Athea GAA
Well there’s not much going on in the GAA circle these weeks – what with exams coming up for Leaving Cert and college students at the moment, matches are few and far between at present. However all teams are busy training for forthcoming games. The club wish all the best to Padraic Walsh of Lower Athea, an upcoming great player of the future, who unfortunately sustained an injury during training recently. Hopefully he will be back on the field in the not too distant future.
Tickets on Sale:
If you haven’t yet had promoters, who will be calling house to house selling the tickets for the ‘500 Draw’ they will be with you in the next short while. The club are really putting in an effort this year to sell all their tickets as the quicker the debt of €40,000 is paid off the better. If anyone out there has any more ideas on a fund raising project for the winter months the GAA would be glad of your ideas. The Lip-Sync was an outstanding success, would there be any “Strictly Dancers” in and around the parish or maybe even a ‘Country & Western’ theme with Line Dancing!
Coiste na nÓg:
Matches:
Thursday May 25:
U12s:
Athea U12s played very well at home to Rathkeale last Thursday evening. At half time the score line read Athea 1-03, Rathkeale 0-03 points and our players well deserve their lead. In the second half our boys kept up the good work, played some excellent football and we added 2-02 to Rathkeale 0-02, to record a well deserved victory. It was a great team effort, well done to both teams on a very good game of football. Panel: Donnchadh Barrett, Calum Gleeson, Timmy O’Keeffe, James Lee, James Hunt, Evan Curry, James Broderick, Callum Buckley, Rory Cleary, Rory O’Mahony, Michael Walsh, Callum O’Mahony and Tadhg Ahern.
Friday May 26: U8s:
Our U8s took part in a blitz hosted by Cappagh on Friday evening last. All the boys and girls tried their best, played some lovely football and enjoyed the experience. Thanks to Cappagh for the hospitality on the night. Panel: Mark Collins, Daniel Hunt, Patrick Healy, Amelia Nash, Tony Ambrose, Paddy O’Connor, Tom Mullane, Mark Ahern, Loren Healy and Tadhg Hunt.
Monday May 29: U14s:
The U14s played their second match of the league at home to Croom on Monday evening last. The first half of the game was very evenly contested with our boys scoring some great points and three lovely goals. We kicked a few wides, this would cost us in the second half and it was all square at the break. We got off to a great start in second half when Andrew O’Riordan scored a point from a free. But it was Croom who got the goals that counted and despite Athea’s best effort in the second half, we found scores hard to come by and it was the visitors who emerged winners at the final whistle. Team: Gearoid O’Sullivan, Cillian O’Connor, Pierce O’Brien, Callum Buckley, Dermot Pierse, Michael Tierney, Brandon Finucane, Eoin O’Shea, Andrew O’Riordan, Paraic Enright, Daire O’Shea, Michael Walsh, Fergal Pierse, Gavin Ambrose, Conor Mullane, James Lee, James Broderick, Gavin Mulvihill and Evan Curry.
We play Adare away Monday June 19. Night at 7pm in round 3. Remember if you haven’t got your gum shield you can’t play.
Fixtures for June:
U14s: Monday June 19:
Our U14s will play Adare on Monday evening June 19 in Adare at 7.15pm. Cars will be leaving the village at 6pm. Gum shields are compulsory. All support would be greatly appreciated.
U10s: Friday/Saturday June 23/24:
We will be travelling to Coolcappa for an U10s blitz on Friday/Saturday June 23/24. More details will follow closer to the time. Gum shields are compulsory
U8s: Friday June 30:
We will be hosting an U8s blitz on Friday June 30. More details will follow closer to the time. Gum shields are compulsory.
Training:
A text will be sent out to all parents regarding the training times for all age groups for this week.
Exams:
We would like to wish all our players who are doing exams in the coming weeks, the very best of luck.
Athea Utd AFC
Premier Division (Sun, May 28th)
Athea Utd (0) 1 Darren Murphy
Rathkeale (3) 4
We rounded off our season with a home game at The Vales last Sunday morning against title chasing Rathkeale. Despite having nothing to play for in terms of survival, which was secured the previous weekend we still had a strong enough side out. On a beautiful day for football and on a fine surface it was Rathkeale who made the early running but were finding it difficult to break down a resolute and hard working Athea defence where Tierney, and Mulvihill were excelling. They opened the scoring on twenty one minutes with a fine strike that found the top corner. The next twenty minutes or so were pretty even as we enjoyed some decent possession but didn’t transfer this into clear cut goal scoring opportunities. The five minutes before half time saw Rathkeale take a strangle hold on the game when they scored twice. The first came when a cross from their right was over hit but their left winger kept the ball in near the corner flag and he crossed for their striker to head to the net via the right hand post. A minute to the interval a low cross from the right picked out their striker to poke the ball inside the left post after he had ghosted in behind our defence. Half time 3-0 to the visitors.
We introduced Joe Vaughan and Ronan Hayes at the start of the second half for Shane Mulvihill and Kevin Murphy. The half had a similar trend to the first with Rathkeale again carrying the greater threat but having said that they didn’t really trouble our goals very often. We had a great chance to get on the score sheet when Cillian O’Connor got on to a through ball from Ger Ahern only for the keeper to come off his line quickly to save his shot at the edge of the area and from the rebound he shot inches wide of the left post. We did get on the score board, and deservedly so, when Ahern dinked a great ball over the centre half for Darren Murphy to run on to and from an acute angle the striker squeezed the ball inside the left post. Rathkeale completed the scoring five minutes from time and in so doing clinched the league title in the process.
Team: Pa Ahern, Cillian O’Connor, Mathew Tierney, Shane Mulvihill, Padraig Reidy, Kevin Murphy, Ger Collins, Gerard Ahern, Jamie Collins, Sean Ryan, Darren Murphy. Subs Joe Vaughan, Ronan Hayes, Mark Reidy. Referee Paul O’Brien.
AWARDS NIGHT
Athea Utd will holds its Annual Awards Night on Friday night June 23rd at The Top of the Town. Time 9.30pm. All are welcome to attend.
AGM
Athea Utd will holds its Annual General Meeting on Saturday, June 24th at The Top of the Town. Time 8.30pm. All are welcome to attend
FAI SOCCER CAMP 2017
Athea Utd are delighted to announce that we will again be running a SportsDirect.com FAI Soccer Camp this year. The camp will take place at The Vales from Monday, July 24th to Friday, July 28th and is open to boys and girls of all abilities from 6-14 years of age.
ATHEA UTD LOTTERY RESULTS FOR MONDAY, MAY 29th
The results of our weekly lottery draw for Monday, May 29th are as follows –
Jackpot was €6,400. Numbers drawn 4, 11, 21, 27.
No Jackpot Winner.
Lucky dips to the following – Brandon Finucane, Athea. Betty Walsh, Listowel. Joan Buckley, Kilcolman. Brendan Sexton, Knockanure. Noel & Paddy, c/o Paudie.
Sellers Pat Hayes & Margaret Reidy.
New Jackpot €6,500 at White’s Bar on Monday, June 5th