Boys U16 (2010) Major 1 - Newbridge United
It was brilliant to be back playing. Our last match was against Arlington, the league leaders, way back in November. We only had 10 players for that game until Matthew from the U15s stepped in to make 11. The lads played out of their skins that day before eventually losing 5-2.
Against Newbridge this Saturday, the contrast was stark. We had 17 lads eager to compete after so many postponed matches. We prioritised hard work above all else, and it showed from the kick-off. The same 10 started who had played against Arlington, with Emmet joining the midfield as captain. From the off, the intensity in pressing and competing for the ball was immense. When in possession, they looked composed, scanned for passes, and communicated well.
Fionn was solid in goal, never rushing his kick-outs, and consistently found our open left or right midfielders. It’s great to see so many of the lads calmer in possession now. When Newbridge tried playing through balls, Kyle used his pace to get there first, passing calmly back to Fionn to clear or play wide. We brought on fresh legs before half-time, including Cameron, who made an immediate impact by scoring his first goal for the team to send us in 1-0 up at the break.
We introduced more changes at half-time, including Ben who made his debut and had a great game. He's a great addition to the team as he's really good on the ball, calmly getting past people while looking to pass the ball quickly. Early in the second half, a looping cross from their right wing drifted over Fionn’s head to equalise. Pre-match, Shane had emphasised not letting our heads drop if we conceded, and the lads took that on board perfectly. Nobody panicked, and we didn’t lose momentum.
Everyone put in a serious shift. Emmet, Luke, Emmanuel, and Ben were excellent in centre-mid where they pressed, tracked back, and distributed the ball out wide. Up front, Ollie, Conor, and Cameron were fast and tricky, forming good pairings and putting the Newbridge defence under pressure even when tiring.
At the back, Kyle reckoned Oscar was "cooking" at left-back (which I presume is a good thing?). On the sideline, Chris’s dad pointed out what a great game Jamie Cronin was having too. Tony and Adam used their height and stature well in centre-back, with Kyle’s pace backing them up, while Chris was aggressive in defence, carrying the ball out just as he does in training. Jamie Beresford gave 100% as always, working well with Jamie Cronin on the right and tracking back to help out when we were under pressure. Rohit caused Newbridge plenty of problems with his pace and trickiness. Crucially, we didn’t concede from a single corner or free kick. The focus on set pieces really paid off.
The ever energetic Ryan Parletti came back on as a forward in the second half to replace a tiring Ollie up front. Conor was tiring in left-mid so we swapped him with Ryan as we needed Ryan's energy to track up and down and prevent Newbridge overrunning us. Ryan always brings loads of energy to the game. We kept battling and creating the better chances until Conor finally made some space with a couple of sharp jinks just outside the penalty box. He drilled a low, powerful shot to the keeper's right. The keeper got a hand to it but couldn’t keep it out. 2-1 to Naas!
In the past, a big weakness of ours has been conceding late goals because we keep charging forward. This time we played smarter. With ten minutes left, we kept a forward on the half-way line while Cameron dropped back to help the midfield. The sideline cheered every tackle as we frustrated them.
When Emmanuel started to tire, Emmet came back on and summed up the energy of the performance. He pressed their defenders at the half-way line, won the ball, and sprinted clear. He was so far ahead he didn’t realise how much time he had! His shot went wide, but it forced their keeper to sprint to retrieve it as the clock ticked down.
It was an exciting game, but more importantly, we finally managed to defend a lead. The lads were the deserved winners. They worked hard from start to finish and put into practice everything we’ve done in the last few weeks of training.
Well done, lads.
