View a Photograph Album of the Tournament Here
2009-2010 U8 Invitational Tournament
Final Day Results (14/3/10)
Maree/Oranmore Colts 4 Corrib Celtic 0
Maree/Oranmore Leopards 6 Colga Foxes 1
Maree/Oranmore Tigers 2 Colga Swans/Boys 0 (F)
League Table (Final Standings)
1. Maree/Oranmore Leopards 12
2. Maree/Oranmore Colts 12
3. Colga Boys 10
4. Maree/Oranmore Tigers 8
5. Colga Swans 7
6. Corrib Celtic 6
7. Colga Foxes 4
Previous Results
14/2/10
Maree/Oranmore Colts 2 Maree/Oranmore Leopards 0
Colga Foxes 0 Colga Boys 1
Colga Swans 2 Maree/Oranmore Leopards 0
Corrib Celtic 0 Maree/Oranmore Tigers 3
24/1/10
Colga Foxes 2 Colga Swans 0
Maree/Oranmore Colts 1 Colga Boys 0
Maree/Oranmore Tigers 1 Colga Boys 1
Maree/Oranmore Leopards 3 Corrib Celtic 0
3/1/10
Maree/Oranmore Colts 1 Maree/Oranmore Tigers 1
Colga Boys 1 Colga Swans 0
Corrib Celtic 1 Colga Foxes 0
Maree/Oranmore Leopards 4 Maree/Oranmore Tigers 0
6/12/09
Maree/Oranmore Colts 2 Colga Foxes 2
Maree/Oranmore Tigers 0 Colga Swans 1
Maree/Oranmore Leopards 2 Colga Boys 1
Corrib Celtic 3 Colga Swans 0
15/11/09
Maree/Oranmore Colts 1 Colga Swans 1
Maree/Oranmore Tigers 1 Colga Foxes 0
Colga Boys 5 Corrib Celtic 2
Match Reports
Sunday 14th March – Invitational Tournament Finale : U-8’s
Results :
Maree/Oranmore Leopards 6 – 1 Colga Foxes
Maree/Oranmore Colts 4 – 0 Corrib Celtic
Maree/Oranmore Tigers 2 – 0 Colga Swans
The “Champions” parade for the finale of the invitational tournament kicked off with the lone piper at around 1pm. Our boys dutifully lined up behind the eager U-7’s and how prophetic the tag of “champions” was. Within two hours the 3 glorious captains for the day – Declan Grealish (Leopards), Vincent Hornak (Colts) and Conor Carroll (Tigers) were jointly accepting the cup on behalf of the teams and were posing with Mr. Michael D. Higgins TD, Stephen Lally (youth development officer for the Galway FA) and Enda Cox (representing St. Columba’s Credit union) with three HUGE smiles on their faces. Their smiles were only matched by the 30 other boys just waiting behind them to collect their gold medals. The excitement was heightened on the day because the boys were playing in the cages for the first time.
Leopards report :
The leopards really turned on the style on the day and put 6 past the weaker Colga Foxes. Captain Declan Grealish started in goals and led from the back. Donie Higgins, Ben Wright and Ben Patterson started in defence and Daniel, Simon and Nicholas played in midfield and kept Colga at bay for the first half. Fionn Duffy was very industrious and was eager to get on the scoresheet. He had to wait his turn however as Thomas Heraghty beat him to the punch with a poachers goal, turned in from a great cross. Within minutes Fionn had doubled the lead with a fierce shot that the keeper could not hold on to. Donie Higgins took it to 3 before the break with a long range low effort to the bottom corner. Half-time and 3-0 up the team were looking comfortable. In the second half Jason Meehan was very busy and popped up for a great goal. Heraghty and Duffy, still eager for more added 2 more to take it to 6-0. With 2 minutes on the clock Colga got a free kick outside the box and it was drilled high and proved to be unstoppable. The final whistle finally came and the boys eagerly turned to the end of the cages to see how their Colts buddies were getting on......
Colts report :
......and needless to say the Colts were holding their end of the bargain up. Pitted against Corrib Celtic they (Colts) were in the mood to match or better the leopards result. The Colts dominated this game from the start. Darragh Beirne and Cian Flanagan worked really hard and covered loads of ground during the match. Ethan Connolly tackled really well and was stuck in all over the place while Tom Dolan and Alex Kuvaldin defended really well. Oliver McCamley, as usual, moved cleverly around the pitch and was a constant threat to the Corrib defence. The real threat, however, was from Alan Greene and David McCarthy and it was McCarthy who opened the scoring with a great long range effort. Greene was not to be outdone and within a few minutes a similar long range effort found it’s way past the hapless keeper. The Colts now had the bit between their teeth and Michael Hand was very industrious in the second half. Hubert Costello was trying really hard and got his head to a great cross and scored a fantastic goal. Finally Vincent Hornak who played a captain’s role all day completed the picture with a fine close range effort. Well done Colts!!
Tigers report :
The Tigers looked worried when the coach told them to do 30 laps of the pitch to warm up while the Leopards and Colts were playing but then they realised that the coach was only pulling their legs! They did, however, get fully behind the Leopards and Colts and supported them in their matches and then finally got a chance to display their skills to the many watching parents, coaches and dignitaries. Not all the Tigers were able to make it so some of the Leopards swapped in and out to keep the numbers up. This match was a much closer affair against the best of Colga. Aaron Callanan had the goalies jersey on a full 30 minutes before the match and couldn’t wait to get going. Ciaran Burke, Oisin Quinlan and Kevin Horgan in defence Conor Carroll and Hugh Kilgannon marshalled the midfield and Mark Shivnan was up front poaching for goals. This was a ding dong battle with both teams pressing for the first goal. The Tigers pressure finally paid off with Conor Carroll drilling a fantastic shot to the roof of the net. The poor keeper had no chance with the power of the shot. Half-time came and the score was 1-0. In the second half the Tigers kept up the pressure and the corner count was mounting. So many crosses came in but no-one was able to connect. Finally, from a corner the ball broke loose to Nicholas Kuvaldin who was hovering at the edge of the box. He drilled a low hard shot that flashed through the crowd and into the net. 2-0. From there the Tigers pressed on and continued the pressure on the Colga defence however no more goals ensued. The match finished 2-0 to give a clean sweep to the 3 teams.
It was a wonderful day for club and in particular for all the boys who took part in the tournament. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the U-8 boys, their parents and particularly the coaches who gave up their valuable leisure time to make the tournament such an enjoyable experience for the boys. We hope to have a few more matches before the season ends and look forward to you all being there. Well done again boys – you have done yourselves, your families and the club proud!
Maree/Oranmore Leopards :
Daniel Arimoro, Simon Coyle, Fionn Duffy (2), Declan Grealish(C), Thomas Heraghty (2), Donal Higgins (2), Nicholas Kuvaldin, Jason Meehan (1), Ben Patterson and Ben Wright
Maree/Oranmore Colts :
Darragh Beirne, Ethan Connolly, Hubert Costello (1), Tom Dolan, Cian Flanagan, Alan Greene (1), Michael Hand, Vincent Hornak(C)(1), Alex Kuvaldin, Oliver McCamley and David McCarthy (1)
Maree/Oranmore Tigers :
Ciaran Burke, Aaron Callanan, Conor Carroll (1), Kevin Horgan, Hugh Kilgannon, Nicholas Kuvaldin (sub)(1), Oisin Quinlan and Mark Shivnan
Sunday 14th January – Invitational Tournament : U-8
Results :
Maree/Oranmore Leopards 0 – 2 Maree/Oranmore Colts
Maree/Oranmore Leopards 0 – 2 Colga Swans
Maree/Oranmore Tigers 3 – 0 Corrib Celtic
Round 5 of the Invitational Tournament took place this weekend. It was another “Super Sunday” and the whole place was buzzing. It was also a double day for the Leopards where they took on the Colts in a club derby and then played the Colga Swans. Tigers were also up against Corrib Celtic. Considering the mid-term break had started combined with St. Valentine’s day it was very impressive that 27 boys turned up to play. It was quite a cold and foggy morning however as the day wore on the fog disappeared and it was quite a lovely day at the end.
Leopards/Colts report :
This was a long awaited match up between the table topping Leopards and the ambitious Colts who were trailing by 3 points. Leopards started the day with two matches and a potential 6 points scoop. Colts, however had different plans and from the outset of this match was played at a high tempo with both teams looking to dominate the other. Colts had Hubert Costello starting in goals with Darragh Beirne, Vincent Hornak and David McCarthy in defence. Ethan Connolly, Alan Greene and Tom Dolan were in midfield and Oliver McCamley and Cian Flanagan up front. For the Leopards Andrew McLoughlin, who was guesting for the day started in goals with Declan Grealish, Fionn Duffy and Alex Kuvaldin in defence. Donal Higgins, Josh Byrnes and Nicholas Kuvaldin were anchoring midfield and Jason Meehan and Thomas Heraghty were the strikeforce. This was a ding dong battle with no team yielding and when half-time came they were deadlocked at 0-0 and both teams took a well deserved rest. In the second half the Colts upped the tempo and started to exert some more pressure on the Leopards. The deadlock was finally broken when Hubert Costello (who was replaced by Vincent Hornak in goals) crossed a great ball. The in-rushing Oliver McCamley turned and shot in a single movement and the ball flashed to the top corner of the net. The keeper had no chance. Leopards rallied with Byrnes and Higgins leading a comeback and Fionn Duffy and Jason Meehan came close on many occasions. With about 5 minutes to go a piece of individual skill from Alan Greene wowed the crowd. Alan picked up the ball deep in his own half on the left wing. He beat 2-3 players and set off on the run with some leopards in his wake. As he bore down on goal there was only one thing on his mind – he pressed on and drilled the ball low into the net. The leopards rallied bravely with Heraghty, Grealish and Kuvaldin twins working really hard to try and break down the Colts defence however they ran out of time in the end. This was a wonderful contest with both teams providing an excellent display of skills and completed some wonderful passing movements. Well done to both teams. Colts took the spoils and the 3 points on the day and temporarily level with points with the leopards.
Leopards/Colga report :
The leopards had to stay on and play their second match against the Colga Swans. The Swans had been eagerly awaiting this match and from the whistle they were off at a high pace. The Leopards were a little behind the pace and were caught off guard in the first 5 minutes and leaked 2 quick goals to Colga. They rallied very well though and shored up the defence and from then on the tables were turned. By the time the second half came Leopards had pinned the Colga defence down and produced wave after wave of attacks. Colga at this stage decided that their best strategy was to pack the defence and try and absorb the pressure …… and absorb they did. With Donie Higgins and Josh Byrnes orchestrating the various attacks and the play moving from side to side the Leopards couldn’t break Colga down. Each attack was either cleared by the Colga defence or pushed out for a corner. For the last 7-8 minutes the leopards camped out in the Colga defence but alas they could not break them down. And so it ended with the Leopards losing out. A disappointing day for them but they played really well.
Tigers/Corrib Celtic report :
Tigers had been warming up for ages on the sidelines with great patience awaiting for their turn. The waiting was finally over and they gathered for a team talk with coaches Kevin Kilgannon and Martin Horgan. They lined out with Aaron Callanan in goals, Ciaran Burke, Sean Neary and Kevin Horgan in defence, Mark Shivnan, Oisin Quinlan and Alex Fearon in midfield with Conor Carroll and Hugh Kilgannon up front. From the outset the Tigers put their stamp on the game with an array of clever passing and great movement. The midfield trio were tireless in their tackling back and helping the defence. In particular Mark Shivnan worked really hard and showed great determination all through the match. Midway through the first half the deadline was broken with a very clever move by Hugh Kilgannon – he jinked his way past two defenders and with only the keeper to beat he dispatched it low to the corner. Not long after Shivnan had a long range attempt well saved by the keeper. Half-time came and the Tigers took a well deserved rest. The second half started and Kevin Horgan moved up the pitch. It was a move that paid off handsomely as within five minutes he had doubled the Tiger’s lead. He met a beautiful cross field pass from Conor Carroll with a low hard volley. Training was obviously paying off as he executed the volley with perfect technique and gave the keeper no chance. At this stage the Tigers’ consistent quality passing was giving Corrib Celtic lots of headaches as they struggled to close them down. Conor Carroll put the game beyond doubt when the Tigers’ pressure yielded a glorious chance to him and he converted it with ease.
At the end of the match coaches Kevin and Martin picked Mark Shivnan as man of the match for playing and tackling so well. A great day all round for the Tigers.
Thanks again to Noel Greaney and the catering team who kept the masses fed and warmed up in general with an array of hot beverages. Special Valentine’s day sweets were on offer for a lucky few!! Overall it was a great day for the club and a great day for the U-8’s. It may not have been a clean sweep of results for us however what was most impressive today was the way the boys passed the ball, tackled back and worked for each other. This is certainly a group of boys that play really well together.
Maree/Oranmore Colts :
Darragh Beirne, Ethan Connolly, Hubert Costello, Tom Dolan, Cian Flanagan, Alan Greene, Michael Hand, Vincent Hornak, Oliver McCamley, David McCarthy
Maree/Oranmore Leopards :
Josh Byrnes, Aaron Callanan, Declan Grealish, Thomas Heraghty, Donal Higgins, Jason Meehan, Ben Patterson and Ben Wright
Maree/Oranmore Tigers :
Aaron Callanan, Ciaran Burke, Conor Carroll, Alex Fearon, Kevin Horgan, Hugh Kilgannon, Sean Neary, Oisin Quinlan and Mark Shivnan
Sunday January 24th. 2010
Round 4 of the Invitational Tournament took place this weekend. It was a “Super Sunday” which meant that the U-7’s and U-8’s were on the Astro Turf, the U-9’s in the cages and the U-10’s on the pitch – all at the same time!!. Never were the OCDA facilities put under so much pressure and with 10:00 mass on at the same time the parking around the village was at a premium. The U-8 boys were eager for action again and this week the Colts were up first against the Colga Boys while the leopards were up against Corrib Celtic. The Tigers had to wait until the Colga/Colts game was complete and then were going to take on the Colga Boys.
Colts report :
On a crisp bright Sunday morning the Colts once again lined up for the third time against Colga. Right from the first kick-off the Colts were determined to make it three in a row and were aiming to extend their unbeaten record in this competition. At no time did the Colts allow the opposition settle on the ball and they harried and harassed them from every sector of the pitch, from forwards, midfielders and of course the resolute defence. Such was the tenacity, determination and uncompromising nature of this defence that our keepers, Tom and Oliver, saw very little action.
It was obvious that Michael, Ethan and Hubert in the first half, and Tom, Alan and Vincent in the second, were not going to take any prisoners and repeatedly halted any potential attack. Time and time again they halted any threat posed by Colga. It was mid way during the first half that the dead lock was broken. Alan with a characteristic low screamer left the Colgan goalkeeper rooted to the spot and scored the game’s only goal. His following celebration was taken right of the Robbie Keane book of celebrations.
The Colts could have increased the lead with shots raining in from David, Darragh and Vincent which put enormous pressure on the Colgan goalkeeper. However, it was Cian who was the most unfortunate not to score and emulate Alan’s celebrations. On one occasion after taking control of a pin-point cross from David he unleashed a cracker of a shot that inched ever so slightly over the bar and such was the ferocity that it knocked all the icicles from the security fence. All believed that, on that occasion, the Colgan goalie had a lucky escape.
It was a good day’s work and the Colts should feel very proud of the way in which they stuck to their positions, put Colga under pressure and most importantly played for each other as a team.
Leopards report :
The Leopards continued their strong run in this competition against a much weaker Corrib Celtic side with a 3-0 win. Leopards had low numbers again and Aaron Callanan stepped in from the Tigers panel to shore up the numbers. Welcome back to Aaron this season after a short layoff – it’s great to see you back!. Another new face on the pitch today was Ben Patterson who joined the club this weekend and slotted in well with the leopards – Welcome Ben!. Aaron volunteered to go in goals for the first half with a defence of the two Bens (Patterson and Wright) and Declan Grealish. The midfield duo of Josh Byrnes and Donie Higgins were joined by a member of the Corrib Celtic team (Liam) who joined up to make it 9-a-side and up front Thomas Heraghty and Jason Meehan formed the attack. From the outset it was clear the Corrib Celtic team were going to be under pressure as wave upon wave of Leopards attacks were being absorbed by their defence. They bravely kept them at bay however conceded many corners in the process. Eventually the pressure paid off and a quick thinking Jason Meehan doubled on an incoming ball from midfield and sent it low into the net. Within 5 minutes the lead was extended to two with Ben Wright unleashing a low hard shot to the corner of the net and this was quickly followed by a third from Josh Byrnes which tied up the match before half time. In the second half the defenders swapped with the attackers however the same story unfolded in the second half where Corrib kept absorbing the intense leopard pressure. They rallied really well this half and succeeded in keeping a clean sheet while under immense pressure. While the leopards didn’t score in the second half there was one particular move of note that drew worthy applause from the onlooking crowd. Down the left wing a clever combination of passes between Donie Higgins and Jason Meehan saw three Corrib players left helpless in their wake and a low cross field ball from Higgins met an oncoming Josh Byrnes, who didn’t break his stride and released a rocket of a shot that whistled just millimetres over the crossbar. Had it been a goal it would have been a worthy contender for goal of the season. Leopards kept up the pressure from there and while Corrib had one or two forays up the field, Ben Patterson, who had replaced Aaron in goals had nothing to be worried about.
Tigers report :
The Tigers had been prancing up and down the line waiting for the Colts match to finish so they could take on the Colga Boys too. The Colts win had given them an incentive to match them with a win and they set off as a team on a mission. In the first half Alex Fearon tended goal with a defence of Ciaran Burke, Sean Neary and Hugh Kilgannon. Tigers exerted a lot of pressure on Colga so Alex didn’t have much to do. Some key clearances by Hugh Kilgannon and Neary’s dominance in the centre of defence kept Colga at bay. The midlfield quartet of Kevin Horgan, Ethan Connolly, Conor Carroll and Oisin Quinlan really dictated the play in the first half with Horgan in particular causing a lot of problems for the Colga defence. Up front David Walsh and Mark Shivnan tackled well and harried the Colga defence every time they attempted to clear the ball. Both of them had numerous shots on target. Kevin Horgan broke the deadlock a clever sidestep around an outcoming defender and release a low hard shot through a packed defence. The keeper, unsighted, didn’t have a lot of time to react and while he partially stopped the ball he couldn’t prevent it from rolling through his legs into the goal. Kevin repeated the move a few minutes later however this time the keeper was a match for the effort.
In the second half David Walsh dropped back to goals with Shivnan, Carroll and Quinlan manning the defence and this released Alex Fearon and Hugh Kilgannon up front to try their luck. The Tigers pressure continued however Colga equalised on a breakaway goal. Tigers were caught off guard however Shivnan reacted well and attempted to intercept the Colga forward however his last gasp tackle just missed the Colga attacker’s shot and the ball flashed past David Walsh. Tigers rallied and tried to press ahead again with Ciaran Burke really excelling on the right wing and created loads of chances. Conor Carroll and Ethan Connolly had some excellent shots on goal and Alex Fearon and Sean Neary tackled really well. Unfortunately that was the end of the goals and the teams ended up sharing the spoils. The boys played very well with a 1-1 result possibly not fully deserved but no complaints.
Well done to all the boys this weekend. Thanks to the OCDA for their wonderful facilities that could host so many teams and games simultaneously and a special word of thanks to the Greaney’s, the Fionas (Holland-Slevin and MacEnespie) and all the social committee and helpers for providing refreshments to the many hordes of people who had gathered for the tournament.
Maree/Oranmore Colts :
Darragh Beirne, Ethan Connolly, Hubert Costello, Tom Dolan, Cian Flanagan, Alan Greene, Michael Hand, Vincent Hornak, Oliver McCamley, David McCarthy
Maree/Oranmore Leopards :
Josh Byrnes, Aaron Callanan, Declan Grealish, Thomas Heraghty, Donal Higgins, Jason Meehan, Ben Patterson and Ben Wright
Maree/Oranmore Tigers :
Ciaran Burke, Conor Carroll, Alex Fearon, Kevin Horgan, Hugh Kilgannon, Sean Neary, Oisin Quinlan, Mark Shivnan and David Walsh
Sunday, January 03rd. 2010
Results :
Maree/Oranmore Tigers 1 – 1 Maree/Oranmore Colts
Maree/Oranmore Tigers 0 – 4 Maree/Oranmore Leopards
Our New Year kicked off early with the re-commencement of the Invitational Tournament on Jan 3rd. It was just the change of pace needed for all the boys to get a break from playing with the toys that Santa had brought. Based on all the reports it seems that everyone had been on Santa’s “nice” list.
Considering the cold weather and the holidays we were pleasantly surprised by the turnout on the day. It was a Maree/Oranmore .v. Maree/Oranmore day where the Tigers had a double header. First playing the Colts and then taking on the Leopards.
The Tigers and Colts had a larger turnout and kicked off first. As it was a cold day we had everyone playing and rotated keepers very regularly so no-one would get too cold. This turned out to be a great game with familiar faces pitting themselves against those they train with each week. For Tigers Ciaran Burke, David Walsh and Kevin Horgan marshalled the defence very well. Sean Neary played a more central role today with Hugh Kilgannon at his side. Up front Mark Shivnan, Conor Carroll and Alex Fearon were very busy and attacked at all times. For the Colts Darragh Beirne especially impressed today with his tenacious tackling. Ethan Connolly gave a magnificent display in goals thwarting the Tigers attacks time after time. Hugh Kilgannon got his scoring record for the club off the mark today with his first goal – well done Hugh. Unfortunately it was cancelled out by Ethan Connolly at the far end with a few minutes to go. Colts were also served well by Tom Dolan and Cian Flanagan with Michael Hand and Alan Greene raiding down each wing. Alex Kuvaldin, Oliver McCamley and David McCarthy were very busy chasing every ball and tackling everything in sight. A fair result was the 1-1 draw and a just reward for 2 hard working teams.
The Tigers had to stay and play the eagerly awaiting leopards. Unfortunately all the Tigers couldn’t stay and with the low number of leopards around some of the Colts who had stayed around were willing volunteers to help out for both teams. This match was a little more one-sided as the Tigers were weakened and possibly a little tired after the first match. The Leopards on the other hand were really up for it. Jason Meehan and Nicholas Kuvaldin were stalwart defenders. Josh Byrnes and Donal Higgins held their own in midfield and Thomas Heraghty up front was a constant threat. In fact it was Thomas who got the leopards off the mark with a great goal. Tigers held on and kept the leopards at bay for the first half. In the second half the leopards exerted more dominance and some quick goals towards the end from Michael Hand, Alan Greene and Josh Byrnes sewed it up for the leopards.
Well done to all the boys today. Training re-commences next Saturday and hopefully the weather will have improved by then.
Maree/Oranmore Tigers :
Ciaran Burke, Conor Carroll, Alex Fearon, Kevin Horgan, Hugh Kilgannon, Sean Neary, Oisin Quinlan, Mark Shivnan and David Walsh
Maree/Oranmore Colts :
Darragh Beirne, Ethan Connolly, Tom Dolan, Cian Flanagan, Alan Greene, Michael Hand, Vincent Hornak, Alex Kuvaldin, Oliver McCamley, David McCarthy
Maree/Oranmore Leopards :
Josh Byrnes, Thomas Heraghty, Donal Higgins, Nicholas Kuvaldin, Jason Meehan plus various subs
Sunday, December 06th. - Reports from Mike Shivnan & Oliver McCamley
Invitational Tournament U-8 – Day #2 (Dec 6th 2009)
The weather finally took a break and allowed us to play round two of the Invitational Tournament although the blustery conditions provided a tough test for all the boys out there today. After round #1 it turned out that Kinvara Utd. have had to pull out of the tournament so considering we have plenty of numbers this year it was decided that we would enter a third team (“The Leopards”). The boys were re-organised to take into account the extra team and were ready for round #2
Maree Oranmore Colts 2 - 2 Colga Foxes (Colts match Report by Oliver McCamley)
The match started lively with loads of possession to Maree Oranmore. The first goal to the home team was neatly deflected in by Oliver McCamley following a powerful shot from Ethan Connolly. Despite the wind against them Colga came back and pressured an equalising goal fired high into the roof of the net. Maree Oranmore finished the half on top and the defensive three of Hubert Costello, Darragh Beirne and Cian Flanagan had little to do. The second half proved difficult for Maree Oranmore to keep possession however the midfield of Vincent Hornak, Tom Dolan and Josh Byrnes tried their best to get the ball in the Colga half. Colga had a corner and from the headed clearance they hit the crossbar. A quick break later started by a strong clearance from Cian, a great pass from Hubert and Alan Greene finished to put Maree Oranmore back in the lead with a fierce, low shot taking the goalkeeper by surprise. Almost immediately Colga were back in it when a goalies kick caught in the wind and landed in front of a Colga player with only the goalie to beat. 2-2 and all that remained was for Maree Oranmore to hold on for a well earned draw.
Maree Oranmore Tigers 0 - 1 Colga Swans
Wind conditions played a dominant role in this game with both teams enjoying the best of the play and dominance when the wind was at their backs. First half advantage was to Colga who peppered the Maree/Oranmore goal numerous times only to be thwarted by Alex Fearon who tended goal excellently. In front of Alex there was a sound defensive line of Sean Neary, Ciaran Burke and David Walsh. Midfield was the busiest place today where the trio of Hugh Kilgannon, Conor Hughes and Kevin Horgan had to put in an immense amount of work to keep Colga at bay in the first half. Up front the pairing of Conor Carroll and Mark Shivnan had to drop deep to gain possession but when they did, they put some clever passes together but to no avail. The Colga pressure paid off and one of their players unleashed a very powerful shot towards the top corner. Alex, who was playing brilliantly got his hands to it but the power was too much and it went in the roof of the net. Half-time was welcomed by our boys and in the second half proceeded to rain shots on the Colga goal. David Walsh dropped back into goals in the second half and Alex went up front. Mark Shivnan played sweeper but to be honest the Colga boys rarely crossed halfway. They did, however defend with great heart and even though our Tigers hit the crossbar and post a few times they kept us out and probably just deserved to win it in the end. It was a great match, played with great enthusiasm and great passing and tackling by all.
Maree Oranmore Leopards 2 - 1 Colga Boys
This was the first day out for the Leopards and while they had to wait for the other matches to be completed the wait was certainly worth it. Leopards started off with Donie Higgins in goals with Fionn Duffy and Declan Grealish providing a very sound defence. The midfield pairing of Ben Wright and Josh Byrnes gave the Colga midfielders a hard time and up front Thomas Heraghty created some great chances. Some of the Tigers and Colts hung on after and gladly substituted in to make up the numbers. The first half was a ding dong affair with both sides showing their great skills. Colga seemed to have the upper hand and put a lot of pressure on the leopards’ goal and it was no great surprise that they sneaked an early lead. This didn’t faze our boys at all and they redoubled their efforts. Great individual skill from Byrnes and Wright created loads of chances and some set pieces too. It was from a set piece that the leopards equalised however it wasn’t from a Maree/Oranmore head but unfortunately for one of the Colga defenders he headed a “beauty” to the top corner of his own net. The second half proceeded much as the first, more Tigers and Colts swapped on and off. Thomas Heraghty had moved to defence for this half but didn’t have much to do. With 2 minutes to go the coach moved Thomas up front again and the move paid rich dividends. After a set piece the ball was cleared out to a waiting Thomas – he settled himself and drilled a low, hard ball into the bottom corner of the net with only 30 seconds left on the clock. Colga were anxious to get the game going again to pressure the leopards’ defence but the leopards kept their heads and ran out the clock – a great last minute win!!
Many thanks to all who helped today. That’s it for a while for us in the Invitational Tournament and we should be back to it very early in the New Year. Training will be as normal over the next few weeks until our last day before Christmas on December 19th. The Christmas Party will be on after training on that day. May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Christmas and best wishes for 2009 – Mike S.
Sunday 15th November
The 2009/2010 Invitational Tournament was launched on Thursday evening in the Oranmore Lodge Hotel where "Martee" the dinosaur (our club mascot) appeared to the delight of all in attendance. Martee is our newest and "biggest" team member and promises to be a great cheer leader. He was in attendance today at the kickoff of the tournament shaking hands, going around and meeting people and generally having a good time and wishing all the boys the best of luck.
The U-8's were kicking off today and 27 boys turned up to play. Like last year we retained the "Colts" and "Tigers" names however this year we mixed up the players so we would have a different set of boys playing together. The Tigers were on pitch 1 against one of the local rival teams (the Colga Foxes). The team nearly had a full turnout. Mark Shivnan was missing today as he was otherwise engaged with some television appearance that he had to fulfil - such is the price of fame.
Tigers starting lineup had Jason Meehan in goals, Sean Neary, David Walsh and Nicholas Kuvaldin in defence, Hugh Kilgannon, Thomas Heraghty and Conor Hughes in midfield and Conor Carroll and Alex Fearon up front. Kevin Horgan, Darragh Beirne, Ciaran Burke and Fionn Duffy were eager subs waiting for their chance.
The first half went very well for the Tigers. Not for the first time the impressive Nicholas Kuvaldin stamped his authority on the game with some vital clearances in defence. Sean Neary was equally impressive and David Walsh clerverly picked up and dispatched all the balls that came his way. The midfield battle was edged by the Tigers in the first half with Hugh Kilgannon putting in some vital tackles and showed composure on the ball. His two willing lieutenants - Conor Hughes and Thomas Heraghty showed great stamina by constantly going form box to box and harrying the Colga midfield. Up front it was the dynamic duo of Alex Fearon and Conor Carroll that worried Colga the most with some great chances being worked by some excellent passing. After substitutions were made, Kevin Horgan made an immediate impact - he threaded a great through ball that, at first, seemed to be going harmlessly wide. Conor Carroll was thinking differently and with a great burst of speed he lunged at the end and hooked the ball before it went side and it into the Colga net. It was a goal reminiscent of Niall Quinn's goal against Holland in Italia '90. The single goal lead was held until the half-time break where the boys took a well deserved rest.
In the second half Colga were much better organised and had the better of the midfield tustle. Conor Hughes replaced Jason Meehan in goals. At this stage Darragh Beirne had come on was carving out some great chances up front with Fionn Duffy who was unlucky on a couple of occasions. Ciaran Burke played a vital role in defence and cleared some great balls. Indeed Colga had two or three excellent chances in the second half but the rocklike defence of Kuvaldin, Neary and Walsh backed up by the excellent Hughes ensured that they got to the final whistle with a clean sheet. 1-0 in the end, a great start and moreso an excellent performance.
On a beautiful crisp morning the Colts once again lined out to do battle with Colga. The Colgans arrived fully focused and determined to avenge their defeat last week, however, the Colts had other ideas and turned out in strength hoping to continue their winning ways. The teams lined out at nine aside and Damien Flanagan had the task of rotating on and off the squad of 14 players.
The Colts began the match with their trademark determination pinning the Colgans back into their own half. Alan, Hubert and Ethan harassed and harried the Colgan players into continuously conceding the ball. The forwards of Cian, David, Daniel and Tom did not allow their defence settle and peppered the goal with long and short range shots and were unlucky not to it the back of the net. And in the rear, the defensive work of Ben, Oisin and Adam prevented the opposition from mounting any serious threat, which left Vincent in goal with little or no work to do. However, as the second half began, Colga’s confidence began to mount and it was not long before the dead-lock was broken. A long range shot that bobbled and weaved in the air managed to find its way into the back of goal. Unflustered and undaunted by this set back, the Colts showed their maturity and increased the tempo of their play again forcing the visitors onto the back foot. Vincent, Adam and Oliver created some excellent chances and as the pressure mounted the Colts got their just rewards as Alan pounced on a loose ball and drilled it into the back of the net. Some fantastic saves from Michael kept the score level at full time.
What was most impressive today was the way in which all the guys passed the ball. It was a testament to how hard the boys are working at training and how much they are improving that many people commented today on how well they played and passed the ball. Roll on the next tournament day for the U-8's (provisionally Dec 3rd but will be confirmed closer to the date)
Maree/Oranmore Tigers :
Jason Meehan, Nicholas Kuvaldin, Sean Neary, David Walsh, Hugh Kilgannon, Thomas Heraghty, Conor Hughes, Alex Fearon, Conor Carroll, Darragh Beirne, Ciaran Burke, Kevin Horgan and Fionn Duffy
Maree/Oranmore Colts :
Danial Arimoro, Alan Greene, Tom Dolan, Hubert Costello, Michael Hand, Ethan Connolly, Cian Flanagan, Vincent Hornak, Alex Kuvaldin, Oliver McCamley, David McCarthy, Oisin Quinlan, Ben Wright and Adam Traynor
