Sports

TERRIFIC THIRTEENS GO OUT FIGHTING

U13 Cup
Trinity Comprehensive 2, TCS 0

TCS: Sean Keane, Christopher Billaine, Shane Jenkinson, Ross Humphries, Michael Keely, Shane Murtagh, Brendan O’ Melia (c), Adam Webster, Darren Mitten, Anthony Robinson, Barry McDonald.
Subs: Christopher Delaney, Nigel Murray, Matthew McCabe, Aaron McDonald, Keith Perry, Sean Douglas, Momin.

Football can be a cruel game at times and our U13 thirteen side learned this to their cost with their departure from the U13 Cup following a game which they dominated, but could not push home their advantage.

Indeed Ballymun’s manager was gracious enough to admit after the game that if both teams were to play ten times then Tallaght would probably win seven times out of ten. Yet the nature of Cup football is that the team that takes their chances on the day wins and this was the case with this game, as Ballymun created two chances and took both to advance to the next round of the cup, and the best of luck to them.

Yet the future of soccer is safe in the school and many of the players can be pleased with their performances. I have no doubt that many of them will excel wearing the blue jerseys of the school over the next few days.

Sean Keane from the Kilnamanagh club is a good goalkeeping prospect. A solid goalkeeper with a safe pair of hands Sean is also very comfortable with the ball at his feet and his command of the area and his distribution were excellent. He could not be faulted for either goal conceded.

Christopher Billaine at right back was simply outstanding. Strong in the tackle, extremely fast, brave and with fantastic passing ability Christopher has been one of the finds of the season, he has the potential to make the right back position his own over the next five years in TCS.

Ross Humphries comes from a family that are no strangers to providing the school with top quality footballers, as brother Gary, currently of Shamrock Rovers, was a member of last years Leinster Senior Cup winning team. Ross is probably even a more exciting prospect that Gary was at his age. From centre half Ross drove the team forward, not only being excellent in all his defensive duties, but also moving forward and driving the team on at every opportunity. His courage and determination lifted his teammates as he led by example. Ross is a top centre half on the making.
Michael Keely also comes from a line of good footballers, with both Keely’s part of the very first TCS team to win the Leinster Senior Cup in 1995. Michael gave a very composed and solid display at left back. A feature of Michael’s performance was that Ballymun’s right-winger ran at Michael every time he received the ball, but Michael has fantastic timing in his tackling and every time he emerged with the ball to drive forward from his position. Michael could become the Denis Irwin of future TCS teams.

Shane Jenkinson is a very cool customer at centre-half. Shane knows when to put his foot through the ball and clear it fifty yards up field, but he also has the skill and the knowledge to know when to bring the ball down, control it and pass it out of defence. Shane was a really good partner for Ross Humphries at the centre of TCS defence and has really impressed with his calm cool attitude both during training and games. Another player with a bright future.
Shane Murtagh had a very good game in two different positions. In the first half from his right wing position he terrorised Ballymun’s left back. Shane mixes up his play very well, sometimes he gets to the by-line to get his crosses in, at other times he holds the ball up and waits for supporting players to arrive and at other stage he drifts into the middle of the pitch looking to make things happen. His strength was a help to us when he moved to centre forward in the second half and in years to come this might be his best position.
Brendan O’ Melia tackled like a tiger in midfield, leading the team like a captain should. When Brendan wasn’t helping out in defence he was trying to get forward in support of his strikers and as the game wore on he simply started to dominate in midfield. If Brendan keeps his honest hard working attitude he will be one of the best players we have seen play for TCS.

Adam Webster was full of running and tackling beside Brendan in the centre of midfield. Adam usually plays left back for his club but it didn’t show in this game as he got stuck in for TCS in midfield, winning an awful lot of loose ball and always looking to help out team-mates in trouble.

Darren Mitten is a fast, skilful and dangerous player and he will continue to improve over the years he plays for the school. Darren has always tried his best for the school this year, playing for the U14s as well as the U13s. Darren certainly has a bright future ahead of him and he is just going to get better and better with every game he plays for TCS.

Anthony Robinson must have covered very blade of grass on the pitch. Although he was picked to play up front he frequently dropped back to help out the midfield. Anthony has a superb hard-working attitude on the pitch and he will score lots of goals for the school over the next five years. He has pace, skill and eye for goal that mark him out as a very good player.

Barry McDonald gave a display that at times showed him to be simply a ridiculously good player. It was a joy to watch him play. Barry has an outstanding first touch, trickery that really did bamboozle the Ballymun defence and has a superb eye for a pass. Barry knows when to take the ball on, when to shoot and when to lay the ball off to a team-mate. The best thing about Barry is his attitude. He is always prepared to listen to his coaches, encourage his team-mates and always gives his best, whether in training or matches.

Waiting in the wings to come into this team over the next five years are some really good players, such as Keith Perry, strong, athletic with a great right foot, Nigel Murray, tall, strong, brave, a star defender of the future, Matthew McCabe, who narrowly missed out on being picked for goalie, a really good player for the future, Sean Douglas, a late-comer to the squad, but an energetic and lively midfield player, Aaron McDonald, another exceptionally brave player and one to keep an eye on for the future, Momin, a talented and brave player who gave his all in training.

This team genuinely has the skill to go and be a very successful team for the school. The squad has a fantastic attitude. They listened carefully at the ream meeting before the game, warmed up properly before the game, encouraged each other during the match and wore the Tallaght jersey with great respect and pride. They work hard for each other and always put the team first, they will not leave the school without winning a trophy.

The planning for next years U14 team will begin after Christmas with a lunchtime indoor 5-a-side league for all first year boys. All first year boys are welcome to come along and play in the league, which will be used to scout players for next years U14 team. The league will be made of two groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group will go to the semi-finals in a Champions League-style competition.

Following the competition some friendly matches will be arranged so that next years U14 team can prepare for their league and cup matches.

The best is yet to come from these young TCS stars.