Boys U13 (2013) Premier - Kill Celtic
It was a bitterly cold afternoon in Kerdiffstown for yet another tough battle for Naas against their bogey team, Kill Celtic.
Losing the toss was probably a sign of things to come. The bitter and strong wind was blowing straight down the pitch into the Naas lads faces for the first half. Even with that though it was the boys in blue that carved the first chance of the game. Max Kennedy found Charlie O’Connor from a throw in down the right hand side. Charlie passed to Hin Ngo, who was playing in midfield for the unavailable Peter McBride. Hin then released Kellum Finnegan behind the Kill left back, he cut the ball back to the edge of the box where Charlie O’Connor ran onto the ball but his first time shot curled just wide of the post. A very encouraging start.
Kill settled in to the game and started to pass the ball well. They were gaining a lot of territory with the help of the strong wind but weren’t breaching the Maas defence which was well marshaled by Jamie Dunphy.
After 11 mins Kill forced a corner which they took short, knocked back to the taker he whipped an inswinging cross that caught on the wind and floated straight to the Naas net for 1-0.
Naas dusted themselves down and tried to play their passing game. They created another clear cut chance with Frankie O’Leary latching onto a pass from Mikey Danu before slipping in Kellum Finnegan in the inside right channel. Kellum took the shot well but the Kill keeper made a great one on one save and they cleared the rebound.
The game was mainly played in the Naas half and from another scruffy corner Kill forced their second goal after a scrappy melee in the box. Naas were 2-0 down but very much in the game.
The third goal did feel like a bit of a turning point. Hin Ngo broke into the Kill box and was taken down for a clear penalty. The ref however didn’t blow and Kill cleared the ball long to halfway. The Kill striker tried to take the high ball down but instead handled it straight into the path of his winger who ran through to finish high into the Naas net. It was a cruel 30 seconds of play at a crucial time in the game. Kill would add a fourth before the break with a neat finish from another in-swinging free kick.
As the Naas lads tried to get themselves together at HT the bitter conditions worsened, the wind changed to a cross wind and with it came freezing cold rain. It was miserable for the next 30 mins.
Despite that, Naas rallied. Kian Shanaghy linked well with Kellum Finnegan before releasing Frankie O’Leary who finished with a fine low finish that hit both posts before hitting the net. Naas had a pep in their step and some momentum but got caught with a sucker punch as Kill snatched a fifth goal after a rebound fell to their number 9 who sealed his hat trick. The game felt like it had gotten away from Naas now and the game turned into 22 frozen kids and a dwindling crowd running for their cars.
Kill added a neat 6th before Kellum Finnegan finished low past the keeper to make it 6-2. The scoreline is yet another pasting but the performance probably wasn’t as bad as it seemed given the conditions.
Naas will hope to bounce back when they play Allenwood in the KDUL Cup next week. Till then - back to the training grindstone.
Special mention to our U13 M1 team who play Naas United in the KDUL Shield this Saturday in a local derby in Kerdiffstown at 3pm. All Naas AFC support welcome for our boys.
