Semi final agony in Cork for brave Athlone under-14s

Athlone U-14s suffered a heartbreaking extra-time defeat at the hands of St Mary's of Sligo at the Division 4 semi-final stage of the Féile Peil na n"g finals in Cork last weekend. Played in balmy summer heat, there was not an ounce of effort left in each and every player after the final whistle went in Carrigtwohill on Friday night. The scoreboard read 4-8 to 4-3 but that doesn't even begin to tell the tale of a fiercely contested match. Athlone were playing their fourth match of the day whereas Sligo were playing their third and, in this game of inches, the extra rest was probably what tipped the balance in favour of the Sligo team. Athlone started the game in a very positive manner, gaining control of the crucial midfield sector, but they failed to turn their possession into scores and notched up six first-half wides. Sligo were not so profligate and notched up two points without reply. However when the reply came it was emphatic; a breaking ball in the Sligo square was pulled on by the ever alert Sean Keena and it sneaked into the corner of the net, raising a green flag for the midlanders. At half-time, Athlone trailed by two points but their start to the second half saw them take a two-point lead thanks in part to a poacher's goal from the excellent Sam Omukoro. As the St Mary's full-back attempted to clear his lines, 'Big Sam' dispossessed him and pulled first time on the ball as it fell and the onion sack bulged. However, in this ding-dong battle, back came the Sligo men with a goal of their own. A mix up in the Athlone defence left the outstanding Athlone full-back Kevin Martin facing two Sligo attackers, a situation even he could not repel and the Athlone goal was breached for the first time, following a clinical strike from the very impressive St Mary's full-forward, Nathan Rooney. St Mary's were up by a point with time all but up. As the clock ticked down, a fine flowing move saw a crossfield ball find the arms of Tadhg Prendergast and the Athlone man took aim and rifled a shot goalwards that split the uprights and tied the game up at 1-5 to 2-2. Six inches lower and the final beckoned but, having been behind with time almost up, the Athlone men were grateful for the opportunity of extra-time. Whatever nerves the Athlone supporters had left were well and truly frayed at this stage. Extra-time proved a bridge too far for the exhausted Athlone lads. Sligo were fastest out of the blocks and, thanks to two goals, were nine points clear. But to the great credit of the Athlone lads, they rallied themselves again and got the lead back to four points thanks to two goals, the first from team captain Richie Greene and the second from Kieran Rigney. At this point the momentum had swung back to the midlanders and, had they been awarded a penalty for a blatant foot-block in the box, things could have been so different. As it turned out, that was as close as the Westmeath champions got and a late point from St Mary's put five points between the teams at the end (4-8 to 4-3). At the final whistle both teams were out on their feet and it was wonderful to see the sportsmanship that both Athlone and the Sligo men showed each other. To a man, each and every player shook the hand of each opposing player and such was the appreciation for the honesty of effort shown by the teams that both sets of supporters applauded the teams back to the dressing rooms. It was a fitting end to a fantastic game of football. Great credit goes to Davy Allen, Jim Rigney and Ned O'Neill for their preparation of the team and all concerned have reason to be very proud of themselves as the manner in which the lads accepted victory and defeat makes them a credit to their families and their club. On a more serious note, a speedy recovery is wished to Athlone full-forward Patrick Munnelly, who was injured in the closing stages of Athlone's first match against Donoughmore. It was a particularly unfortunate injury as he had just put in an outstanding performance. He'll be badly missed for the upcoming county championship.  For the record, the results in the group stages of the competition were as follows: Donoughmore (Cork) 0-2 Athlone 4-8. Michael MacCraiths (Waterford) 1-3 Athlone 1-7. Canovee (Cork) 0-11 Athlone 4-4. Courcey Rovers (Cork) 0-10 Athlone 4-4. Athlone Panel Conor Devaney, Jack Ruane, Kevin Martin, Fabian Cooke, Conor Melinn, Cathal Stacey, Fionn Dowd, Sam Omukoro, Daniel Reid, Kieran Rigney, Richie Greene (capt.) Ryan Gaffey, Patrick Munnelly, Sean Keena, Tadhg Prendergast, Conal Edmundson, Michael Doolan, Robert Teape, Kevin Temple, Dylan Temple, Conor Cleary, Daniel McGlynn, Brendan Martin, Sean Dowd.