30th July Notes:race night, players of the year,

Killarney Athletic Notes
Race Night and End of Season Celebration Held in Mustang Sallys
We would like to say a huge Thank you to all who were involved in the organising, all our Sponsors and Players who took part in the Race night. Thanks also to Mustang Sallys for the venue and to Vince Casey who was the MC for the evening. It was a great success.
Player of the Year Awards
Congratulations to Timmy O’Sullivan who received the Senior A Player of the year award, to Michael O’Sullivan who received the Senior B Player of the year and to Ryan Carroll on receiving the Youths Player of the year. Well done.
Beckett O’Connor Cup
Congratulations to Timmy O’Sullivan on receiving the Beckett O’Connor Cup for Player of the year. Thanks to Mary O’Connor and Kerry Beckett for presenting the cup on the night.
7 A side Finals
The breeze could not spoil the first night of finals at the Killarney Athletic Killarney Credit Union 7-A-Side Tournament.
U14 Final Tralee Boys 2 Cork Hygiene 1
In a clash of the towns, this game lived up to expectations and produced some great stuff despite the breezy conditions. Cork Hygiene began the livelier and had the early chances with Jordan Kiely to the fore, but they failed to convert. Paudie Clifford sent another over the bar but just when it looked at staying 0-0 at the break, the Tralee Boys won a free-kick. Up stepped Brian O’Connell and with a looping ball, he found the net to send Tralee in one to the good at the break. The second half began on an even keel, but when Jesse O’Sullivan collected the ball in the Cork Hygiene box and after a nice turn, side-footed to the back of the net, Tralee were in the driving seat. Cork Hygiene surely had enough talent to get back in the game though and Micheal Burns and Paudie Clifford gave it everything. Stand-in keeper Cian Kennedy showed good hands to keep them out however and the all-round impressive Roman Laucher ran things in midfield. Then, after a push in the box, Cork Hygiene pulled one back from the spot and it was all to play for. Donal Lyne and Daniel O’Donoghue were curbing the threat of O’Sullivan and sub Adam O’Rourke but it was too little too late and Tralee held on for a deserved victory.
Reserve Cup Final Flemings Taxis 3 The Castle Inn 0
Competitive in the early stages, a Flemings side, resplendent in their bright yellow strip, always looked to have the upper hand and found the net when it mattered.
After a close opening spell, Jonathan Sparling and Tadhg O’Keeffe showed well down the left for Flemings but it was The Castle had the best chance. Mikey O’Connor took on the Flemings’ defence but with the goal at his mercy he shot wide. Following this, Jo Jo Fleming could only steer a half chance wide but with the young Stephen Devane showing well, Flemings took over. A free-kick from Alan “Soupie” O’Brien eventually found Fleming who made no mistake this time. Target man O’Connor, although carrying an injury, always looked a threat, but his effort was saved by safe-hands Hayes in the Flemings goal. The Castle were gaining momentum with Seán Sheehan full of running and Emmet O’Connor might have done better when he blasted wide after a cross from provider Mikey O’Connor. Devane and Sparling threatened at the other end but it remained 1-0 to the Taxi men at half-time.
Early in the second half, Emmet O’Connor, Timmy Griffin and Martin Burke tried hard for The Castle Inn and Aidan Dowling had a handle on Fleming, but when Sparling hit the bar having been set up by the ever-alert Fleming, it looked only a matter of time before the inevitable happened. Up stepped the outstanding O’Brien who buried it under the flailing Brendan Griffin. In fairness to Griffin it could have been more but for an otherwise solid display between the posts and he could do nothing about number three from Stephen Devane. The Castle led by Mike Lawlor, tried to salvage something, but O’Keeffe was unyielding at the back and so it ended with a deserving win for a jubilant Flemings side.
The second night of finals at the Killarney Athletic Killarney Credit Union 7-A-Side Tournament bought us the U16 and Over 35 finals and the main attraction, the Premier Cup Final.
U16 Final Four Star Pizza 2 No Name Club 1
It took extra time to divide the finalists in an intriguing U14 final. 4 Star had most of the play early on with Conor Keane and Cathal Sheahan showing well. James McCarrick tried hard to get the No Name Club into the game but it was Steve Griffin in goal who was essential in keeping them in it and he was required to deny both Scott O’Mahony and Niall O’Riordan. At the other end, Evan O’Doherty clipped one over the bar for No Name, before Jack O’Neill had to be smart to block O’Riordan in front of goal. Then McCarrick tried to send in Mikey Coffey but his pass was a shade too long. Second time around, Coffey made no mistake and sent No Name into a half-time lead when he drove it home off the hand of 4 Star Pizza keeper Laurence Byrnes.
4 Star were full of intent in the second period and after a flowing move, O’Riordan looked to have equalised but his effort hit the side-netting. Gavin O’Shea was coming into the game more and Diarmuid Galvin was unflappable in defence for 4 Star, laying a solid platform for the equaliser. Chris Fleming, Jack O’Neill and Steve Griffin were all in good form at the back for No Name but the pressure told eventually, and after a mix up, O’Mahony pounced to equalise. Keane, O’Mahony and O’Doherty all had chances to win it but extra-time beckoned. Keane thought he had done it early in extra-time when his free-kick from close to the half-way line caught the wind and went all the way to the net. Ruled out as it was indirect, 4 Star pushed home their advantage. Keane would not be denied and sent a cool finish to the back of the net to claim victory for 4 Star. Overall, 4 Star had enough of the play to triumph fairly comfortably, but No Name left no stone unturned in seeking to deny them. Man of the Match: Diarmuid Galvin. The Johnny Heffernan Underage Player of the Tournament: Gavin O’Shea.
O35 Final McSorleys 4 Beaufort Bar & Restaurant 0
Billed as a “battle of wills”, this final saw an emergent McSorleys dominate a Beaufort side that never really got going. Early bursts from John Bowler and Martin Burke augured well for McSorleys. Number one came from Denis Doolan, up from defence, who nonchalantly slipped the ball past an unsighted Austin Rooney. Although Brendan Breen and Micheál Kissane were giving their all for Beaufort and they managed some half chances, the returning Peter O’Leary was unyielding in goal for McSorleys and Burke was proving a constant thorn in their side. He put the eternally youthful John MacGillycuddy through on goal twice in quick succession and John Mac didn’t need to be asked twice, securing a 2-0 lead for McSorleys going into the break. Beaufort started the second half with vigour and the ploy of using Gary McGrath as a target man looked promising. Brendan Breen made a great run and McGrath had a shot saved from a free-kick. However, with Seánie Culloty and Tony “Fabregas” Fagan slotting in well next to the indomitable Brian McCarthy, McSorleys could not be breached. John Bowler re-entered the fray to claim their third and despite the best efforts of Rooney, Colin O’Sullivan finished it off with number four. The early intent of McSorleys meant Beaufort never thrived and McSorleys had two influential performers in Martin Burke and John Bowler who gave them a solid platform for victory. Man of the match: Brian McCarthy. Player of the Tournament: John Bowler.
Teams: McSorleys: Peter O’Leary, Brian MacCarthy, Garrett Doolan, James Mannix, Colin O’Sullivan, John Bowler, Sean Culloty, John MacGillycuddy, Martin Burke, Cathal O’Grady, Tony Fagan, Denis Doolan. Managers: Garrett Doolan, Daniel Doonan.
Beaufort: Austin Rooney, Jim Kennedy, Eoin Savage, Micheal Kissane, Cormac O’Shea, Dermot O’Meara, Donal O’Sullivan, Brendan Breen , David Doyle, Raymond Breen, Gary Mc Grath, Ian O’Shea.Team Manager: DD O’Sullivan, Asst.coach: Francis Courtney.
Premier Final IC Photo 2 Falveys Bar 3
The main event of this year’s Killarney Athletic/ Killarney Credit Union 7-A-Side Tournament did not disappoint. The first half was a tepid affair however, with both sides seemingly sizing each other up and waiting for the other to slip up. As with most of their games, IC started the stronger but a contrast in styles soon emerged. IC lorded possession and tended to attempt to score from distance, while Falveys looked to pierce holes in the IC defence using their guile and experience. The skilful Dara O’Sé along with Shane MacSweeney and Seán Costelloe probed away for Falveys, but Fionn Fitzgerald and Shane O’Neill, backed up by David Neeson in goal, were more than up to the task of keeping them out. Daithí Casey and Brendan Falvey had their share of the ball for IC but nothing could separate the sides in the first half of an hour’s football. It took 11 minutes of the second half for IC Photo to carve out the opener. Fitzgerald took possession of a through ball from Donie Murphy and easily beat Tony Lyons in the Falveys’ goal. There was an immediate sense that IC would push on and convert more of their possession but this lasted a mere minute or two because Fitzgerald turned villain at the other end when he upended O’Sé to give Falveys a penalty. Costelloe coverted for 1-1 and this time Falveys took the initiative with O’Sé going close and substitute Paul O’Connor shoring things up at the back. They didn’t bank on Casey though. He got on the end of a ball from the combative but driven Brendan Falvey and belying the deceptively languid style of his, he flicked the ball up and finished to the net with aplomb – 2-1 to IC. Almost inevitably, Falveys fought back and after an innocuous looking shot from MacSweeney was parried by Neeson, the ubiquitous Johnny Carey popped up to equalise at the far post – 2-2.
Falveys could sense victory now and Carey and O’Sé applied their experience to win a corner. Veteran Paul Griffin picked out centre half Karl Falvey and his diving header found the net, 3-2 to last year's finalists. IC Photo did their utmost to secure an equalizer but Tony Lyons marshalled his men well to keep them out and the Killorglin men triumphed 3-2 in the end of what was a super contest right up to the final whistle.
Well done to both teams for some great entertainment!
Man of the Match: Johnny Carey (who was presented with a pair of Umbro Boots by John O’Rourke of Umbro) Player of the Tournament and winner of the Kieran Cahillane Senior Player of the Tournament Award : Shane O’Neill.
Teams: IC Photo: David Neeson, Shane O’Neill, Donie Murphy, Daithi Casey, Ryan O’Carroll,.Brendan Falvey, John Falvey, Fionn Fitzgerald, Niall O’Connell, PJ Lawlor.
Falveys: Dara O’ Sé, Johnny Carey, Karl Falvey, Ross Sheehan, Paul Griffin, Paul O'Connor, Danny O’Sullivan, Tony Lyons, Sean Costelloe, Shane McSweeney.
Thanks
Thanks to all who participated in and supported the tournament by way of attendance or sponsorship. Since our first 7-a-side in 1977 the tournament has given endless hours of enjoyment and pleasure to a countless number of participants and supporters, and the club is indebted to all who have contributed to its popularity and success over the years. A particular word of thanks to: the many team sponsors, sign sponsors and of course the main sponsors, Killarney Credit Union; the F.A.I.(in the guise of the Kerry District League and the M.F.A.) for its support every year; our tournament organisers and all who have helped out every night to ensure a smooth running of the competition; all the local press and photographers and Radio Kerry for their extensive coverage of our games and our tournament referees who return year in, year out to officiate at our games.We hope to see you all again next year!
Athletic on the Web: See www.killarneyathletic.com for club information and updates.
Contact: If you have anything to add to Killarney Athletic notes please contact Mary McCarrick on 087 7750773 or mccarrickmary@hotmail.com

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 at 5:51 pm and is filed under Club Notes.

 

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