Academy
U10s CSL Small Sided Games
Sunday 20th May 2012
Douglas Hall v Ballincollig
The Under 10s were away to Douglas last Sunday, May 20th. Ballincollig won the toss and elected to play with the slight breeze and slope. Douglas started quickly, being more used to the all weather surface, and they had an early shot wide. Ballincollig soon followed this with a couple of attacks of their own with Darragh Moriarty on the left wing, Jordan Murphy on right wing, Scott Kelly in centre of midfield supporting Sean Callanan and Jack Desmond up front. Douglas then had a spell of pressure with Adam Summers having to make a couple of great saves and Alex Hill, captain Jamie Slavin and David Hume were rock solid in defence clearing all before them to help keep it all square.
In the second period Ballincollig had to spend most of their time defending and Douglas had a number of early corners. Jamie now had Sean O’Donoghue and Mark Oldham with him in defence and they were all very busy. Relief came on occasions when Robbie Walsh, now on the right wing or Darragh on the left had a chance to dribble forward using their wings. Bryan Smith had a rare chance with a ball over the top from Jordan in midfield, but it was Douglas who scored the first of the game. It was an unlucky goal for the Ballincollig defence to concede as it was a blocked clearance that fell kindly to the Douglas attacker. Ballincollig had a couple of chances when Jordan played a ball into Bryan and his shot went out for a corner off a defender. Then from the corner Darragh played it into Robbie who passed it onto Jordan and he slipped it through to Bryan for a shot, but it was saved by the keeper, very nice play.
Ballincollig had the slope and wind again in the last period and Scott was back in midfield with Bryan playing just off the lone striker Sean Callanan. Alex was now on the opposite wing to Robbie, who was still on the right. David, Sean O’Donoghue and Mark were outstanding in defence so much so that Adam was barely troubled in goal. Ballincollig attacked with Bryan being foiled on a couple of occasions by the Douglas keeper. It was all Ballincollig now as they pushed for the equaliser as Alex, Robbie, Scott and Bryan attacked. Ballincollig were so eager to keep up the pressure at one stage striker Sean Callanan tracked all the way back to the left back position to make a great tackle. Then Ballincollig made a final push and despite blocked shot after blocked shot the ball fell to Scott on the edge of the box, the crowd called for him to shoot, and he did just that burying it with a sweet strike. Good job his dad tied those boot laces properly before the game. The ref then blew up as it was literally the last kick of the game. It was outstanding entertainment and what a finish. Better than the Premier League or Champions League any day.
Academy
U10s CSL Small Sided Games
Sunday 13th May 2012
Blarney United v Ballincollig
For a change the Under 10s had an away trip last Sunday at a very sunny yet blustery O’Shea Park. Despite the difficult conditions the lads served up yet another entertaining game. With the aid of the wind Blarney started off well and soon drew a fantastic save from the now regular Ballincollig keeper, Cillian Kierse, who despite diving to his right managed to get his left foot to the ball and then collect it into his hands. Pepe Reina would have been proud of that one. Ballincollig had to spend most of this period defending wave after wave of attack as Blarney enjoyed the advantage of the strong wind. David Hume, Alex Hill and Jamie Slavin were outstanding in defence with midfielders Scott Kelly, Adam Summers and Bryan Smith having to spend more time defending than attacking. Blarney’s pressure and possession was finally rewarded with a goal. Ballincollig eventually managed a couple of attacks allowing Cormac Dineen and Jack Desmond a rare sight of the ball.
The second period was a more even contest. Early on Justin Eguaibor, now in defence, made a great last ditch tackle to prevent Blarney extending their lead. Sean O’Donoghue was rock solid in the centre of defence and Josh Ambrose and Jordan Murphy were very busy in midfield, allowing Cormac and Jack to become much more involved up front. At one stage Josh made a powerful drive forward and won a corner for his team, but Blarney defended it well. Blarney then finished stronger, but David, Justin, Sean, Adam, Josh and Jordan held fast.
Ballincollig and Blarney shared the possession in the early part of the final period, but neither side really threatened to score. Ballincollig then had a spell of defending where Cillian, Jamie, Sean and Alex cleared all before them. Josh took a nasty smack to the head when he jumped to block a Blarney free kick, but thankfully it looked much worse than it really was and he was able to quickly shake it off. Ballincollig then upped the pressure with Justin, Josh and Jordan each raiding up along the right wing on different occasions allowing Bryan to have a couple of shots, one going just wide, the other one saved by the Blarney Keeper. This was soon followed up by a right footed shot from Scott whose shot just dipped over the bar, so close. At the final whistle the coaches thanked the lads for a great effort in very difficult conditions and the applause from the coaches and supporters was very much deserved.
Academy
U10s CSL Small Sided Games
Sunday 6th May 2012
Ballincollig v Temple United
The under 10s were in action again at home last Sunday, May 6th, down at the Regional Park. This turned out to be their best game yet and it was a thrilling and tough encounter. Temple settled quickly with an early shot wide, followed quickly by a goal. Ballincollig quickly replied with an equaliser from Josh Ambrose. Ballincollig had to do some tough defending next with a save from Cillian Kierse in goal and Mark Oldham getting a knock for his efforts. Mark, Robbie Walsh and Jordan Murphy, captain for the game, were doing well in defence while Adam Summers, Josh and Scott Kelly were beginning to get more into the game from midfield. Cormac Dineen and Sean Callanan were leading the line well up front. Then, just as he was doing so well, Mark took a very heavy knock requiring Alex Hill to come on as his replacement. This was followed by an injury to a couple of Temple players as the tackles were flying in.
The second period was in the balance with Temple and Ballincollig having equal spells of possession but with few shots on target. Then Temple upped the pressure and Jamie Slavin, Jordan, Sean O’Donoghue, Robbie and Alex all had to defend well. Then from a Temple corner Cillian had to make an amazing double save, first he dived to his right pushing out the first shot and then he had to dive back across to his left and with a strong left hand he pushed the shot around the post for a corner. It was quite astounding keeping from the young man. Then from this corner, both Jordan and Sean O’Donoghue cleared the ball off the line. It was great defending by Ballincollig. However Temple finally made the pressure count when they scored a scrappy goal.
Ballincollig started the final period well when Mark and Alex worked the ball down the left wing, with Cormac and Bryan involved in the move, that resulted in the Temple keeper spilling the high ball and Bryan reacted quicker to stick it in the back of the net. Temple immediately attacked and yet again Cillian made a great save putting the ball out for another corner. From the corner Alex made a great block but he took it full in the chest, but despite this he soldiered on. It was end to end stuff now and Jamie, Adam, Sean, Scott and even Bryan were helping defend. It was Scott’s turn to take one in the chest for the team as it was turning out to be quite a bruising encounter for both sides. Ballincollig then finally broke forward and it was Scott who took the chance and buried a left footed shot to seal it. When the final whistle blew the joy was spontaneous, as this was a hard fought game and the lads showed how much they wanted it. The coaches were really proud of every one of them.
Academy
U10s CSL Small Sided Games
Thursday 3rd May 2012
Ballincollig v Buttevant
The rain held off on Thursday evening, May 3rd, down at the Regional Park for this return fixture. It was an even affair early on with just a couple of early attacks by both sides. Sean O’Donoghue was great in defence and he was aided by Paraic O’Keeffe and David Hume. Midway through the period Adam Summers, Josh Ambrose and Robbie Walsh combined to set up a couple of shots with the second of these just going over the bar from Robbie’s effort. Just as the midfield including Scott Kelly and Bryan Smith were getting on top Buttevant caught them on the counter attack and scored. Buttevant then followed this up with another effort which brought out a fantastic diving save from Mark Oldham in goal. Unfortunately Buttevant soon made their spell of pressure tell with a second goal. Ballincollig responded with a fortunate goal after the Buttevant keeper dropped the ball over his own line from a Ballincollig corner.
Ballincollig started well in the second period and were rewarded with a goal from a long range shot by Alex Hill from the left wing, which flew into the net. Jamie Slavin was dominant at right back and Jordan Murphy was starting to control midfield along with Alex and Adam Summers. Buttevant then got a lucky break when a defensive header looped up and over the Ballincollig keeper and into the net. Ballincollig tried to reply quickly and Jordan had a shot saved. He soon had another effort blocked but this time support was on hand with Justin Eguaibor squeezing the ball home from the tightest of angles. This was followed by a period of good play involving Jamie, Paraic, Sean, Adam and Josh who were all involved. Buttevant then nicked another goal after the ball was allowed to bounce around the Ballincollig penalty area, but likewise Ballincollig got a slice of luck when Justin ducked under a nice cross/shot from Alex, and the ball bounced into the net off the unsuspecting defender. Before the end of the period Josh had a shot just go wide and Mark had to make yet another save to keep things all square.
In the final period it was nearly all Ballincollig now as Scott, Jamie and Justin were all involved in setting up Robbie for a shot, but it just went wide. Soon after Justin set up Robbie for a shot but it was blocked for a corner. Robbie crossed this in to Jamie who played it to Scott on the edge of the box. Scott neatly spun his man and unleashed a bullet of a shot into the back of the net, simply unstoppable. Ballincollig were able to close out the game first with almost a replica of the last goal as Robbie crossed in a corner to Scott, but this time his shot just went wide. Justin and Bryan both managed a shot each before the final whistle. This was a great game and again the improvement in performance was there for all to see. Well played lads.
Academy
U10s CSL Small Sided Games
Sunday 22nd April 2012
Ballincollig v Douglas Hall
The under 10s were in action again at home last Sunday down at the Regional Park. This turned out to be a thrilling encounter with Ballincollig showing that the efforts on the training ground are starting to pay off. The lads started much better with Sean O’Donoghue anchoring the midfield and Scott Kelly and Justin Eguaibor raiding down the wings in support of Josh Ambrose and Darragh Moriarty up front. Scott scored the first for Ballincollig, showing his leadership as captain, when he intercepted a Douglas kick out and placed it into the bottom right hand corner. This was followed up by some great defending by Alex Hill, Jamie Slavin in the centre and Jordan Murphy, with keeper Cillian Kierse in goals for the second game in a row making some important saves. Ballincollig scored a second from an Alex Hill corner with Scott coming short to pick it up and he played it to Josh on the edge of the box, where he flicked the ball up and volleyed it into the back of the net. It was a nice finish indeed. Ballincollig defended well to see out the end of the first period.
The second period saw Jack Desmond and Bryan Smith come on up front, Robbie Walsh on in defence and Mark Oldham on the left wing. It was Douglas though that scored with a counter attack soon after the start. Ballincollig came back strong with Robbie outstanding in the right back position and at one stage he even had a long range shot saved by the Douglas keeper. Jamie and Alex were likewise amazing in defence. Ballincollig were now pinning Douglas back with Bryan and Jack both having shots saved before a goal came from a corner swung in by Bryan and finished again by Josh. Then it was Mark’s turn to have a shot saved after being played through by Scott. Robbie and Jamie again were clearing everything that came near them.
The final period saw Jordan and Justin come on in defence, with Sean and Darragh on in midfield. Cillian made an outstanding early save before Ballincollig peppered the Douglas goal, with shots being saved from Bryan and Justin. Cillian again came to the rescue before Ballincollig counterattacked and it was Jack’s turn to have a shot saved. Douglas then got a lucky break when a push in the back on Mark went unnoticed and they managed to score. Bryan and Mark then worked a nice free kick as Mark rolled the ball to Bryan, but his shot went over the wall and wide. Then while Douglas were attacking a couple of misplaced defensive kicks allowed Douglas to poke it home. Despite the setback Ballincollig pressed again with Darragh, Sean, Justin and Mark pushing up to support Bryan and Jack. Cillian, Jordan and Robbie finished rock solid in defence and Justin had the final shot on goal. In the end Ballincollig were unlucky not to win but this was a much improved performance. Well done lads.
Academy
U10s CSL Small Sided Games
Sunday 15th April 2012
Ballincollig v Blarney United
The under 10s had their first home game of the season last Sunday down at the Regional Park. It was a fairly even contest and a change from the recent high scoring games the lads have played in. Blarney started the brighter of the two sides with an early offside given against them, one of the new rules for the under 10s this year. There was also a great save made by the Ballincollig keeper, and captain for the game, Cillian Kierse. In fact this was just one of many that Cillian would make throughout the game. Adam Summers, Sean O’Donoghue and Gladly Okar made a great contribution in defence, but Blarney were looking the stronger. A rare attack by Ballincollig saw Scott Kelly play through Jamie Slavin, who’s double attempt first got blocked by the defender and then go out off a defender for a corner. However it was Blarney that were first to make the breakthrough when they scored just before the end of the first period.
The second period was highlighted with an almost comic goal mouth incident with Blarney searching for a second, and Ballincollig all hands to the pump trying to deny them. In the end after a string of attempted shots on goal and one even hitting the post the ball went wide. Both sides and sets of supports were left chuckling at the sequence of events and just glad to be able to finally catch their breath again. Ballincollig now upped the tempo with a few mazy dribbles by Alex Hill and attacks by Robbie Walsh and Ryan Crowley. This was only possible though due to the great defensive work of Cillian, Adam, Sean and Gladly with Justin Eguaibor and Jordan Murphy protecting them from midfield.
The final period saw a new defensive unit of Ryan, Jordan and Jamie who were able to keep a clean sheet with the help of Cillian, as they made many goal line clearances and saves. With Ballincollig getting more on top, Josh Ambrose showed his silky skills on the wing while Robbie, Bryan, Scott and Justin all had shots at goal from near and long range. In the end the equaliser was almost inevitable yet Ballincollig left it to just a couple of minutes before the final whistle. Bryan Smith picked the ball up on the right of the penalty area, and drifted left across the front of the Blarney defence before unleashing a thunderbolt from his left boot into the top left corner of the net giving the poor Blarney keeper no chance. In the end it was probably a fair result but if only Ballincollig had been able to start the game with the tempo they had finished it with. Next week the lads are at home again so do come down and support them.
Academy
U10s CSL Small Sided Games
Sunday 8th April 2012
Temple United v Ballincollig
The Easter weekend saw the Under 10s playing their second game of the new season on the road again. Ballincollig were chasing the game from the start as Temple nicked an early goal, but the lads responded immediately from the kick off with Scott Kelly playing a nicely weighted ball through the defence to set up Bryan Smith who finished well. Keeper Adam Summers made a good save and the kick out was picked up by Scott who dribbled forward and then deftly chipped the defence where Jamie Slavin was just pipped to the ball. Then it was Temple’s turn to apply the pressure, and despite the tenacious defending by Darragh Moriarty, Justin Eguaibor and Cormac Dineen they scored a brace in quick succession. The first from a swift counter attack and the second a speculative lob despite Adam managing to get his fingertips to it. Unfortunately on both occasions a video replay may have shown them to be off side, but we’ll never know. Mark Oldham, captain for the game, and Alex Hill were getting more into the game and were providing support for the front two of Jamie and Bryan. At one stage Justin made a surging run from defence, but when Ballincollig lost possession he made a great run back and prevented a goal with a brave double block. Darragh and Cormac made some great tackles to help Ballincollig see out the first period.
The second period began again with early pressure from Temple which resulted in a scrappy goal after the ball bounced around in the box from a corner. Adam was called on to make a great save and Ballincollig were all hands to the pump as Sean O’Donoghue was outstanding marshalling the defence with Darragh and Cormac. Paraic O’Keeffe, Josh Ambrose and Jordan Murphy were helping out too from midfield as Temple laid siege to the Ballincollig goal. Eventually Ballincollig made a rare attack with a kick-out from Sean up to Josh who ran through the Temple defence and his stinging shot was too hot for the keeper to hold, and Jamie bravely followed up at the far post to score. Amid a period of sustained Temple dominance Paraic, Josh and Mark still managed a couple of breaks, but in the end it was a long range effort that edged Temple further ahead. Paraic soon followed that up with an attempted lob that just slipped wide of the post, which ended the second period.
Jordan and Bryan were leading the line in the final period, but Ballincollig were finding it difficult to keep the play at the other end of the pitch and Temple finally got another. This pressure continued and it was down to some amazing saves by Adam in goal and some outstanding displays by Justin, Sean and Alex in defence that Temple were kept out for the rest of the period. Jordan had a shot saved and Bryan provided some relief by holding the ball up and bringing Josh and Paraic more into attack. Ballincollig had the final shot on goal of the game with the Temple keeper making a save from Bryan. The players were wrecked after this encounter, maybe it was the bigger pitch, the fast pace of the game or maybe too many Easter Eggs, who knows. A big thank you to all the parents and supports that made the trip, and a special thank you to all the lads for their effort and commitment.
Academy
U10s CSL Small Sided Games
Sunday 1st April 2012
Buttevant v Ballincollig
The Ballincollig Under 10s played their first game of the new season last Sunday April 1st. It was a tough start to the new campaign, away to Buttevant, and the pitch offered by the hosts was too small, but in the interests of sportsmanship it was agreed that it would do. The lads were slow out of the blocks as it took them a while to dust off the cobwebs and to get into their rhythm. Buttevant raced into a three nil lead in the first seven minutes, but then Ballincollig replied with Mark Oldham and Scott Kelly working well down the left wing to earn a throw-in, then a corner, which Mark took and Scott finished off from close range with a powerful header. Buttevant soon replied again with a brace as the Ballincollig defence of Darragh Moriarty, Ryan Crowley and Josh Ambrose make great tackles and blocks, but unluckily on each occasion the ball ended up in the back of the net despite some fine initial saves by the goalkeeper Sean Callanan. In midfield Robbie Walsh and Adam Summers were getting stuck in as was Jordan Murphy up front. Ballincollig ended the first period with both Josh and Robbie having long range efforts on goal.
Buttevant started the second period as they did the first scoring from a quick counter attack. Ballincollig steadied themselves and eased into the period with a corner won and taken by Mark, that hit the net, unfortunately it was the outside of the side netting. This was soon followed up by some good play by Robbie winning a corner that was headed in by Alex Hill, who was now leading the line with Darragh. Ballincollig were looking stronger at the back with Cillian Kierse now marshalling the defence with Jordan and Justin Eguaibor. Bryan Smith had joined Mark and Robbie in midfield and this trio were working up and down the pitch. Shortly after another goal for the home side the Ballincollig midfield trio were involved in a swift counter attack resulting in Mark heading a shot against the upright, and then volleying the rebound just over the bar, so unlucky. Then before the end of the period Bryan had a fantastic long range effort hit the post, but it went wide. Alex and Darragh kept the Buttevant keeper under pressure and Mark had another effort blocked on the line. Meanwhile Cillian, Jordan, Justin and Sean were keeping them from scoring again.
For the last period Sean continued in goal, Alex dropped back into defence with Cillian and Justin, on the wings we had Adam and Josh with Scott in the centre and Bryan and Ryan up front. Some early pressure from all the team resulted in a nice through ball from Scott and a great finish by Ryan as who lobbed the advancing keeper. Buttevant then grabbed another despite a great save by Sean. Josh, Scott and Bryan were now beginning to impose themselves on the game and Justin and Adam both had long range shots on goal. Sean, Alex, Justin and Cillian were outstanding in defence and even Josh managed to get back and head a shot off the line. Soon after Josh broke forwards, played it to Scott who slipped through a nice pass for Bryan to slide past the diving keeper. Then from defence Ballincollig broke again this time it was Adam supplying the killer pass to Bryan who applied the finish. It was all Ballincollig now with Justin and Bryan setting up Scott for a shot, but it just went right and wide. Buttevant then added another before the end. At the final whistle all the players were absolutely shattered as they had given it their all. It truly was a thrilling game to watch with plenty of end to end action and quality play throughout. Well done lads, we look forward to next weekend’s thriller.
Well it’s that time of year again and the Academy is once again participating in the Cork Schoolboys League’s Non Competitive Small Sided Games (SSG).
The Groups and Fixtures can be found on the Small Sided Games section of the CSL website, but please note that these can be subject to change should both clubs agree to reschedule a particular fixture.
As players are selected for each match they will be notified by their coaches. For a list of relevant coaches please see the Academy’s Contacts page.
A complete set of the SGG rules can be found on the Small Sided Games section of the CSL website, but here are some of the main points:
Cork Schoolboys League
Small Sided Games Rules for Season 2011/12
Age Groups
U7, U8 & U9 will be 7-a-side non competitive leagues.
U10 will be 9-a-side non competitive leagues.
Panel Sizes
7-a-side – 10 players (max)
9-a-side – 13 players (max)
Managers must not have more than the above numbers per panel for any one game.
Playing Season
Games will commence on the weekend of Mar 31/Apr 1 and will continue until the end of May. (This will mean some midweek evening games).
