Kerry District League

Killarney Celtic , Denny Youth League Champions 2014/15

Denny Youth League Final
Sunday 26th July 2015
Killarney Celtic 3-1 St Brendans Park

Pictures and Report by Tommy Naughton
(Pictures Copyright to KDL & T.Naughton and cannot be used anywhere else without permission)

Killarney Celtic were crowned Denny Youth League champions after the defeated St Brendans Park Fc in Mounthawk Park. The old saying goes you got to take your chances to win games and that’s what the main difference between the two sides were through out the game.

St Brendans Park came out of the blocks on fire and if they had taken their chances they could have been out of sight early on . Ryan Dolan sent Gareth Hickey Brosnan through in the seventh minute but was denied by the Killarney Celtic keeper David O’Carroll who was quick of his line to save. Three minute slater Gareth Hickey Brosnan was the architect when he beat three before crossing to the back post where Dwyer Tobin missed the target from close range. Another three minutes went by before Park had another chance and again this time David O’Carroll was brave diving at the feet of Ryan Dolan to deny Park taking the lead. Killarney Celtics first chance came after fifteen minutes when after some nice passing and movement between Pearce Lyons, Fergal O’Donoghue and Lee O’Callaghan saw O’Donoghue shot saved by Gearoid Fitzgerald. The dead lock was broken after sixteen minutes when Sean Dukes chipped the ball over the top of the Celtic defence where Gareth Hickey Brosnan raced onto the ball before firing and unstoppable volley into the roof of the net.
With twenty five minutes gone in the game a major turning point happened when Ryan Dolan broke passed the Celtic defence , his low shot to the far corner was saved by David O’Carroll where they ball rolled out into the path of paddy Collins, Collins struck the ball back towards the net where O’Carroll somehow had gotten up to block the ball going in, the ball bounced towards Collins whose half volley while off balanced bounced into the surface and O’Carroll was to get up quickly to gather the ball . The ball was delivered quickly down field to Cathal O’Shea on the right wing and his pin point cross picked out William Courtney who made no mistake to level the game at one apiece .
Two minutes later and the game was turned on its head when Cathal O’Shea fired home from long range to give Killarney Celtic the lead . Both side where giving everything in a superb match and David O’Carroll was again called into action to deny Sean Dukes with half time approaching. William Courtney was denied by Fitzgerald in the Park goal after running the length of the pitch with the ball which would have surely been goal of the season had he have scored. In the final minutes of the first half Gareth Hickey Brosnan and Dwyer Tobin both missed chance to draw the Park level and these missed chances were to prove costly as in the second minute of injury time William Courtney gets to the end line before pulling the ball back into the path of Fergal O’Donoghue whose shot seemed to be going wide at the far post but for Stephen McCarthy who was alive and followed up at the back post to score and leave Killarney Celtic two goals ahead at the break

The second half never live up to the excitement of the fist half with no real chances for either teams to score . Killarney Celtic came out with a defensive approach with having a two goal lead and they were excellent in how they held this lead without letting the Park get back into the game. The first chance of the half came to Killarney Celtic when Cathal O’Shea headed wide from a William Courtney corner. Just after the hour mark Donagh O’Brien got in behind the Celtic defence but saw his shot roll wide of the far post. The Park were dominating possession but were only managing to go from side to side due to excellent and disciplined Killarney Celtic side.
Park were reduced to long range efforts were Ryan Dolan and Paddy Collins were both off target. The final chance of the game fell to Gareth Hickey Brosnan when he raced on to a ball just yards out and instead of shooting with his left leg he decided to go around the keeper to a tight angle where he rolled the ball goal wards but this gave the Oscar O’Connor time to get back and clear the ball from the line. The final whistle went shortly after to the delight of the Killarney Celtic players , management and supporters.

KDL Secretary John O’Regan presented the trophy to Killarney Celtic captain Fergal O’Donoghue and thanks both clubs for all the have done for Kerry soccer from underage up to senior level.

KDL Secreaty John O'Reag and KDL Chairman Sean O'Keefe present trophy to Fergal O'Donoghue

Killarney Celtic ; David O’Carroll, Oscar O’Connor, Eoghan Kennedy, Connall Murphy, Michael Moynihan, Fergal O’Donoghue, Pearce Lyons, William Courtney, Cathal O’Shea, Stephen McCarthy, Lee O’Callaghan . Subs ; Cian Casey for Lee O’Callaghan ( 30 mins) , Chris Keane for Eoghan Kennedy ( 81 mins) .

Killarney Celtic Fc

St Brendans Park ; Gearoid Fitzgerald, Aaron O Keefe, Tommy Lynch, Sean Kelliher, Segun Duyile, Sean Dukes, Paddy Collins, Emanuel Abubaker, Dwyer Tobin, Ryan Dolan, Gareth Hickey Brosnan. Subs ; Sean Tansley for Aaron O’Keefe ( 60 mins), Donagh O’Brien for Dwyer Tobin (60 mins), Nathan O’Leary for Tommy Lynch (86 mins) .

St Brendans Park Fc

Officials ;
Referee , Eddie O’Mahony
Assistants , Adrian O’Shea & Kevin Cunningham .

Match Officials and Club Captains