SFAI National Irish Bank

U-12 Norton National Cup, 1^st Round 

Ardee Celtic 1  Castleknock Celtic 1

Castleknock win 3-2 on penalties (aet) 

Summer arrived at last for Castleknock’s trip to Ardee in the first round of the National Cup. As usual ,we all travelled together ,by bus, which always helps with team spirit and bonding. There are no ego trippers on this team. We went down the Old Bog Road in Ardee and were dubious what we would find. The pitch was the best we will probably ever see and some of us have been in Barcelona.! It was in immaculate condition and had a surface like a billiard table. We were warmly welcomed and offered  the facilities of their new clubhouse. The whole place is a credit to the club.  

The coaches quickly got to work and geared the team up for the match. Castleknock dominated the first fifteen minutes but the final ball just did not seem to run for us. Eventually the breakthrough came when David Costello hit a speculative shot in on the ‘keeper .The ball slipped under his body and Ian Watkins pounced on it and tipped it over the line. This was the goalkeepers’ only slip up as he was excellent throughout the game.1nil Castleknock. Ardee upped the ante and were rewarded 10 minutes later with an equaliser. During this  period, the Celtic defence was tested to the limit and did well to keep the score even Steven ‘ til half-time. 

The second half was probably shaded by the visitors but both goalkeepers earned their corn with fine saves. Celtic supporters were certain they had a goal when David Costellp hit in a free to the top corner, but the Ardee keeper somehow got his fingers to it to stop a certain goal. The pace was frenetic and the Castleknock defence held firm with Barry Linnane,  Eve Farrelly, Keith Farrell clearing their lines, It was one of Eve’s best performances in the past year. The heat was intense and players were flagging .The excellent referee blew for full time and it went into extra-time. The final result was still stalemate and then, we had to face the dreaded scenario of a Penalty shootout. Hero of the day was Celtic keeper, Kevin McGovern, who dived bravely to save two penalties and send Castleknock through to the next round. 

The home team supplied tea, coffee and soup and were very gracious in defeat.We completed the day with a visit to McDonalds in Ashbourne to send everyone home happy. 

Team : Kevin McGovern, Nicky Kelly, Barry Linnane, Keith Farrell, Eve Farrelly, Evan Kennelly, Jack Kennedy, Ronan McCabe, David Costello,Ian Watkins, Eoin Newman,Senan Warnock, James Carolan 

Management team :Brian Kennedy, Brian Farrell, Vinny Newman 

Sponsor : Manhattan