Five-star showing by Cavan Gaels U14s

U14 League Division 1 final

Cavan Gaels 5-9

Castlerahan 3-7

Cavan Gaels were crowned the U14 Division 1 league cup champions last Tuesday after coming through the campaign undefeated. Having only dropped one point with a draw against Crosserlough the Cavan town based side wore the favourites tag against Castlerahan who finished third on the table.

The Gaels came through their semi-final against Crosserlough with ten points to spare while Castlerahan just edged out Killygarry by the minimum in a low scoring semi-final. Cavan Gaels on their path to the final had hit the five-goal maximum allowed in five of their eight games with Crosserlough and their final opponents the only teams to keep them to a single goal.

It didn’t take long for the game’s first goal as the Gaels won the throw-in and went straight for goal with Justin Gritenas finishing a rebounded shot to the net. With both sides’ nervous, the game hit a tennis-rally like stage with the ball going from end to end and neither side scoring for seven minutes.

A well finished free converted by Emmett McCaul on the eighth minute got the Ballyjamesduff side up and running. Three minutes later Oluebube Axubuike was fouled and Zach Byrne sent over the free to restore a three point lead for Cavan Gaels.

With 13 minutes on the clock Castlerahan levelled the game. Wing forward Emmett McCaul delivered a beautiful kick pass over the top of the Cavan Gaels defence for Patrick McEnroe to run on to and finish to the back of the net.

The would be winners didn’t wait long to strike back as two minutes later Oisin Coombes Morris broke to the Castlerahan end line. Running out of road he squared the ball to the back post where Justin Gritenas was on hand to punch the ball to the net for his second goal of the game.

The boys in blue hit their purple patch over the next 13 minutes to put a little daylight between the sides. A classy dummy solo and point by Zach Byrne and a free by Byrne after Gritenas was fouled left five points between the sides. Hard working wing forward Senan Reilly curled his first score over the bar from 25 metres with seven minutes to go to the break.

Castlerahan trailing by six almost halved the deficit when Patrick McEnroe shot for goal but Raphael Enoyoze Okungbowa Elaho brilliantly saved on the line. Wing forward Senan O’Reilly added a second in a row two minutes before the break, cementing Cavan Gaels control with their lead now at seven. Emmett McCaul won and converted a free for Castlerahan to narrow the gap by one at the break with the score board showing 2-5 to 1-2.

Castlerahan again came very close to claiming a second goal very early in the second half but Aaron Gaffney saved with his feet from a Connor Caffrey shot. Patrick McEnroe split the posts with his right foot from a tight angle before TJ Fitzpatrick gathered a pass by Fionn Egan over the top of the Gaels backs, and raised a third white flag in a row for Castlerahan.

To turn momentum back the Gaels’ way, Zach Byrne played a one-two with Gritenas before sending over his fourth point of the game. Coombes Morris and Byrne combined two minutes later to set up Gritenas for his hat-trick and give the Gaels an eight point lead for the first time in the game.

Gritenas continued to wreak havoc on the Castlerahan defence as he fisted over a point ten minutes into the second half. Keeping Castlerahan pinned into the town end of Kingspan Breffni Jude Shiels delivered the final pass to Coombes Morris who finished to the net giving the Gaels a fourth score in a row and a 12-point lead.

Castlerahan continued to hunt for scores and added a Patrick McEnroe point after good approach play by Conor Caffrey and David Alabi. McEnroe knowing that goals were needed to get Castlerahan back in contention blasted a shot from 13 metres but it drifted just over the bar.

As the final quarter began the Gaels added a fifth and final goal. After a turn over in the Gaels full back line they broke at speed up the terraced side of the pitch at pace. Starting his run in the full back line Senan O’Reilly ran un-noticed the entire length of the field and was rewarded as the ball rebounded into his path as he hit the small box in the Castlerahan goals, affording him an easy finish to the net.

Byrne pointed for the fifth time before Okungbowa Elaho denied Denis Sweeney a third Castlerahan goal. In a clever tactic, Castlerahan brought keeper Sean Cusack to play out-field as any goal scored would only be worth a point and the extra body in the middle of the field began to pay off.

Patrick McEnroe drilled over a point with the outside of his right foot and McCaul added a free after McEnroe was fouled with seven minutes remaining. After Castlerahan won yet another kick-out, centre-forward McEnroe raised a green flag leaving just seven between the sides but the Gaels had the final say with a Jude Shiels point crowning off the win.

Cavan Gaels: Raphael Enoyoze Okungbowa Elaho, Dylan Farrell, Ryan McWilliams, Aaron Gaffney, Matthew Larkin, Kacper Swiatek, Jacob Moore, Oluebube Azubuike, Jude Sheils(0-1), Oisin Coombes Morris(1-0), Zach Byrne(0-5,2f), Senan O’Reilly(1-2), Justin Gritenas(3-1), Cameron McGovern, Eli Clarke

Subs used: Pablo Baptista, Max Hanley. Panel: James Finlay, Aaron Dowdall, Andzejs Urtans, Arda Ozden, Darlington McKing Olayemi, Ethan Mofati, Fortune Igbojionu, Jay Murray, Kyle Reilly, Sebastian Curtin, Fionn O’Callaghan

Castlerahan: Sean Cusack, Aaron Rooney, Ben Reilly, Ari Sasy, Patrick Cussen, Fionn Egan, James McCabe, David Alabi, Ryan Coleman, Emmet McCaul(0-3f), Patrick McEnroe(3-3), Denis Sweeney, Josh Farrelly, Connor Caffrey, Evan Clarke

Subs used: Shane Lynch, Colm Smith, TJ Fitzpatrick(0-1). Panel: Mykie Kimmins, Evan Clarke, Jamie Coleman, Patrick Flynn, Zach Reilly, Charlie Clarke, Jacob Farrelly.