Under 13-Division 2 Football
21 Sep 2013
Naomh Mearnog 6-3 Castleknock 7-13

On the eve of the All Ireland Senior Football Final the Castleknock under 13 footballers had a crunch match of their own. A decisive away win over Naomh Mearnog last Saturday has guaranteed that the young Castleknock side will play Division One football next year.

Building on recent confident displays the lads from Somerton opened their account early with a point each from play for Eoin Sawyer and Darragh Warnock quickly followed by a long range score from Aidan Kearney

Castleknock controlled the early stages of the game and the signs were bad for the home team when Eoin Sawyer registered two goals in quick succession before the clock had reached the fifteen minute mark.

A high work rate and good decision making ensured the visitors had the lion’s share of the possession in the first half. In warm conditions Mearnog didn’t break their scoring drought untill the 18th minute with a well taken point.

The west Dublin boys were rewarded with further scores due to plenty of good quality ball sent into the Mearnog danger area. Both sides found the back of the net before half time which left the visitors in a comfortable lead of 3-7 to 1-1 at half time.

Castleknock opened the second half scoring with an early Darragh Warnock point but the real story of the second half was all about goals.

The determined Portmarnock side then scored the first of nine goals that the two sides would rack up in the second half. Despite Castleknock’s Lennon Bracken scoring two goals in two minutes the top of the table side found themselves under pressure during the second half.

Conceding four goals in this period the Castleknock lads didn’t panic. Goalkeeper Stephen Byrne kept his cool to save a penalty chance and the Castleknock boys took their own scoring chances in the second half including a goal apiece for Shane Carolan and Conor Hosford.

Mearnog put up the final scores of the game but this was too little too late and Castleknock finished on top.

With promotion now guaranteed the Castleknock boys continue their campaign to secure the top spot in Division 2.

The final score at Carrickhill: Naomh Mearnog 6-3 Castleknock 7-13

Castleknock Team: S Byrne, D Bohan, D Hewson, E Lyons, L McCann, T. Mantero, C Murphy, A Kearney, A Feely, S Carolan, D Warnock, L Bracken, E Sawyer, C Chalk, R McCann, M Byrne, C Hosford, L Gubbins, S McCormack.