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.

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.

Kevin’s Boys Club in Dublin has nurtured stars like Liam Brady, Damien Duff and Ian Harte for the national team… Now, Brighton’s teenage striker Evan Ferguson is being compared to Wayne Rooney

• Ferguson, 18, is enjoying a breakthrough season in the Premier League
• He is just the latest on a long conveyor belt of talent to emerge from St Kevin’s
• football club in north Dublin has seen several players reach the top level  
• Early Harry Potter films come to mind when discussing Evan Ferguson with Dublin’s locals but it’s Game of Thrones that Ireland’s coaches would prefer to speak about.
• The 18-year-old Brighton forward might be the poster boy revered by all in the profession but is just one heir to the throne in a class of young players full of ‘fire and ice’, according to boss Stephen Kenny.
• Dreaming of a golden generation has long felt as far-fetched as the aforementioned science-fiction hits but, as Ireland launched their Euro 2024 quest, Kenny’s Kids promised to create a magical true story. After going toe to toe with France, why not believe?
• Hosting Didier Deschamps’ World Cup runners-up on Monday came two years to the day after Ireland’s lowest ebb in recent memory, a home defeat to lowly Luxembourg after a bruising loss in Serbia which all but ended World Cup hopes after two qualifying games.
• Kenny vowed before the visit of Kylian Mbappe and Co to fight with ‘fire and ice’ rather than ‘accepting a slow death’, referring to their feeble Qatar qualification quest. And although their first battle ended in defeat to France, the future is bright for the valiant Boys In Green.
• Much of that is thanks to the hard-working coaches and volunteers at St Kevin’s Football Club in north Dublin, Ireland’s talent factory which has produced more than 450 caps’ worth of stars including Liam Brady, Damien Duff, Ian Harte, Robbie Brady, Jeff Hendrick, Stephen Carr, Alan Maybury, Jack Byrne, Dara O’Shea and now it’s Fergie time.
• Noting the club’s lack of funding, it is staggering to see its success. The walls at the clubhouse are decorated with pictures and director of football Ken Donohoe brims with pride as he points out well-known faces as youngsters on a tour of the building.
• One snap shows former Chelsea star Duff, who won 100 Ireland caps, posing with old team-mate Nicky Byrne, who did not make it as a footballer but instead as a pop singer with Westlife.
• ‘Some players you know will make it from when they are knee high,’ says Donohoe, who has been football director since  2000 at St Kevin’s, which is a not-for-profit football club which invests any monies from the bottom upwards.

• ‘Ireland produces players not because of the system but despite it. The most important thing is to keep their feet on the ground.
• ‘With good players, especially those you think have a chance, it’s 60 per cent ability but the rest is mentality, behaviour, application. The worst thing is the parents. A lot of parents think their son has nailed it early on… they end up stopping playing by 18.
• ‘All those who have made it have had sound parental advice, worked hard and learned to live with setbacks and pressure when they are no longer the big fish.’
• The latest prodigy is Ferguson, who joined St Kevin’s aged five. Ferguson’s age group at the football club included fellow Brighton youngster Jamie Mullins, Sean Grehan of Crystal Palace, David Okagbue at Stoke, Cian Kelly at Derby and Fiachra Pagel at Forest Green.
• ‘They learned how to win things from an early age,’ says Donohoe.
• ‘Evan was always a big lad for his age, certainly from 11 or 12. Technically he was always ahead of his level. He’s been classified as a striker but he can play all over – he’s just happened to grasp a chance as a No 9. When he was here he dropped deep.
• ‘With the way he is progressing, there is no limit to what he can achieve. Things are going well for him, he’s taken his break and scored goals at 18 but there will be a dip or a tough time. I know he can handle that. It would be great if he could stay at Brighton. For his own development, he must stay there.
• ‘It’s always such a proud moment for the club (seeing alumni play for Ireland) but we want to provide football for as many people as we can and be happy to see them go through the ranks. To see people make a career out of it is so nice to see.’
• There is an individual plaque at the clubhouse for each senior capped player and Donohoe has made space for another amid Ferguson’s rise. But Ireland’s next generation is not limited to the striker being compared to Wayne Rooney.
• ‘Ireland is overachieving with player production at the moment. The infrastructure still needs a lot of investment but thanks to exceptional coaching, volunteers’ commitment and the emergence of some raw talents, the underage teams are excelling,’ explains Ronan Calvert of the Kenny’s Kids website.
• Caoimhin Kelleher and Gavin Bazunu are solid keeper choices, whereas Nathan Collins, Andrew Omobamidele are highly rated and Andrew Moran is tipped to be the next one off Brighton’s lengthy production line. Also watch out for James McManus, 17, of Bohemians and formerly St Kevin’s.
• Newbies at youth level, Crewe’s lanky defender Connor O’Riordan and Sam Curtis of St Patrick’s Athletic, are also tipped highly by Irish football experts, as is Inter Milan winger Kevin Zefi, 18.
• Calvert adds on Ferguson: ‘While there is a need to be cautious amid the hype, senior football is going exactly to plan for him so far. He seems to have all the attributes you’d want in a modern striker with good control, strong link up play, pace, strength and more.
• ‘Brighton looks like the perfect place for him to develop. Maybe most important is the fact that he seems to have a really mature head on his shoulders and has good people around him.’

Following on from our U12 and 13 teams visit to Manchester United earlier this month the coming weeks sees a number of SKFC teams taking part in tournaments and friendly games in Spain, England and Northern Ireland.

Our U13 Premier team head to Majorca to take part in the prestigious East Mallorca Cup with teams from Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, Denmark, United States, Germany, Japan, Australia and England including Manchester City and top Spanish sides – Espanyol, Barcelona, RCD Mallorca, Atletico Bilbao among others.

Our 13 Sun 1 head to Salou to take part in the Cost Daurada Cup from April 2^nd – April 6^th

John Behan is taking his Saturday U14 Premier team to Blackpool to play in a tournament involving Blackpool, Fleetwood Town and Welsh team TSN.

We return again to Oakham in Leicestershire with our U10’s & U11’s from April 9^th – April 12^th where their opposition will include Manchester United, Newcastle United, Leicester City, Stoke City, Watford, Nottingham Forest, Norwich City, Sunderland AFC, Shrewsbury Town and Kyoto FA (Japan) among others.

Our Sunday 12.1 will be making a flying visit to Blackburn where they will play Blackburn Rovers and Burnley.

All of these trips  greatly benefit  players and coaches as they get to play quality opposition in top class facilities, experience different cultures and styles which is all part of the learning process.

Pictured below is a team photo of SKFC in December 2016 during a visit to play Real Madrid among others in the Festive Naviadad  which includes some easily recognisable faces who have gone on to further their careers.