Boys U17 (2009) Premier - Clane U18 Prem

Naas AFC 2 – 1 Clane United

Treble Dream Still Alive as Naas Book Another Semi-Final Spot

Dare we dream?

The treble dream remains very much alive for this outstanding Naas AFC side after they overcame a strong Clane United team to book their place in yet another semi-final.

This was never going to be straightforward. Clane arrived as one of the favourites for the competition and, being a year older, posed a significant physical and tactical challenge. Add into that the obstacles Naas faced before a ball was even kicked — Punchestown traffic, players working, no-shows, illness, an injury in the warm-up, players not fit enough to start and others forced to play out of position — and the task looked even greater.

But this group simply refuses to be beaten.

Naas started the brighter and showed their attacking intent immediately. After just two minutes Conor Fagan tested the Clane goalkeeper with a low drive, before Isaac Cramer spotted the keeper off his line on five minutes and saw his audacious 40-yard effort drift narrowly wide. Two minutes later Dawid Kolter tried his luck from 25 yards, forcing another save.

The pressure was building and on 14 minutes Naas got the breakthrough their opening spell deserved.

Mattias Azzopardi, whose direct running caused Clane problems all evening, picked up possession and embarked on one of his trademark surging runs before calmly slotting beyond the keeper. The assist came from Thady Giltrap, whose pass released Azzopardi into space, and Naas led 1–0.

Naas were full of confidence now and their midfield began to take control. Twelve minutes later Liam O’Shea produced a moment of individual brilliance. Twisting and turning his way past three and then four Clane players, O’Shea burst into the area and finished emphatically to make it 2–0, with Brody Power providing the assist in the build-up.

Clane attempted to respond, but they were met by a Naas defence in no mood to yield.

Jake Dooley was immense, heading away everything that came into the area, while alongside him Thady Giltrap looked as assured as ever in his first outing at centre-half. Giltrap has rarely dipped below an eight-out-of-ten performance all season, and this was another example of his consistency and composure. Matthew Greene was also outstanding — solid in defence, calm under pressure, and constantly organising and communicating with those around him to keep the back line switched on throughout.

Clane did manage a top long-range strike on 31 minutes, but Alex Higgins was equal to it, producing a superb save from the top drawer to preserve Naas’ two-goal advantage.

At the other end, Sean Onwere almost added a third on 33 minutes after excellent build-up play involving Fagan and Azzopardi, but his effort drifted wide.

Clane were handed a lifeline on 37 minutes when they converted from the penalty spot to reduce the deficit to 2–1, but even with the goal Naas never looked rattled. Their defending remained no-nonsense, while every attack carried pace, intensity and purpose.

Half-time came with Naas deservedly in front.

The second half began with Naas once again on the front foot. Fagan continued to be a real thorn in the Clane defence and forced another good save early on.

Then came another huge moment in the match.

Pampa Saviotti O’Halloran entered in goal for the second half and instantly showed his value to the side, producing an outstanding penalty save on 52 minutes to deny Clane an equaliser and preserve Naas’ slender lead.

That save proved massive.

Isaac Cramer again tried his luck from distance shortly after, while Naas remained dangerous on the counterattack. An excellent overlapping run from the impressive Evan Moriarty almost created a third goal, only for fellow Under-16 player Ned Keogh to be denied by the Clane goalkeeper. The introduction of Ollie Curran also gave Naas extra solidity and composure as Clane began to push bodies forward, helping settle the game and giving the side a stronger platform in the closing stages.

As the clock ticked down, Clane threw everything they had at Naas in search of an equaliser.

But these boys stood together.

Every tackle was made, every header was won, every loose ball was battled for. The defensive line held firm, the midfield dug in, and the forwards continued to relieve pressure with tireless running. Ryan Murtagh was also a constant threat down the wing throughout the second half, stretching the Clane defence with his pace, direct running and willingness to drive at defenders whenever space opened up.

When the final whistle sounded, it confirmed not just a 2–1 victory, but another enormous statement from a squad that continues to overcome every obstacle put in front of them.

This was a match where nothing came easy — yet Naas still found a way.

They attacked with intent, pressed with hunger, battled in midfield, defended like warriors and got top-class performances from both goalkeepers. Matthew Greene’s communication, Dooley’s aerial dominance, Giltrap’s composure, Murtagh’s constant threat, Curran’s solidity and the collective determination of every player helped see this one out.

Another semi-final awaits.

And it is the very least this group deserves.

A big shout out to Evan and Ned from the u16 team who helped us out today. They both played very well.

See you all Thursday.

Player of the match was very close and could have went to a few players, but in the end it goes to Liam O'Shea. Well deserved well done Liam 👏