Ballyhaise Abu!
December 31, 2010Satisfaction rates at underage level have been high throughout the noughties with a bevy of silverware being captured.
In 2010, the club's trophy cabinent was duly replenished by yet more star-spangled juvenile crews at under 13 and under 14 levels.
In mid-August the village of Ballyhaise was en fete as Castletara annexed the U13 Roinn A League title courtesy of a heart-stirring 7-6 to 5-0 win over Castlerahan in the county decider.
Ultimately, it was a turbo-charged final four minutes from the Castletara youngsters which separated the sides after what was a real ding-dong affair.
Reflecting on his side's hugely exciting and impressive title triumph, Eamon Brady wasn't surprised his side were forced to pull out all the stops:
"I knew in the run up to the final that we were going very well in training and in the games before hand but there was no way we were taking anything for granted in the final.
"Even though we were short a few players on the day, Castlerahan beat us in the league so it was up to us to turn the tables and we knew it wasn't going to be easy."
Indeed, a draw looked the most likely result from a long way out but with Castletara leading by just four points at the 26th minute mark, they suddenly turned up the heat to notch an unanswered 3-2 and so secure the title in brillant fashion.
The game was never less than gripping, finely balanced and see-saw in nature with a fascinating contrast in styles adding to the intrigue.
Castletara matched up their opponents' brawn with brain power and no little skill to come back from being 2-1 to 3-0 behind at the interval to go on and win convincingly.
Castletara were clever, comfortable and classy on the ball too and never ever panicked even when it seemed that Castlerahan were destined to win in classic soccer-like style.
Ryan McCrudden set the tone for the game by goaling for Castletara after barely three minutes but inside the following nine minutes, Castlerahan hit back with interest, scoring two goals inside an amazing 90 seconds.
Punch and counter-punch continued to litter proceedings on what was a perfect evening for football in Hugh O'Reilly Park, Cootehill.
Castletara's determination and sheer will-to-win was never more evident than on the restart as they worked overtime to eat into their opponents' 3-0 to 2-1 interval lead.
The maroon and whites still led by 4-0 to 2-3 when, in the 42nd minute, a cheeky, inviting chipped ball by Aodhagan Watters was palmed to the net from close range by Ryan McCrudden to put Castletara into the lead, 3-4 to 3-0, for the first time in the match.
Half-way through the half though Castlerahan were grimly holding onto a 5-0 to 3-4 lead but, crucially, the Ballyjamesduff-based side failed to score for the final 15 minutes as David Brady and co. proceeded to secure a vice-like grip on matters in the vital diamond area of the field.
The influential Brady netted in the 50th minute to ease his side into a 4-4 to 5-0 lead and from there to the finish Castletara showed a lot of class and ambition in embellishing their lead with a goal apiece from Fabian Moore (57th min) and thereafter, David Brady and Michael Brady.
"I think our win in the semi-final over Cavan Gaels gave the lads a great boost to their confidence and so they went into the final with no fear," says team-manager Brady.
"A lot of the players went to Derry for the Feile and those matches had brought them on as well.
"It was a solid, all-round, well-balanced team that got us over the line."
And their potential?
"Well, hopefully they'll stick together as a group but, at the end of the day, it's really up to them how they do from here on and how ambitious they are to keep on winning."
Castletara (U13 Roinn A final v Castlerahan):
Stephen Kane; Caolan Fitzsimons, Marcus Duffy, Adrian Moore; Killian Watters, David Brady (2-3), Declan Hennessy; Shane Rooney, Aodhagan Watters (0-1); Fabian Moore (2-1), Adam Masterson (0-1), Aaron O'Reilly; Adam Heaslip, Ryan McCrudden (2-0), Cormac Boyle.
Sub used; Michael Brady (1-0).
Just a few weeks later, Castletara's under 14s secured the Roinn B title with a 2-11 to 0-7 win over Cuchullains.
The genesis of Castletara's successful campaign can be traced back to last January when the the team's think-tank - headed by team manager John 'Scotchie' McKiernan - decided to put their charges through their paces with indoor sessions in the local community centre beginning in the second week of the month.
Preparations for the 25-strong panel included a raft of challenge games too with Roinn A teams like Laragh and Killygarry plus Mullahoran.
"We wanted to make sure that fellas who were on the fringe of the team would all get some game time," Scotchie explains.
"All told, we played something like 14 challenge games along with training twice a week so, really, we left no stone unturned."
As things panned out, Castletara's thorough preparations reaped the ultimate dividend with their county final victory over Cuchullains.
The game itself was a fine advertisement for underage football in the county with Shane Rooney's early goal helping to establish a cushioned six point lead for Castletara.
Cuchullains fought back but Castletara 'keeper Darren Smith made a fine save to keep his goal in-tact but in the follow up Cuchullains pointed.
A disallowed 'goal' by Fabien Moore halted Castletara's momentum temporarily but the would-be winners looked comfortable as they went in 1-4 to 0-2 to the good at the interval.
Castletara started the second half in determined fashion and reeled off three excellent points from Aodhagan Watters, David Brady and Cormac Boyle in the first five minutes to stretch the lead to eight.
Cuchullains hit back with two points but the decisive score of the match, however, was soon to follow when Cormac Boyle's shot on goal from distance sailed over the goalkeepers head and into the net.
Fabian Moore added another point immediately from the kick out and Castletara now held a very commanding lead ten point lead at the end of the third quarter.
The unerringly accurate Cormac Boyle stretched the lead to eleven in the forty fourth minute and Aodhagan Watters scored another fine point in the forty sixth minute.
Cuchullains scored three unanswered points thereafter but they had the word 'consolation' stamped all over them.
It was Castletara's day, leaving the massive disappointment the panel felt in losing out in the U12 final two years ago just a fading memory.
"I always reckoned we were going to win, especially when we went 11 points in front with less than 15 minutes left to play" Scotchie declares.
"We beat Cuchullains by six points in the league even though we were without two key players so I was confident going into the final that we'd do the business.
"We had beaten Cavan Gaels in the semi-final which was probably our best performance of the year and that was a good boost to the lads' confidence.
"And once the lads stuck to the plan for the final and made sure that they didn't let Cuchullains settle in the early stages, I felt we weren't going to be beaten.
"Combined with the success the lads had in the Feile in Cavan and after that in Derry, it was a great year for the under 14s."
Castletara (U14 Roinn B final v Cuchullains);
Darren Smith, Caolan Fitzsimons, Martin Conaty, Kenneth Cahill, Adam Masterson, David Brady (0-2), Marcus Duffy, Ronan McKiernan, Shane Rooney (1-1), Desmond Reilly, Aodhagan Watters (0-2), Cormac Boyle (1-2) Ryan McCrudden (0-2), Cathal Lynch (0-1), Fabien Moore (0-1). Subs used: Stephen Kane, Jamie Donohue, TJ Mitchell, Ryan Guilfoyle, Eoghan O'Neill. Tweet
