Boys U12 (2014) Major - Clane utd premier
After an excellent run of form, the Naas U12 Major team took to the pitch against Clane United Premier in the KDUL Cup quarter final. With Clane sitting joint-second in the Premier League, Naas knew they were in for a tough game. The match began at a lively pace, with both sides trading early attacks. However, Clane were the sharper of the two teams, showing greater intent in transition and causing Naas several problems. The Naas defence of Alex K, Darragh P and James stood firm, weathering the early storm. Clane's pressure was rewarded in the ninth minute when a foul inside the box resulted in a penalty. Evan produced a spectacular save, diving brilliantly to his left to keep the scores level. It was an unreal stop and a huge let off for Naas, prompting sighs of relief from the players, coaches and supporters. More importantly, it gave the team an early wake-up call. Naas gradually began to come alive, moving the ball well and creating two promising opportunities for Bobby and Alex S, although both efforts went narrowly wide. On the flanks, Jason and Matthew were causing real problems for the Clane defence as Naas began to gain a foothold in the game. Clane, however, remained extremely dangerous on the counterattack. The first half ended goalless. Naas were grateful for Evan's heroics, while Clane's intensity had made them a constant threat. Encouragingly, though, Naas were growing into the contest and beginning to impose themselves on the game.
Clane started the half brightly, putting Naas under real pressure and punishing two lapses in concentration with two goals inside five minutes. The first came on 34 minutes, with the score Naas 0–Clane 1. Just five minutes later, Clane struck again to make it 0–2. Naas, who were certainly not at our sharpest today, switched off on both occasions, allowing Clane’s midfield and forwards to take full advantage and leaving Naas reeling. To their credit, Naas showed tremendous character and refused to stop fighting. Bobby was brilliant in getting Naas back into the game on 46 minutes, pulling a goal back to make it Naas 1–Clane 2. That goal sparked Naas into life. They continued to impose themselves on the game, creating wave after wave of attacks and putting the Clane defence under serious pressure. However, against the run of play on 55 minutes, Naas were sucker-punched again. Clane won possession and quickly transitioned into attack. Their forwards, who were excellent throughout the game, beat two Naas defenders before somehow squeezing the ball into the bottom-left corner to restore Clane’s two-goal advantage: Naas 1–Clane 3. Naas continued to push and created a few more attacking opportunities, but Clane’s backline defended resolutely to see out the game. The final score was Naas 1–Clane 3. Despite the result, there was plenty of character shown by Naas, particularly in the way they responded after going 0–2 down. On another day, with a little more sharpness and composure, the outcome could have been very different.
Unfortunately, it was a bad day at the office for Naas. We simply weren’t at the races today, and that was reflected in our performance. Credit to Clane, who played very well, competed for every ball and were deserved winners on the day. There is no doubt the boys will be disappointed, but losing is part of football. We can’t all be winners, and losing a game does not make you a loser. What matters is how we respond, how we learn from it and what we do next. We are still joint-top of the league, and on Tuesday we face Kilcullen in the Shield quarter-final, so there is still plenty to play for and this can yet be a hugely successful season. We need to lick our wounds, take the lessons from today, learn from our mistakes and then move on. The best response now is to bounce back together and show the character we know this team has.
