Good Counsel College U-14 Leinster Football Champions 2011
Our U-14 Footballers won their second successive championship on Friday 11 March in Stradbally (Co Laois) against St Josephs Rochfordbridge (Westmeath). It really was a pulsating final with many twists and turns before the final outcome was decided in the fourth minute of injury time by a scorcher of a goal from our towering full forward William Treacy. This is the ‘fifth’ U-14 Football Leinster championship success by our school (1995, 1996, 2002, 2010, 2011). This places our school in second position behind Gormanstown College and Scoil Aodháin (with six titles each) as the most successful school at U-14 level over the last fifty years. Considering that all our success has come in the last fourteen years, this is truly a remarkable achievement.
With over two hundred and fifty first and second year supporters travelling to the final, kindly accompanied by Ms Bolger, Mr Coffey, Mr Flynn, Mr Lyne, Mr Leigh O’ Brien and Mr Declan Wall, a great atmosphere was evident as the team took to the pitch. Indeed the supporters were proudly showing the college colours in their flags and banners which brightened up an otherwise miserable day. St Josephs started out as favourites on the day after beating all their opposition by high scores on the way to the final. Good Counsel started admirably however and after playing into the breeze in the first half, found ourselves trailing by only a single point at half time. Our first point was scored by William Treacy who showed some of his soccer skills when opting to kick from the ground while under pressure from the defence. Our second point was a pointed free from about thirty metres by the faultless Mikey Rowe. Steven Stafford scored our third point when the ball found its way to him in the centre forward position after some concerted pressure from our forwards. It was a day for defences with the greasy conditions forcing many basic errors on both sides.
The second half started off with a point for St Josephs which brought the score to 0-3 to 0-5. Thankfully our forwards started to interlink better in the second half but were frustrated by the St Joseph’s defence who tried to stop our runners early in their tracks with the consequence of conceding many frees. The high tempo of the game and the pressure on both sides meant that opportunities were few and far between but a blistering run from Jason Dunne lifted the spirit of the crowd and forced a fantastic save by the St Joseph’s keeper with the ball going over for a point, 0-4 to 0-5. Halfway through the second half St Joseph’s corner back was given a second yellow and subsequently a red card after a rugby tackle on our corner forward Pat Lyng, yet the hope that this may turn the game in our favour was short lived, with a dubious penalty being awarded to St Josephs within a few minutes. This was duly converted and followed by another point which pushed St Joseph’s five points in front, 0-4 to1-6. With about ten minutes remaining Good Counsel regrouped and attacked with vigour drawing many fouls which created some scoring opportunities for our free taker Mikey Rowe. Four points were converted before the end of normal time leaving the score 0-8 to 1-6 in St Joseph’s favour.
As is the Good Counsel tradition, the team never gave up, and in the fourth minute of injury time a determined run by substitute wing back ‘Joe Sutton’ delivered the ball to our full forward William Treacy, who dispatched the ball to the top of the net with venom. With two minutes left to play the team kept its focus and attacked until Mikey Dwyer was fouled on the twenty one yard line allowing Mikey Rowe to convert our final score. The Final Score, Good Counsel College 1-9, St Josephs Rochfordbridge 1-6. At the final whistle jubilant celebrations were witnessed when our captain Donncha O Connor received the Cup from the Comhairle Laighean representative. Well done to all our boys and to coaches Mr. Bates and Mr. Kehoe on a fantastic days work.
Up the Counsel!
The Starting team was:
Jack Dunne, Darragh Joyce, Daire Barden, Kevin Rowe, Ian Carthy, Donncha O Connnor, Christopher Cullen, Robert itty, Stephen Stafford (0-1), Mikey Dwyer, Paul Manning, Jason Dunne(0-1), Pat Lyng, William Treacy(1-1), Mikey Rowe (0-6f).
Subs; Joe Sutton(P Lyng), E Rowe(P Manning), S. O Gorman(I Carthy)Peter Aspell, Sean Barden, Daragh Brennan, Tim Coughlan, Sean Dowling, Steven Fahy, Maurice Fitzgerald, Jack Foran, Tomás French, Dylan Kehoe, David Kelly, Garrett Mahon, Daryl Murphy, Shane Ryan, Jason Shiedy, Sean Sutton, Adam Swan, Ronan Waters, Adam Winters.
