Match Report: Louth U13 Division 3 League Final, St Nicholas v Baile Talún, Darver
It was a cool evening on Pitch 4 at Darver but the first-half action on the field was enough to warm the hearts of the supporters of both teams in this U13 league final. In 25 frantic minutes, the teams served up 8 goals and 7 points to raise loud cheers from both sets of fans.
The Nicks started off the stronger but couldn’t find their shooting boots initially. A few uncharacteristic wides could be put down to nerves on the big occasion. Those butterflies didn’t last long however, when Jamie Callaghan coolly slotted over the opening score. Cillian Downey quickly followed this up with a well-taken goal. The captain of the team laying down an early marker.
Baile Talún opened their own account with a point before Cillian Downey replied in kind. Luke Regan Reid floated over a sweet score before an incredible raleigh of goal-scoring unfolded. It was end to end stuff as both teams traded goals, 4 for Baile Talún and 3 for the Nicks. It seemed like every time the amalgamation side hit the back of the net, the Nicks raced down the opposite end and returned the favour. Rían Beck scored two, with one sandwiched in between from Jamie Callaghan. The half was rounded off with points from Cillian Downey and that man Callaghan to leave the scoreboard at 4-5 to 4-2 to the Drogheda side.
It is worth noting that the Nicks played with a stiff breeze in the first half and could have felt hard done by not to be further ahead. The speed of the Baile Talún counterattack and the power of some of their players was difficult to handle at times. A ferocious battle between Patrick Gates and his opponent was a feature of the half. The full back line of Jack Heeney, Laurynas Uosis and Kieran Kevitt worked hard throughout. The Nicks management made some changes at the interval, which resulted in a much meaner defense in the second half. Issac Byrne moved to full back and was a powerhouse in the role.
The second period started off much the same as the first, sustained pressure from the Nicks with Jamie Callaghan firing over the first score. Baile Talún tried hard to break through the Nicks defense but with Arnas Titiskis operating as a sweeper and Cillian Downey switched to centre-back, there was no way through. Rían Beck stepped into midfield to replace Downey and found time to add a third goal to his tally. This time his goal was sandwiched between two Jamie Callaghan rockets as the goal-fest continued. Substitutions were made with Liam Lynch and Basit Oloyede replacing Micháel Doyle and Dara Campbell, both of whom returned early from holiday to play their part.
As the half wore on, Baile Talún started to fade, while Nicks players began to flourish. Cillian Reilly stormed up the field on several occasions, Jayden Kierans covered every blade of grass on his wing, from collecting kick-outs to setting up scores. Substitute Basit Oloyede snatched a goal seconds after Cillian Downey stepped forward to point a free. In the full back line Ross Maguire was brought on, while Derek O’Rourke and Arian Houshidari slipped seamlessly into the forward line, replacing the nippy Luke Jordan and Laurynas Uosis. Goalkeeper Ben Black gave a solid display of accurate kick-outs and shot-stopping. Baile Talún worked hard for their 2 points in the second half, but their efforts fell short and in the end it was Jamie Callaghan with the final point of the game to send the Nicks players and fans into raptures. The final score 8-8 to 4-4 was reflective of the dominant Nicks display over all.
At the end, the Nicks players thanked their opponents and offered best wishes for the future to the team made up of players from Glyde Rangers, Sean McDermotts and Westerns. All of the St Nicholas players, their families and the coaches can be proud of the workrate, the discipline and the manner of the victory. Even a neutral observer would agree it was quite the show. All that was left was for Cillian Downey to raise aloft the trophy to cap off a wonderful league campaign.
St Nicholas: Ben Black, Jack Heeney, Laurynas Uosis, Kieran Kevitt, Jayden Kierans, Patrick Gates, Cillian Reilly, Jamie Callaghan (3-4), Cillian Downey (1-3), Issac Byrne, Rían Beck (3-0), Michael Doyle, Luke Jordan, Dara Campbell, Luke Regan Reid (0-1) Subs: Liam Lynch, Arnas Titiskis, Basit Oloyede (1-0), Derek O’Rourke, Arian Houshidari, Ross Maguire, Calvin Dyas.
