AWAY V Kildare Town

Major Division – Final Game of the 2023/24 Season
Venue: Kildare Town

Weather: Rain and more Rain

Pitch Conditions: A lot of “pooper scooping”

Naas AFC signed off their 2023/24 campaign in spectacular style with an emphatic win over Kildare Town. The rain poured down, but so did the goals, as five different Naas players found the net in what was an outstanding team performance.

The scoreboard lit up early with a goal from Tadhg Keane, Drew Sinkey then getting the first of what would be a hat trick and more goals from Tadhg Keane, Sean David Onwere and Daniel Tarita.

One of the moments of the match came courtesy of Tadhg Giblin, who unleashed a stunning volley that thundered into the goal, an exclamation mark on a night of flowing, confident football.

To their credit, Kildare Town refused to sit back, pressing Naas at every opportunity. But it was simply one of those nights where everything Naas tried seemed to come off. Their transitions were slick, their finishing ruthless, their defence strong and their hunger obvious despite the soaking conditions and stops for the “Pooper scooper”

With 10 minutes still to play and conditions deteriorating further, the decision was made to blow the whistle. Of course some players disagreed, but coaches sometimes [should] have an obligation beyond their own team and these teams have played many good natured, competitive games over the years and will again.

After finishing last season with just a single point, the team now closes this campaign in fifth place in the Major Division and validates their decision to ask to stay in the Major Division for the 24/25 season.

With momentum, a cohesive squad and tonight’s emphatic performance as a springboard, they head into next season not just aiming to compete - but to challenge at the very top.

Now of course they’re off to face a [bigger] challenge – the Junior Cert.