17 May 2008

Jimmy Higgins Shield Final

Castleknock Celtic  1   Howth Celtic 0

"Last Gasp Victory for Castleknock"

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A grey morning in mid-May with a cool breeze was the setting for this showdown of the Celts, those from Castleknock and those from the seaside village of Howth. It was the seasiders who had done the double over Castleknock in the league during the season, and it was as underdogs that Liam Doyle's team faced into this game that was to prove a titanic struggle for both teams from start to finish.

The game ebbed and flowed, end to end, with chances coming and going like clouds on the West coast of Ireland.  But none were converted in the regulation time, which meant that the game had to go into extra time.  The Castleknock challenge looked like it could fall short like last year. They had to withstand spells of Howth dominance, but with man of the match (if we are allowed to choose one) Jack Carolan at the heart of the defence and a superb goalkeeping performance by Charlie Murphy, there was not going to be a repeat of last season's cup final day disappointment.

Brendan Carolan,  caretaker manager for the day in the absence of Liam Doyle, inspired his troops to great efforts. Charlie Murphy took off save after save to deny the Howth talisman, their No.7 captain, who indeed brought out the best in Charlie. Simon Holmes put in a battling performance. Sean Costello was always a threat to Howth, and was unlucky with one stunning shot from outside the box. Darren Doyle went close with his effort. Captain, Graham Doyle, was introduced and made some important passes to set up opportunities for his team-mates.  Cian Galvin showed his talent with his efforts.  No one worked harder than Daniel Ferreira who gave everything he had for the cause. Davy Spillane was a constant thorn in the side of Howth, putting in important tackles at right full back.  But despite all of this, they were still level when the ref blew the whistle for the end of regulation time. 

The first period of extra time still saw no break-through, but you feared that the longer the game went on, this would be decided by a mistake or a flash of brilliance. And it was the latter that Castleknock were to  benefit from in the final act. With about 3 mins remaining, Liam O'Neill won the ball on the edge of the box, surged through the defence despite a number of tackles, and let fly into the bottom right hand corner of the net, and the Castleknock support went wild on the line.  We genuinely felt for the opposition, Howth Celtic, who had battled throughout, and were to go home trophy-less. Liam's goal is captured on camera across.

This was indeed a triumph for commitment, dedication and passion, and a burning desire not to end up on the losing team 2 years on the trot.  Well  done boys, your club are very proud of you and you richly deserve your success.  Congratulations to the management team, and in particular to Liam and Brendan, who have also shown great dedication.