Clane 6 – 2 Naas AFC | Saturday, 28 February 2026 | Boys U16 (2010) — Major 1
The scoreline screams one thing. The football told another story entirely.
Naas AFC’s U16 Major 1 side travelled to Clane on a cold Saturday and produced passages of football that had their own coaching staff — and parents on the touchline — genuinely beaming with pride. The 6-2 loss was rough. But the journey? Oh, the journey is going places.
The Clane opener was fittingly ironic — an OWN GOAL after Naas’ pressing forced a defender to turn the ball into his own net. Even the first goal wasn’t theirs! The second was pure gold: Fionn distributed; Oscar drove from the halfway line to the corner flag; a clinical low cross found Cameron Fitzpatrick to finish. Training ground stuff. Beautiful.
Ollie Lawlor, Cameron and Conor tormented the Clane defence all afternoon. Conor Black rattled the upright. Ollie just cleared the crossbar on the rebound. Oscar’s curling free kick from the halfway line? Sumptuous.
In midfield, Luke, Emmanuel and Ben grafted every minute — pressing, winning, distributing. Kyle Byrne captained from the back with a leader’s heart, timing his headers and wearing his aggression like a badge of honour.
But the goals conceded? THREE from corners. THREE! A statistic the coaches will be drilling into the squad all week. And when fatigue set in, the tracking back disappeared — and Clane punished them.
The message is clear: this group has the talent, the pace, the skill and the spirit to beat anyone in this league. The next step? Turning potential into points.