fray in the first half with each playing their part in trying to extend the lead. Adi battled hard in the back line while Alfie and Leo were the spine of the team as the half progressed.
The lads won a dangerous free kick on the edge of the Clane area when the keeper scooped up a long ball over the top…..outside his box. After a short delay & some confusion around the no. of players on the pitch, the indirect free kick was fired high & wide.
The closing stages of the half saw Clane’s best spell putting the lads under pressure from a series of free kicks around the edge of the box. Again, the lads rode their luck but managed to remain ahead as the half time whistle went!
The half time talk focused on being a little sharper at the back, particularly for set pieces with a view to extending our lead.
However, it was Clane who re-started the better with the lads looking a sluggish and arguably a different team than had dominated the first half.
As the defence struggled to control the Clane attack, the inevitable happened when a free kick flashed by the wall and crept under the unlucky Conall.
From the restart, the ball ended up immediately back with keeper Conall who cleared his lines while urging his teammates to regain their composure.
On the line, the coaches juggled the team at different intervals in an effort to bring the lads back to life and regain the upper hand.
To their credit, the lads reacted well to the equaliser and upped their game. This effort was eventually rewarded when Jamie latched on to a pass from Logan and slotted calmly by the keeper.
Much like our own lads’ response to the equaliser, Clane were in no mood to lie down and decided to throw the kitchen sink at it for the last quarter of the game.
The restored back 3 of John, Sam and Matthew had to be alert to clear the danger though that didnt stop a few heart in mouth moments along the way. Conall was called into action several times having earlier made an excellent 1v1 save which deserves a mention.
At times it felt like Clane had an extra man as they pressed forwards, bypassing the midfield and playing with 4 in attack.
The lads struggled to adapt and got caught in possession down the right side. An attempted clearance rebounded off a Naas body and into the path of a Clane attacker who shot past Conall on the near post for 2-2.
The remaining stages of the game was scappy as both sides fought for a winner. For a moment, it looked as though Clane were about to nick it when another ball over the top caught out the defence and saw their attacker race through.
However, just as he was about to let fly - Sam appeared out of nowhere and took care of business with an unbelievable tackle!
There was still time for a final Naas attack as the lads swarmed forward determined to land a final blow. Jamie/Geo (answers on a post card) burst down the right side while Eoin & Alfie lined up in the centre waiting for the cross. The ball flashed across the goal bouncing off the Clane defender.
While cries for handball were ignored, Alfie did excellent to knock the ball back into the centre towards Murilo who fired narrowly wide with his first touch attempt.
The ref blew for the final whistle almost immediately afterwards and the spoils were shared.
Once again, effort wasnt lacking and the lads turned in a reasonably good performance with the smallest of margins the difference in converting 1pt into 3pts. Back to the training ground on Tuesday, with the Naas derby just around the corner!
