Information on Girl’s football

18’s Denied At The End In Leinster Youth Cup Final

Hard luck tonight to our under 18 premier side who were denied victory in the final of the Leinster Youth Cup when having taken the lead through Luke Dowling Gavigan in the first period of extra time they were caught by a Crumlin United equaliser in the sixth minute of injury time in the second period of extra time despite the referee indicating that only three minutes were to be added and that there were no further stoppages after the fourth official held up the board with three on it.

Credit to Crumlin United they took full advantage of their unlikely reprieve by making no mistake in the penalty shoot-out.

A shame that such a big occasion and good game was spoiled by such downright poor officiating.

Congratulations to Evan Donnelly who received a very deserved man of the match award.

6 Tight Cup Finals Over The Weekend – 3 Wins

Congratulations to all of our teams in action over the weekend in the DDSL Cup finals in the AUL Complex.

The second day of the finals saw our teams score plenty of goals but unfortunately come away with only one win out of the three ties involved.

The first final of the day was an extraordinary one.

League form went out the window in the O’Neills Cup final as Glebe North raced into a three goal lead in the first fifteen minutes and maintained that advantage until half time. Within ten minutes of the restart it was 3-3 and Keith Dawsons team took the lead for the first time with ten minutes remaining only for Glebe North to equalise and take the game to extra time. Just when it seemed that penalties would decide the issue the winner came with five minutes of extra time remaining, and they held on despite being reduced to ten men and the referee finding seven minutes of injury time to play.

Our under 12’s looked to be on the way to success in the Herald Cup final when leading 2-0 – Jacob McDonagh scoring both -into the second half but two quick Shamrock Rovers goals – one the result of a dubious penalty – saw them loose the initiative and the further concession of a hotly disputed goal ended the contest.

A high scoring under 18 Ferrari Cup final saw us come out on the wrong side of a 6-4 defeat to Cherry Orchard. Tosh McCarthys side will hope for better luck on Thursday night next when they play Crumlin United in the final of the Leinster Youths Cup at 8pm in Stella Maris FC Richmond Road.

Yesterday brought the joy and the glory of our under 11’s and under 13’s winning the Condren and Brady Cups respectively along with the heartache of an extra time defeat for our under 15’s in the Premier Cup final.

Blessed with glorious weather the well organised event attracted huge crowds throughout the day.

All three finals were extremely close run affairs with two going to extra time and one to penalties.

The 11’s had the clearest victory  – 3-1 over St Josephs Boys in the Condren Cup – the goals from Faith Dawson (2) and James Donoghue.

Our 15’s had most of the play and chances in the Premier Cup final but fell to the only goal in extra time to Malahide United.

The main drama was reserved for the Liam Brady Cup final when our 13’s equalised in the dying minutes of normal time (Conor Doyle) to bring the tie to extra time and then repeated the feat at the death in extra time (Symon Glownia) to take the game to penalties which was settled by Ben Nicholls to give SKFC victory 4-3 on penalties.

Thanks and well done to all of our players and staff in the six finals and to all of the parents and club supporters who turned out on both days.

A special word of thanks to Club PRO Neil Fox who produced some memorable photos over the two days that no doubt will be looked back on fondly in years to come.

 

Also this weekend our 12 premier team are acquitting themselves well in a high quality tournament at Stevenage FC winning three of their six games played so far.

St Kevins Football Club Trials For Season 2023/2024

SKFC will be holding open trials for players during the first two weeks of July at St Aidans all weather facility Collins Avenue, Dublin 9.

There will be trials for both boys and girls teams for the coming season.

Details of trials for various age groups will be advertised here and on our social media platforms.

18’s Reach Second Final Tonight

Last night at St. Aidans our under 18 DDSL premier team reached their second final of the season when they came from behind to defeat Ardmore Rovers 3-2 in the semi-final of the Leinster Youths Cup.

Having already reached the final of the DDSL Ferrari Cup which will be played on Sunday week May 28th in the AUL Complex, they will now face Crumlin United DDSL 17 premier team in the LYC final on Thursday June 1st at 8pm in Stella Maris ground Richmond Road where they will be hoping to make it a double.

Well done to Tosh, Wayne, Stephen and all the players.

Nine Finals Reached By SKFC Teams

Our under 14 premier Sunday side became the latest SKFC team to reach a cup final this season when they came from behind last night to defeat a much fancied Cabinteely FC side 2-1 in the semi-final of the DDSL O’Neills Cup with goals from Sam Young and Zach Holmes.

They meet Glebe North in the final later this month.

 

The current up to date list of cup finals involving St Kevin’s Football Club teams are;

Under 11 A Saturday DDSL Condren Cup v St Josephs Boys

Under 12 Saturday Premier SFAI National Cup v Shamrock Rovers, May 13th 2pm, Wayside Celtic FC

Under 12 Sunday 2 DDSL Herald Cup v Cherry Orchard or Shamrock Rovers

Under 13 Saturday Premier DDSL Liam Brady Cup v Shamrock Rovers or Belvedere

Under 14 Sunday 1 DDSL O’Neills Cup v Glebe North

Under 15 Saturday Premier DDSL Premier Cup v Leicester Celtic/Malahide United/Home Farm

Under 17 Sunday Premier FAI National Cup v Cherry Orchard, May 6th Richmond Park, Inchicore

Under 18 Sunday Premier DDSL Ferrari Cup v Cherry Orchard

Under 18 Sunday Premier Leinster Youths Cup v Crumlin United  TBC

10’s Enjoy A Successful Trip To Liverpool

Our Under 10a team enjoyed a very successful trip to Liverpool last weekend.
Their first stop on a busy day was Hope University for lunch, and then onto Simpsons all weather facility for a session with UEFA qualified coaches from the Liverpool Academy.
After the session they made the bus trip to play Blackburn Rovers at their Brockhall Academy ground deep in the Lancashire countryside.

The team really played well and ended up winning the game while playing some great football.

After that it was back on the bus, back to their base in Woolton where they stayed for the weekend. Pizza was delivered and after a few games of pool, it was off to bed after a long day.
Day 2 began with an early for breakfast, and then off to the Liverpool academy ground – even for the non Liverpool supporters – one had to admire the facility.
The lads played Liverpool under 10’s in 2 5v5 games, played over 35 mins, where the action never stopped. They played four games and ended up winning and drawing on one pitch and the other two narrow losses, but it was a great experience for the lads.
After the game there was a yoga session, which some of the lads enjoyed.
Next stop was Anfield, and a visit to the mega store and then the Anfield tour.
After another long day they headed to a local carvery for dinner, and then back to HQ for a FIFA tournament on the xbox.
The third and final day of the trip began with breakfast before heading to the Cardinal Keenan High School(Stephen Gerrard’s old school) for a session with a UEFA Coach from Everton.
Back to HQ, where it was time to pack and get ready for our last game against Woolton MSB Germany on the Simpson All Weather pitch. The match ended up 2-2 draw and straight after it was onto Liverpool airport for the trip home.
A very enjoyable weekend for the lads and one they will not forget.
The SKFC squad;
1. Finn Gannon
2. Finn Collins
3. David Canning
4. Bem Kelly
5. Cole Fitzgerald
6. Oli Szall
7. Kai Henshaw
8. Logan Blanche
9. Patrick Howlett
10. Dylan Donnelly
11. Killian Martin
12. Tom Hand
Along with the management group of Luke Doyle, Karl Lambe and Ger Losty.

Under 12’s Loose Out In Cup Final. 14’s Win League Title

Shamrock Rovers gained some revenge for previous cup final defeats at the hands of SKFC when they deservedly defeated our under 12’s 4-0 in the final of the SFAI National Cup at Jackson Park this afternoon.

A 2-0 win away to Arklow Town was enough to give our under 14A1 team their second league title in two years – a great achievement for Aidan Fitzpatrick Darren Herbert and their squad of talented players.

Under 17’s Narrow Loss In FAI Cup Final

SKFC lost out narrowly in the final of the FAI under 17 cup as Evan Matthew’s solitary goal early in the second-half made all the difference and despite a late rally from Kevin’s, the Orchard held firm to claim the victory.

 

In the opening stages, Matthews had a dangerous free-kick into the Kevin’s area that was well held by Fennelly in the Saint’s goal and from the ensuing counter-attack, a McDermott pass into the Cherry Orchard goal area was cleared excellently by its defence.

 

Matthews was to have another sight on goal as he latched onto a pass from the byline but his effort went wide of the post. Ayoola looked as if he was through for a one-on-one with Fennelly only for a last-ditch tackle to avert the danger.

 

The best chance of the first-half fell to Cherry Orchard as O’Dowd latched onto a cross from Mahon and with the ball initially evading Ayoola, O’Dowd struck it first time at the near post with his effort just whistling past the post.

 

St. Kevin’s were also to come close to opening the scoring as a great combination of passing from Hearns and Dunne set the ball into the path of the unmarked McDermott with his effort well saved by the feet of Boland.

 

He was to have another sight on goal this time with a more direct effort but his shot went inches past the post. Cherry Orchard nearly got the second half off to a perfect start as a cross from the right from Doherty was met by O’Dowd but his effort at the near post was well saved by Fennelly.

 

They were to open the scoring moments later as Ayoola’s cross to the back-post was met by Kian Matthews and despite close attention, he was able to scramble it home from a tight angle.

 

Both sides continued to press but neither side could add to the scoreline with Kevins pressing high looking to beat Cherry Orchards’ high defensive line. McGee tried to catch Boland off guard with a long-range effort but his shot was well saved by the Orchard netminder.

 

Kevins had a chance in the 90th minute to level the tie as a corner sent fell into the path of Hearns at the back post but his effort struck the side netting. This was followed up by an attempt by Dunne after he latched onto a cross in the Orchard area but his half volley was always rising and went over the bar as Cherry Orchard held firm defensively in the final moments to claim the victory.

 

Cherry Orchard: Boland (GK), Doherty (McInerney 56), Mahon, Okagube, Cronin, Matthews (Ighodaro 51), Crawley, Ayoola (Reel, 66), O’Dowd, Byrne (Dalton 90), Phillips.

Subs not used: Umeh, Butler.

 

St. Kevins: Fennelly, O’Connor, Curran (Olafimiham 72), O’Connell, Olusaya, McGee, McDermott (Allen 62), Segoapa (Cheung 85), Hearns, Dunne, Cummins.

Subs not used: Fagan, Onome.

12’s Into SFAI Cup Final

Our under 12 Saturday premier team today became the second team from the club to qualify for a national cup final when they overcame Aishling Annacotty before a large crowd in Annacotty this afternoon.

Goals from Donal O’Hanlon and Patrick Toth ensured that they qualified for next months final and maintaining our great record in this competition – we will be contesting our seventh consecutive under 12 SFAI Cup final when they face Shamrock Rovers on the weekend of May 13 / 14th at a venue to be decided.

The FAI under 17 cup final takes place the previous Saturday – May 6th – against Cherry Orchard in Richmond Park at 2pm.

SKFC Teams Enjoy Easter Trips

Our U14 DDSL Premier travelled to Blackpool to play Academy sides from Blackpool, Fleetwood and TNS from Wales.

They stayed in Blackpool with games taking place in Blackpool’s Academy ground which is in Myerscough College near Preston.

The team got to visit the famous pier in Blackpool the day before the games.

As a large core of our U14 Premier group are the year younger and capable of playing U13 in England, we added 4 Players from Paddy Moran’s St.Kevins u15 Premier side, who are capable of playing u14 in England.

They played Fleetwood Town in the first game and drew 0-0

Second Game beaten 3-1 by Blackpool Academy

Third Game beaten 2-0 by TNS

Final game beaten 2-0 by Fleetwood

Overall it was excellent learning and an eye opener to a lot of the lads on what is required to play academy football in the U.K. It was the first trip to the U.K for nearly every player, so hopefully it lights a rocket under them.

Natan Banka was outstanding in every game, and didn’t look out of his depth at all. He is developing really well and could really kick on.

For the most part in the games the size and power of the opposition was too much to contend with, especially for our late birthdays, but the lads gave a great account of themselves and behaved extremely well.

 

In the East Mallorca Cup our U13 Premier played local Spanish side Porto cristo in the first game they won 6 nil.  Ashley Okeowo got man of the match.

They played a well organised Estonian side FC Ararrat which we had most of the possession but couldn’t find the back of the net. Lads were very good across the park in that game. Midifeld trio of Max Dunne Sam Young and Eoin Fitzpatrick were stand outs. They lost that game 2-0.

In the next game they played a local Spanish side in Arta FC winning 8 nil and Owen Walker coming out with man of the match. Great performances from Mason Slevin, Josh Finnegan Ethan O’Connor and Syzmon Glownia ensuring the final game against la Liga locals RCD Mallorca was to be the highlight of the trip.

This game was played with high intensity and a  skill set which was worthy of some of the best Kevin’s sides over the years. Back two in Blazej Kurcharski and Ben Nicholls along with our full backs Albie Vozza and Zack Murray allowed no enjoyment for Mallorca, both wide midfielders Conor Doyle and Simon Glownia created many good chances for the forward line. But the game of the tournament was missing the vital goal they needed to progress.

This meant they went to the shield game and beat another local side Vivasport one nil with an exceptional strike from Josh Finnegan to earn us notable recognition for an exceptional tournament

 

Our U13 Premier Sunday went to the Costa Dorada tournament where they  played 3 Spanish teams   and an English Academy team. Having played brilliantly in the first 3 games they beat Anorga KKE 4-0 in their last game to qualify for the 1/4 finals of the cup……Unfortunately tiredness caught up with lads & we bowed out @ this stage ( Losing 2-0).

Mason Adobe was the St Kevins FC player of the tournament & his quality was noted by the tournament organisers .

The campsite accommodation was fantastic. The buffet breakfast/Lunch & Dinner was generally given 9/10 for quality & choice .

The team will have life time memories & loved the swimming pool/Free bikes/crazy golf/beach volleyball/pool & table tennis.

Special thanks to Mark Healy for all his work organising the trip….

 

Our U10 & 11A teams could have done with some Spanish sunshine when they took part in the Oakham tournament over three days last week. Unfortunately the inclement cold weather of gales and torrential rain for the three days spoiled the tournament as a spectacle.  With the games restricted to 15 minutes duration with no half time turn around the winners of the toss at the start generally ended up winning the games. It was a steep learning curve for managers, coaches and players in what is always a well run high quality tournament.  We will be returning to Oakham in August with our U12 Premier team who will play in the elite U13 section.

Paul Noonan’s 12 Sunday side had a one day trip to Burnley to play their Academy team and later in the day went to see Fleetwood Town play Accrington Stanley in their League game.  A memorable trip for all.

Well done to all coaches and managers for the hard work put in to organizing and funding these trips. All the teams were a credit to the Club in the way they were kitted out and in their behaviour and performance both on and off the pitch.