A pristine pitch at FAI HQ in Abbotstown provided the perfect setting for yesterday’s Bobby Smith Memorial Cup final which was attended by a healthy gathering of football afficianados. The teams from FAI-ETB Irishtown and Clondalkin did not disappoint and provided a highly entertaining spectacle with the Clondalkin team managed by League of Ireland legends, Harry Kenny and Jason McGuinness snatching the cup with a very late winning goal.
Irishtown started out with the wind at their backs and put early pressure on Clondalkin. Cody Mulhall was controlling the midfield with a good range of passing. Gradually, Clondalkin got a grip on the game and created chances through good play from Mark Brogan and Andrew Farrell.
Unfortunately for Irishtown, a collision with Clondalkin’s skipper,Craig Nolan left Dylan Fox with an injury and subsequently he had to go off. After half an hour, Irishtown were awarded a penalty which Cody Mulhall calmly stroked home.
Clondalkin responded well when Jordan Adeyemo latched onto the ball in the Irishtown box and poked the ball home. Clondalkin began to take control with Sean Traynor and Anthony Dolan asserting control in the middle of the Pitch. Just Before half-time, a long ball was sent over the Clondalkin defence and Dylan Behan was on hand to tap the ball home to give Irishtown a 2-1 lead at the break.
After an hour, Clondalkin made three substitutions and continued to press. Shortly after, Leon Heffernan made a well-timed and found the net with clinical efficiency. The play then began to open up with both sides making chances. Irishtown came close with a free kick which was well saved by Pierce Bregazzi. Just as it looked like going to extra time Clondalkin broke quickly in injury time and
Good play between Jordan Adeyemo and Ryan Masterson created the chance for Leon Heffernan to steal the show for the Clondalkin team who were widely acknowledged by those attending the game as worthy winners.
Winning manager Harry Kenny said:
“I thought our lads played a good game throughout despite some fierce opposition from the Irishtown lads. However, the second half saw us push on and I think we finally showed that little edge required to take the game. We were beaten in last year’s final so we were determined to make up for that. However, we left it very late to finally seal the game which is a credit to the competitiveness of the Irishtown lads but I think we just about deserved the victory in the end.”
Manager of the Irishtown team, Gerry Davis also said:
“I was happy with our team’s performance particularly despite the fact that we were missing some key players due to injury. However, the Clondalkin team fully deserved to win although conceding a goal at such a late stage makes it very hard to come back from. I enjoyed the match and look forward to contesting a bigger and better competition again next year with the addition of new teams from Dundalk and Waterford promising to provide a serious challenge.”
The FAI-ETB Player Development programme is a fantastic opportunity for young players to combine education with full time football. The programme will help every young player to achieve their best performance level. However, with 400 CAO points also available via the sports based education content of the course, it’s also a great opportunity for people to progress to third level sports degree courses. Any young players interested in participating in the new 2018-19 FAI-ETB Player Development programme can find further information and an online application form at www.fai.ie/fai-etb-courses.
The courses take place at eleven venues countrywide and are open to men and women with an interest in playing football and pursuing a sports themed education programme.