St. Colmcille’s suffered a narrow 1-7 to 1-4 defeat to Nemo Rangers in the Rebel Óg Under 14 Premier 1 Football League in White’s Cross on Monday evening.
In a closely fought and low-scoring encounter, the decisive spell came early in the first half when Nemo hit 1-03 between the sixth and ninth minutes. The goal was a particularly fortunate effort, coming from a seemingly impossible angle out near the sideline, but it gave the visitors a valuable advantage in a game where scores were at a premium.
St. Colmcille’s gradually settled and began to work their way back into the contest. Patrick Ahern struck two points from play before Corey Forde added another, and the home side were rewarded for their persistence when Ben Cashman found the net in the 24th minute. That score brought Colmcille’s right back into contention and they went into the break just two points behind, 1-03 to 1-05.
Colmcille’s had the better of the possession for long periods after the restart and were clearly intent on overturning the deficit. However, despite having plenty of the ball, they struggled to turn that possession into scores. A number of promising attacks broke down through turnovers, while some poor shooting also denied the home side the opportunity to draw level.
Ben Cashman did manage to reduce the deficit to a single point with an early second-half score, but Nemo remained disciplined and defended their lead. They eventually added two further points late in the game to put three points between the sides.
There was still plenty of endeavour from Colmcille’s, with Harry Varley and Padraig Tattan among those making important turnovers, while the substitutes also made valuable contributions as the game progressed.
The final margin of three points was frustrating for St. Colmcille’s, particularly given the amount of possession they enjoyed in the second half. On another evening, better use of that possession and greater accuracy in front of goal could easily have produced a different result.
Nemo Rangers, however, deserve credit for taking their chances in what was ultimately a very tight contest. Their early burst proved crucial, and with so few scores registered by either side, that 1-3 spell ultimately made the difference.
St Colmcille’s
1 – Jack Smith
2 – Bradley Roche
3 – Ruairi Harte
4 – Padraig Tattan
5 – George O’Connell
6 – Harry Varley
7 – Danny Twomey
8 – Corey Forde (0-01)
9 – Ayo Osunboyde
10 – Ross O’Donovan
11 – Patrick Ahern (0-02)
12 – Oscar O’Connell
13 – Rory Aherne
14 – Ben Cashman (1-01)
15 – Charlie Cox
SUBS USED: Sean Docherty, Cian Ramsell, Ronan Glavey, Jack Foley, Kyle Conway
Nemo Rangers
1 – Scott Healy
2 – Ruairi McGauran
3 – Joshua Boyd Osubor
4 – Sean Desmond
5 – Ronán Campbell
6 – Seth Coughlan
7 – Oisin Cripps
8 – Aidan Courtney
9 – James Cronin (1-00)
10 – Arron Kelleher
11 – Bobby Steward (0-05)
12 – Zac Santry
13 – Adam Forde
14 – Seán Russell (0-02)
15 – Micheál O’Riordan
SUBS
James Hennerty, John Motherway, Alistair O’Connell