Athea United Soccer
MAGICAL MURPHY WINS US LEAGUE CUP
DIVISION 1 LEAGUE CUP FINAL (Fri, May 20th)
Athea Utd B (0) 2 Kevin Murphy 47 and 50 mins
Feenagh (0) 0
We travelled to ‘Glantine last Friday evening to play Feenagh in the division one league cup final and it’s fair to say that it hasn’t being the best of venues for us to get a result in league games. However that all changed this time when we deservedly won the division one league cup at the third time of asking having lost our previous two finals but only after a nervy opening twenty five minutes or so.
We started slowly with Feenagh putting us under pressure but we almost took the lead on five minutes when Shane Mulvihill saw his well struck free kick tipped over by the keeper. On nineteen minutes top scorer Darren Murphy almost added to his goal tally when Joe Vaughan and Gerard Ahern linked well in midfield before Ahern pulled the ball back to Murphy who brought a brilliant save from the keeper. Ahern, buoyed by his first goals of the season against Abbeyfeale Utd B the previous Sunday was starting to create openings for his team mates and he player a sweet ball over the top to Darren Murphy whose goal bound shot was blocked by a defender. Just before half time Maurice Hayes had a shot cleared off the line after a one two with Ahern.
Feenagh too had their chances in that first half and we were lucky when one free kick wasn’t dealt with by us and the ball dropped to a forward whose shot hit the post and rebounded into keeper Pa Ahern’s hands. Soon after they fired badly wide after a good through ball opened up our defence. Half time 0-0.
It was in the 47th minute that Murphy broke the deadlock with a brilliant individual goal, cutting in from the right before rocketing unstoppably into the top left-hand corner from an angled 16 yards.
Three minutes later the game was effectively decided when Feenagh had a shot cleared off the line and we broke upfield with Joe Vaughan picking out Darren Murphy whose shot was blocked on the line but rebounded to his brother, Kevin, who rifled low to the back of the net from the edge of the area. Now was the time to defend and this we did with Shane Mulvihill outstanding as were Michael Reidy, Mathew Tierney and Padraig Reidy.
In the eighty minute Kevin Murphy started off the move that almost produced the perfect team goal, passing to right-back Micheal Reidy, who passed to Ger Collins and overlapped for the return before crossing to the far post where Darren Murphy just failed to connect with a diving header. What a goal that would have been but we still saw the goal of the season from Kevin at the start of the second half.
Man of the Match: Kevin Murphy (Athea United)
Team: Pa Ahern, Mike Reidy, Mathew Tierney, Shane Mulvihill, Padraig Reidy, Mark Horgan, Maurice Hayes, Gerarf Ahern (capt), Joe Vaughan, Kevin Murphy, Darren Murphy. Sub used Ger Collins. Also Pa Kiely, Dylan Griffin, Tom Collins, Steven McEnery, Peter O’Connor, Dan McMahon, Mark O’Connor. Referee Pat O’Donnell.
Referees Assistants Jim Molyneaux, Paul O’Brien
U16 Cup Q/5 (Wed, May 18th)
Creeves Cel (1) 1 Athea Utd (1) 2 John Sexton, Cathal Brosnan, Jason Dillon
We were away to division one side Creeves Celtic last Wednesday night in the quarter finals pf the cup and we came away with a surprising but well deserved win. John Sexton opened the scoring for us with a free kick with the home side equalizing soon afterwards. By half time we were back in front with a superb effort from Cathal Brosnan. Creeves came into it more in the second half but we were determined to hold what we had with our back four defending stoutly. We stretched out lead with Jason Dillon finishing well and this gave us the cushion to see out the game. Next up is a semi final away to Newcastle West or Ballingarry.
Team: David O’Sullivan, Liam Henderson, Mark Brosnan, Seamus Leahy, Michael Dalton, John Sexton, Micah O’Connell, Ryan O’Connell, Cathal Brosnan, Andy Ahern, Jason Dillon. Subs Cathal O’Brien.
Referee Paul O’Brien.
FIXTURES
Thursday, May 26th
U14s home to Newcastle West B at 7pm
Sunday, May 29th
Juniors away to Breska Rovers at 2.30pm
PLAYER OF THE YEAR FOR KEVIN & JAMES
Last Tuesday night in Rathkeale House Hotel Kevin Murphy was presented with the Desmond League Division 1 player of the year and James Ryan was presented with the Desmond League Youths Division 2 player of the year. Well done boys.
SUMMER SOCCER SCHOOLS 2016
Athea Utd are delighted to announce that we will be running a SportsDirect.com FAI Summer Soccer School camp this year. The camp will take place between Monday, July 25th and Friday, July 29th and is open to boys and girls of all abilities from 6-14 years of age.
This is a great opportunity for your child to develop their football skills, whilst making friends and having fun in the process. Entry to our camp costs €65 per child with a special sibling discount of €10 per child if one or more siblings join the same camp.
An exclusive FAI Summer Soccer School kit, football, and backpack is provided for all children who enrol on our camp this year.
Only a limited number of places are available at our camp this year so we urge people to book as soon as possible to avoid missing out.
To find out more, or book your child’s place at our club visitwww.summersoccerschools.ie
All coaches will be Garda vetted as per FAI policy.
WELL DONE
Congratulations to the Limerick Desmond U15 Boys who won the All Ireland Inter League Final last Sunday when they beat the favourites North Dublin 3-2. Well done to all involved.
ATHEA UTD LOTTERY RESULTS FOR MONDAY, MAY 23rd
The results of our weekly lottery draw for Monday, May 23rd are as follows –
Jackpot was €5,300. Numbers drawn 11, 12, 21, 27.
No Jackpot Winner.
Lucky dips to the following – Dermie Moynihan, Rathkeale. Willie McAuliffe, NCW. Eithne Scannell, Listowel. Agatha Barrett, Athea. Donie Sheehan, Ardagh
Sellers Agatha & Top of the Town
New Jackpot €5,400 at JP’s on Monday, May 30th
Athea GAA
Club Draw 2016:
Our Club Draw for 2016 has got underway. This draw is a major source of funding for us and this year we are hoping you can continue to support us. This year we have added more prizes including an opportunity to buy the ticket by direct debit. There will be a direct debit prize of 200 euro. There are eight draws again this year, with an increased prize fund of €12,000 to be won. Your support would be greatly appreciated as all monies raised will help fund the ongoing development of our pitch. Please contact Mairead Donovan on 087-7703673, if you have any queries. Our prizes this year is as follows:
€1000 fully paid up member’s prize
€200 Direct Debit member’s prize
Monthly Prize Money:
1st €500, 2nd €150, 3rd €150, 4th €100, 5th €100, 6th €100, 7th €100, 8th €100. Sellers Prize €50.
Matches:
West Junior B Championship:
Sunday May 22:
Athea 0-05 Mountcollins 1-13:
Our Junior Bs made the short journey to Abbeyfeale on Sunday evening last to take on Mountcollins in the first round of the West Junior B Championship. This was a game we failed to get going in and a lot of missed opportunities in the first half left us five points adrift at the break. We improved after half time and narrowed the gap to two points after Jack Denihan and Mark O’Connor both scored impressive points from play. Mountcollins then hit a purple patch and scored a goal and four points without reply to put the game beyond Athea’s reach. We continued to try hard and had further points from Jason Kelly, Mark O’Connor and Jack Denihan, but the final score read Athea 0-05 Mountcollins 1-13. Team: Kieran Harnett, Thomas Brosnan, Jonathan Mulvihill, Jason Dalton, Paul Mahony, Mark O’Connor, Eoin McCarthy, Jason Kelly, Brian O’Connor, Colm Hassett, Pa Kiely, Neilo Keane, Dan McMahon, Emmet White, Jack Denihan. Subs: Tony McAuliffe.
Fixtures:
County Football League Division 2:
Friday May 27:
Our Intermediates will play St. Senans in the County Football League this Friday evening May 27 in Foynes at 7pm. All support would be greatly appreciated.
Pitch Update:
With this good spell of weather the grass on the new pitch is thickening. Also the upper area was seeded three weeks ago. The grass is starting to come up. We do have a problem with the number of stones in this area so we will need to organize a Meitheal over the coming fortnight to get as many stones as possible picked and removed from the upper area. If any of you who walk around the track want to wander onto the new upper area and pick a few stones then you are more than welcome as “Many hands make light work”. This upper area will give us additional space to train on as by now the lower area is showing signs of distress. Work will start later this week on the section on front of the stand where we will be putting in ducting and constructing a new footpath over the coming weeks. We will put in a seat area at the top area in the next two months for those who want to sit down and enjoy the setting.
Athea Coiste na nÓg:
Medal Presentation:
We held our U16 medal presentation in Con Colbert hall recently. There was a large crowd of parents, players and Club members in attendance as inter county player Peter Nash presented our U16 team with their medals which they won last year after beating Ahane in the final. Peter gave a great speech about his playing days when he was younger and gave some great advice to all our young footballers. Peter also presented our team managers and selectors with a token of appreciation for their hard work and dedication with the team throughout the year. Senior Club Chairman Paul Curry presented brothers James and Sean Ryan with a plaque each in recognition of them both being members of the Limerick County minor football team. We would like to thank our M.C. for the night John Hunt who did a fantastic job, Declan O’ Carroll who provided the music and Coleen and Matt for the delicious food. Finally a special word of thanks to Peter Nash who travelled on the night and we wish him and the Limerick Senior Footballers the very best of luck as they play Clare in the first round of the Munster Senior Football Championship in the Gaelic grounds this Sunday.
Sponsored 5K Solo /Walk/Run & Bake Sale:
Our new date for our 5k solo/walk/run and bake sale will take place on Sunday June 19 after mass at 12 noon. More details to follow in the coming weeks.
Donkey Derby:
We will be holding a Donkey Derby in the Top of the Town bar on Saturday night June 4. All funds raised will go towards our Féile costs. MC will be John Hunt and it promises to be a great night of fun and craic. Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Matches:
Tuesday May 17: U12s:
Athea 3-04 Dromcollogher/Broadford 4-05
Our u12s played their second game away to Dromcollogher/Broadford on Tuesday evening last. This was a great game of football with the play up and down the field for the entire match. The first half was very close and at half-time the score read Athea 3-0 Dromcollogher/Broadford 2-03. The second half was also very close with both sides playing great football but at the final whistle the score read Athea 3-04 Dromcollogher/Broadford 4-05. Well done to both teams. Team: Donnchadh Barrett, Calum Gleeson, Shauna Sweeny, Gearoid O’Sullivan, Evan Curry, James Broderick, Daire O’Shea, Callum Buckley, Conor Mullane, Lorcan Greaney, James Lee, Rory O’Mahony, Cillian O’Connor, Fergal Pierce & Michael Walsh.
Fixtures:
U14:Wednesday May 25:
Our U14s will play Patrickswell this Wednesday evening May 25 in Patrickswell. Cars leaving the village at 5.45pm. Gumshields are compulsory. All support would be greatly appreciated.
U12:Thursday May 26:
Our U12s will play Askeaton/Ballysteen this Thursday evening May 26 in Askeaton. Cars leaving the village at 6pm. Gumshields are compulsory. All support would be greatly appreciated.
Friday/Saturday June 3/4:
Our U10s have a football blitz the weekend of June 3/4 which is being hosted by Rathkeale in the Bog Garden. Date and time to be confirmed by text.
Training:
Friday May 27:U6:
Coaching for U6s takes place this Friday evening May 27 from 6pm to 6.45pm. Gum shields are compulsory.
U8:
Coaching for U8s takes place this Friday evening May 27 from 6.45pm to 7.30pm. Gum shields are compulsory.
Sunday May 29:U10:
Coaching for U10s takes place this Sunday Morning May 29 from 12.15pm to 1.15pm. Gum shields are compulsory.
Féile Peil Na nÓg 2016:
Athea Coiste na nÓg are delighted to announce that we will be taking part and will also be a host club in this year’s National Féile Football Competition (U14) which will take place on June 24- 26. Féile will be the biggest youth sporting event in Europe in 2016 and will take place in South West Munster with clubs from West Limerick, Kerry and North Cork hosting visiting teams. Our visiting club is Warwickshire and they will bring twenty players who will stay with host families in our Parish for the weekend. This is a great opportunity for our U14 team to take part in a National Football competition and it also gives all involved the chance to make new friends with players from clubs outside Limerick. For further Féile information please check out GAA Féile on Face book or follow @ Féilegaa on Twitter. If anyone knows of any accommodation available in the parish and surrounding area that weekend for the families of the visiting team please contact Jacqueline at 086-0670091.
Cúl Camp:
We will be hosting our annual Cúl camp from Monday July 11 to Friday July 15. For any further information please contact Jacqueline at 086-0670091. More details to follow.
Athea Fishing Club
Fishing permits are now on sale in the following outlets in Athea village; Batt’s Bar, Brouder’s Shop and Collins’ Bar. Adults-€20 Family-€25 Juveniles-€15 Day permits-€10.
Anglers please remember you need an up to date permit to fish for trout in the River Galey
No Permit – No Insurance
All anglers will be asked to produce a permit when approached by members of the Fishing Club committee. Please adhere to the Club Rules at all times.
Our next meeting will be held in Collins’ Bar on Friday night, June 3rd at 9.30pm.
Follow all our actions on Athea Fishing Club Facebook Page.