Boys U12 (2014) Major - Kill Celtic

Kill travelled to Naas AFC for a crucial league encounter, with Naas looking to strengthen their grip on second place. While a victory wouldn't mathematically secure the position, it would put significant pressure on Killcullen, who still had two league fixtures remaining.

Naas started brightly, with James winning an early free-kick in a dangerous area. He stepped up himself, but his effort drifted just to the left of the post. 4 mins: Kill responded with a spell of attacking play and won a corner. The Naas backline of Seb, Darragh P and Alex looked alert from the outset, with Darragh doing well to clear the danger. 7 mins: A lovely move through midfield involving Eoghan and Jason released Matthew down the left wing. A sharp turn took him past his defender before he fired narrowly wide. 8 mins: Naas won another free-kick. This time Bobby took responsibility, striking the ball well, but the Kill defence stood firm to block the effort. The midfield battle was intense, with both teams competing fiercely for control. Eoghan and Jason were particularly effective in breaking up play and keeping Naas on the front foot. 13 mins: Naas won possession in the centre of the park and quickly found Matthew out wide. He drove inside and played Bobby through on goal, but his effort rattled the side netting. Kill were clearly up for the challenge, but Naas matched their intensity with an outstanding team display, working tirelessly both in attack and defence. 18 mins: Picking up the ball on the left, Matthew beat three players before setting up Bobby. Bobby unleashed a thunderous strike that crashed into the side netting. Had it been on target, the goalkeeper would have had little chance.

GOAL - Kill (0-1) | 20 mins Against the run of play, Kill took the lead. A cruel bounce saw the ball deflect off Evan and spill into the path of an onrushing attacker, who rounded the goalkeeper and calmly slotted home. A hugely unfortunate goal to concede after such a positive start from Naas.

GOAL - Naas (1-1) | 21 mins Bobby (assisted by Matthew) The response was immediate and emphatic. Straight from the restart, Naas surged forward. Excellent transition play found Matthew in space and he picked out Bobby, who finished clinically - it has been coming from Bobster. A fantastic move and an even better reaction from the home side. Naas continued to play some excellent attacking football for the remainder of the half.

Half-Time: Naas 1-1 Kill

Naas started the second half just as they had finished the first, on the front foot and looking the more dangerous side. 31 mins: Naas came agonisingly close. Matthew won a throw-in, and Seb quickly found James, who linked play brilliantly before releasing Matthew through on goal. Despite being clipped by a defender, Matthew somehow stayed on his feet and squared the ball to Bobby, whose effort forced a superb save from the Kill keeper. Had Matthew gone down, many would have expected a penalty. 34 mins: Another excellent delivery from Darragh P caused problems in the box, but Kill managed to scramble the ball clear. 38 mins: Seb's long throws continued to be a major weapon for Naas. One such throw found Matthew, who beat his marker and fired a powerful effort on target, only to be denied by another outstanding save from the visiting goalkeeper.

GOAL - Kill (1-2) | 42 mins Football can be cruel. Despite Naas building momentum and looking the more likely side to score, Kill capitalised on one of their few opportunities and retook the lead.

To their credit, the Naas players refused to let their heads drop. James, who was excellent throughout the second half, soon found himself through on goal, but once again the Kill goalkeeper came to his side's rescue with another fine save. 46 mins: A well-worked Naas move created another opening, this time for Dosser. He beat his defender brilliantly but saw his effort fly narrowly over the crossbar. 47 mins: The pressure continued. Rory found Matthew in space, and after beating his man, Matthew played Dosser in. Dosser turned brilliantly and looked certain to find James for a tap-in, only for a desperate touch from a Kill defender to intercept at the last moment. 48 mins: Seb was outstanding at right-back, repeatedly shutting down attacks and linking superbly with James down the right flank. The pair worked tirelessly all game and were a constant outlet for Naas. 52 mins: Matthew broke up a Kill attack before bursting through midfield and picking out Rory, whose effort flashed just wide of the post. As the game entered its closing stages, Naas threw everything forward in search of an equaliser. A succession of corners had the crowd on the edge of their seats as even Evan joined the attack. From one corner, Evan rose highest to meet Darragh P's delivery with a powerful header. Moments later, another superb ball from Darragh found him again, this time volleying towards goal. The ball ricocheted around a packed penalty area as several Naas players took turns trying to force it over the line. Somehow, with bodies flying everywhere, Kill managed to clear off the line and survive. After one final push, the referee brought the contest to an end.

Full-Time: Naas AFC 1-2 Kill

A tough result for Naas to take. For long spells they were the better side, creating the majority of the chances and playing some excellent football. On another day, they could easily have scored several more goals. The boys showed tremendous character, energy and teamwork throughout, and despite the disappointment of the result, there was plenty to be proud of in a performance full of commitment and quality. ⚽💙💛

Session Summary

As the season closes, it is time to focus on the positives to highlight the boy's achievements over the campaign,

• Naas Major are currently 2nd in the KDUL U12 league
• We reached the Shield semi-finals losing only on penalties,
• We reached the last eight of the Cup, beaten by Clane Utd who are a strong prem team.
• We scored 76 goals, 38 assists
• Bobby gets the golden boot with a remarkable 17 goals haul. Bobby and Matthew were tied at 16 goals apiece going into today's final game. A huge achievement, well done Bobster.
• An interesting stats fact, Bobby scored 11 goals in 3 consecutive games. 8 of his goals have been scored against Athy in our home/away fixture
• Throughout the campaign of 25 games across the 3 comps, we have 15 wins / 1 draw and of the 7 loses (bar 2 games, these loses were only by 1 goal)