Boys U15 (2011) Premier 1:1 Kilcullen
Date: 17 Jan
First Half
Naas AFC 1 vs Kilcullen 1
Two teams who hold a lot of respect for each other but also have a strong rivalry took to Pitch 4. The match was played on a pitch which was in very impressive condition for this time of year.
Naas started the brighter with Roddy Cummins carrying a real threat on the left wing in the early stages and indeed throughout the match.
For the next 10 minutes Jamie Byrnes was leading his midfield colleagues in winning the engine room battle. In the 20th minute this continued pressure told as a dangerously floated ball into the box was taken down by Dara o Shea on his left foot.
The ball then fell nicely for his oncoming strike partner Conor Gillespie who sharply finished to open the scoring.
Second Half
Naas continued to be the better side up to Half Time with the Kilcullen defence having to hold firm to keep the score at 1-0.
The second half started with Kilcullen upping the ante in the physical stakes which was not helped by a referee who was very reluctant to use his whistle. Kilcullen ended their beat spell of the match by creating their only real opportunity which was finished well by Maddox Meade who is a school mate of a number of our Naas players.
For the final 15 minutes Naas were very much on top. Jamie Byrnes and Fabio Kolakowski were very industrious during this period along with Roddy Cummins.
Fit again Team Captain Sean Durnin was also back to his best along with Ilya Cerepanovs who was superb at the back throughout also.
A beautifully flighted cross from Tyler Gleeson from the right wing was met with an excellent header by Dara o Shea which was saved really well by the Kilcullen keeper. Shortly after a lovely flowing move saw the ball fall to Fabio Kolakowski who hit a rocket of a shot from circa 25 yards which the Kilcullen keeper somehow managed to fingertip on to the underside of the bar. The ball came down hit the keeper but somehow did not go over the line. Credit must go to the keeper for getting anything on Fabio’s strike for one of the saves of the season.
Naas continued to push but the referee blew the final whistle and the match ended all square.
A strong performance from Naas which deserved a 3 points following a very good collective team performance where all players performed very well.
