UNDER 14 FOOTBALL – DIVISION 7 LEAGUE FINAL 

LUCAN SARSFIELDS B 5-8BALLYFERMOT DE LA SALLE2-10

In the end it looks straightforward; a seven point win for Feile winners Lucan Sarsfields B in the Division 7 league final.  However, anyone in the large crowd watching at AGP3 on Saturday will tell you that this was anything but straightforward. It was a tremendous battle between two fine equally matched teams and both sides should be applauded for the football served up. 

Lucan started the brighter but missed a succession of chances while Ballyfermot were happy to sit back, invite their opponents onto them, and then rely on swift counter-attacks. Indeed, for the first 15 minutes this was working well for Ballyfermot as they struck the first 4 points of the game with some excellent long range shooting. Jack McCarthy, Cormac Porter and Jake Mooney were prominent for Lucan but luck wasn’t on their side as shots crashed off the woodwork and a series of  goalmouth scrambles came to nothing.  However a goal for Lucan from Josh Thunder kick-started Lucan and also seemed to change the flow of the game.  A succession of wonderful saves from Eoin Mahony in the Lucan goal meant Ballyfermot failed to score again in the half while some quality scores from Dean Walsh (1-1), Jake Mooney (1pt) and Adam Conheady (2pts – frees) gave Sarsfields a 2-4 to 0-4 lead at the break.  

Like so many matches between two well-matched teams, this one turned on an arm-wrestle in the third quarter.  Ballyfermot upped the tempo after half time, winning a succession of kick-outs, dominating possession, and quickly reduced Lucan’s six point lead down to two (2-6 to 0-10). It seemed as if Sarsfields couldn’t get out of their own half. But for some excellent tackling and blocks by Oisin Howe, Adam Smith and Pearse Farrell in the Sarsfields defence, and yet another excellent save from man of the match Eoin Mahony, Ballyfermot would have taken charge. 

But it was then that the Lucan lads showed their true mettle.  Eoin found his man with the kick-out and over the next few minutes they gradually worked their way back into the game. Ronan Carbury, Charlie Caseley, Declan Lawlor, Adam Conheady and Daniel Kazmi  worked tirelessly  to turn the tide while Oscar Nolan, who replaced the hard-working Jack McCarthy shortly after half-time, made an immediate impact.  

The game was now up for grabs and Lucan were not to be denied.  A speculative shot from Jake Mooney seemed to have drifted wide but was recovered short of the end line by Josh Thunder.  His shot was saved but Charlie Caseley, a bundle of energy and a threat to Ballyfermot all day,  arrived right on time to put the ball in the net.  Lucan had struck the telling blow and Ballyfermot were rocking.  Three minutes later, Josh took on his opposite number and buried the ball into the corner for Lucan’s fourth goal of the day.  4-6 to 0-10.

The rest of the game for Sarsfields was about seeing it out. To their credit, Ballyfermot never stopped working and managed to score two goals late on, but they couldn’t get closer than 5 points.  Adam Dunne was influential when introduced for an injured Pearse Farrell and Shane Murtagh made a number of telling interceptions late-on as Sarsfields closed the game out with scores from Dean Walsh (his second goal) and a well-deserved point from Ronan Carbury.

The win rounded off a fine year for the entire squad of 25, completed by Harry Day, Colm Kennelly, Colm Mulvihill, Conor Byrne, Nathan O’Toole,  Rory Mulherne, Adam Hegarty and the injured Fintan Ward who all played their part in securing the league title.

Scores:  Dean Walsh 2-1, Josh Thunder 2-0, Charlie Caseley 1-1, Adam Conheady 4pts (3 frees) , Jake Mooney 1pt, Ronan Carbury 1pt