Boys U13 (2013) Premier - Castle Villa

Naas took on league leaders Castle Villa on pitch 1 in Naas Sports Centre on Saturday morning. It was a perfect morning for a game with clear skies, a light breeze and a slick pitch.

Naas took control of the game from the kick off with good passing releasing Mikey Danu and Kellum Finnegan down both wings. Hin Ngo was causing problems for the Castle Villa centre halves but clear cut chances were hard to come by.

Castle Villa tried to slow the game at every opportunity and played the long ball with every chance. Naas dealt with it well and responded with their own passing game. It was 0-0 at the break and Naas made a couple of changes at half time to freshen it up going forward. Jason Gleeson came into midfield and Adam Conroy added some spark down the wing.

Sean Hayden and Peter McBride pulled the strings in the centre of the park for Naas while the Naas back four, marshalled by Jamie Dunphy, dealt well with the aerial bombardment from the Villa keeper.

Ten minutes into the second half Hin Ngo was put clean through only to be hacked down by the Villa centre half on the edge of the box. It was a clear red card but the ref only issued a yellow. This would have been a turning point in the match. Naas created some more chances from crosses but as the game drew to a close they couldn’t break the deadlock. The game finished 0-0 and another couple of points escape Naas on a day when once again they were the better side.

Onwards now to a Cup Quarter Final on Thursday at home to Kilcock.