Match Reports Juvenile

Under-10 Castledaly Tournament, Plate Final [10 October 2015]

The Garrycastle Under-10 team headed to Castledaly on Sunday to play the Coughlan Plate final of the Castledaly tournament, meeting the hosts in the final.

The Garrycastle lads started strongly, pushing forward right from the throw-in, and were rewarded with some early points from Jamie Carroll and Thanh McCay. A lovely worked move then saw a great pass from Jamie to find Diarmaid Murtagh in space, and he scored a great goal to put some space between the teams. The Garrycastle backline were in superb form, with Tom Daly and Jack Mulvihill closing down any Castledaly attacks. Garrycastle were in control of the game at this stage and tacked on some lovely points from Jamie, Thanh and Oisin Nugent, before Castledaly opened their account with a point from a free. Oisin then pounced to get a good goal, which left Garrycastle in charge at the half-time break.

The second half began as the first half ended with Jamie notching up another point. Castledaly came more into the game and were rewarded with a goal and a point of their own before another point from Jamie and a goal from Cian McCormack put the game beyond their grasp. We introduced all of our substitutes during the second half so all players present got to play in the final, and it is a measure of the strength of the squad, that the team kept pressing their advantage even with so many changes.

This was a great squad performance, and all of the players can be well pleased with their efforts and rewards on the day. It was a very happy Garrycastle group that celebrated at the final whistle, and led by captain on the day, Conor McCarthy, lifted the Coughlan Plate high to the cheers of their supporters.

Huge thanks are due also to Ciaran Henson and all of the other helpers, referees etc. in Castledaly, for a very well run and very enjoyable tournament.

Squad:

Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Tom Daly, Brian Mulvihill, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Jamie Carroll, Diarmaid Murtagh, Thanh McCay, Killian Redmond, Oisin Nugent, Mattie Wozniak, Conor Sheehan, David Carter, Nathan McKeon, Brandon Devaney, Dean Grehan, Sean O'Donoghue, Sean Doyle, Killian Keegan, Matthew Conner, Cian McCormack.

U16 Championship : Quarter Final [11 October 2015]

CAULRY 7-06, GARRYCASTLE 3-08

The Under 16’s, short a number of players due to injuries etc., travelled to Caulry for the Division 2 Quarter final.

Philip Monaghan opened the scoring for Garrycastle with a well taken point following some very good build up play from Ian Carroll, who had a very good first half along with Colm Henry. Shortly afterwards Mattie McBride made a couple of good early saves, but Caulry did hit the net with 2 quick fire goals after 10 minutes play. The lads rallied well and scored 2 points from the boot of Jack O’ Connor leaving the score 2-0 to 0-3 after 20 minutes. However, the final 10 minutes of the half proved disastrous for Garrycastle conceding a further 2-04 without replay leaving the half time score 4-04 to 0-03.

The first 10 minutes of the second half didn’t prove much better with Caulry scoring 1-02 with only a Jack O’Connor point in reply. Mattie McBride made a great save which seemed to spark the lads into life. After a quick break up the pitch, Jack O’Connor scored a point and shortly afterwards Brian Ruane expertly converted a penalty. Garrycastle won a second penalty but the Caulry keeper guessed right this time and made a great save. Jack O’Connor scored a further 2 points, before some excellent work from Cillian Lyons set up Jack O’Connor for a second Garrycastle goal. Jack added another point reducing the gap further.

Cillian Lyons was having a fantastic second half, along with Eoin Mulvihill, Conor Macken, Robert Kelly and Mattias O’Neill in defence while Brian Ruane, Andrew Monaghan, Dylan Keegan and Oisin Langan were getting a foothold around the middle, with Philip Monaghan proving to be a great link between defence and attack. Pat McKiernan won a kick out and delivered a pin point pass to Philip Monaghan who was very unlucky to hit the post with a great shot from distance. Caulry steadied the ship with a goal and a point before Jack O’Connor scored his second goal of the day.

While it was a disappointing result the lads showed great heart and determination with their second half performance, none more so than Jack O’Connor who finished the game with 2-07, closely followed by Cillian Lyons, Eoin Mulvihill, Oisin Langan, Philip Monaghan and Brian Ruane.

We’d like to thank under 14’s Daniel Guinan, Cathal Redmond, Andrew Monaghan and Dylan Keegan who helped us out on the night and all made significant contributions. We would also like to say thanks to all the lads for all their efforts and dedication throughout the year.

Team: Matthew McBride, Daniel Guinan, Mattias O’Neill, Cillian Lyons, Conor Macken, Eoin Mulvihill, Robert Kelly, Brian Ruane, Andrew Monaghan, Colm Henry, Jack’Connor, Patrick McKiernan, Philip Monaghan, Dylan Keegan, Ian Carroll.

Subs: Oisin Langan for Daniel Guinan, Cathal Redmond for Colm Henry, Daniel Guinan for Patrick McKiernan.

U16 Championship Group C [9 September 2015]

KILBEGGAN/St. JOSEPHS 6-09, GARRYCASTLE 0-09

A depleted Garrycastle side travelled to Streamstown and were well beaten by a motivated and determined Kilbeggan/St.Joseph’s combination, who should be commended on going from the Division 3 League to qualifying for the Division 1 Championship as a result of this victory.

Brian Ruane opened the scoring with a point following some good build up play, but Kilbeggan responded with 2-02. Cathal Redmond scored a well taken point, while Andrew Monaghan and Jack O’Connor chipped in with points of their own. Matters got worse for Garrycastle when Jack Fitzgerald went off injured, but Dylan Keegan, Daniel Guinan and Mattias O’Neill never gave up and worked extremely hard in the middle to try and contain the frequent attacks, but it was a tough first half and we went in at half time 5-05 to 0-05 down.

The second half performance was much improved, lead by Eoin Mulvihill, Brian Ruane and Colm Henry. There were also good performances from Dylan Keegan and Andrew Monaghan. Brian Ruane scored a couple of points while Philip Monaghan closed the game out with a well taken point at the end. A big thanks to the under 14 lads who helped us out on the night, Daniel Guinan, Cathal Redmond, Andrew Monaghan, Dylan Keegan and Robert O’Brien, and all the lads would like to wish Jack Fitzgerald a speedy recovery.

Team: Matthew McBride, Robert Kelly, Mattias O’Neill, Cillian Lyons, Daniel Guinan, Eoin Mulvihill, Andrew Monaghan, Brian Ruane, Jack Fitzgerald, Ian O’Carroll, Jack O’Connor, Dylan Keegan, Philip Monaghan, Colm Henry, Cathal Redmond.

Sub: Robert O’Brien for Jack Fitzgerald (Inj., 10 mins)

U16 Championship Group C [24 August 2015]

GARRYCASTLE 2-06, MULLINGAR SHAMROCKS 1-09

Jack O’Connor opened the scoring for Garrycastle with a pointed free, before Shamrocks replied with 2 points of their own. Mattias O’Neill, Eoin Mullvihill and Conor Macken were having very good games in defence, while Ian Carroll and Enda Malone were showing well up front. A great solo run from Brian Ruane found Jack O’Connor whose quick pass into Oisin Langan delivered the first Garrycastle goal. A great interception from Shane Duffy lead to an excellent Philip Monaghan point, putting Garrycastle 2 up. Shamrocks fought back and scored 4 unanswered points and it could have been worse only for an excellent Matthew McBride save. Colm Lynch stemmed the tide with Garrycastle’s second goal of the night shortly before half time.

Jack O’Connor started the second half as he started the first with a pointed free following some good work by Patrick McKiernan. However, Shamrocks responded with a goal of their own to level the game. It was a nip and tuck affair after that with both team trading points. Garrycastle could have nicked it at the end only for a very well saved penalty, but all in all a draw was a fair result and a good decent performance from the lads despite a few injuries.

Team: Matthew McBride, Shane Duffy, Mattias O’Neill, Cillian Lyons, Conor Macken, Brian Ruane, Robert Kelly, Colm Lynch, Eoin Mulvihill, Patrick McKiernan, Philip Monaghan, Ian Carroll, Oisin Langan, Enda Malone, Jack O'Connor.

Sub: Andrew Monaghan for Ian Carroll (35 mins)

Under-10 Castledaly Tournament, Plate Semi-Final [4 October 2015]

The Garrycastle Under-10 team travelled to Castledaly on Sunday morning, to play Rosemount in the Plate semi-final. After the disappointment of missing out on a cup/shield semi-final, it was a determined group of players who attended to play the match. Due to illness and other reasons, it was also a much smaller than usual group of players - only 14 being available on the morning.

Garrycastle started very strongly, and in a very strong opening 10 minutes kicked 3-2 from play, with Jamie Carroll, Diarmaid Murtagh, Tom Sheehan and Killian Redmond getting on the scoresheet. A brief spell of Rosemount pressure resulted in their opening point of the half, before the Garrycastle lads took total control, and kicked a further 3-4 from play without reply, with Thanh McCay and Oisin Nugent also scoring. At the half-time break, Garrycastle were totally in control.

At the start of the second half, we introduced all the substitutes to give everyone game time, and our back line came under sustained pressure as Rosemount attacked strongly. After withstanding this pressure without conceding a score, Diarmaid and Jamie tacked on two further scores as Garrycastle once gain took control of the game. Not suprisingly, the second half did not live up to the excitement levels of the first half, and the Garrycastle lads were guilty of a large number of wides, when better options were available. Jack Mulvihill swapped to full forward, from his usual full back role, and he duly chipped in with a score. As the game reached its end, Rosemount scored a good goal to finish the scoring.

This was most definitely Garrycastle's day. The entire squad played their hearts out, and got the reward in a very good win. The Plate final awaits, with the opposition in that final yet to be decided.

Squad:

Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Anthony Mannion, Tom Daly, Brian Mulvihill, Jamie Carroll, Diarmaid Murtagh, Tom Sheehan, Thanh McCay, Killian Redmond, Oisin Nugent, Conor Sheehan, David Carter, Killian Keegan.

Under-10 Castledaly Tournament [29 September 2015]

The Garrycastle Under-10 team travelled to Castledaly on Tuesday evening, to play Kilbeggan/St. Josephs in the third round of the Castledaly tournament. For once the weather was nice, and we had an excellent evening for football.

Garrycastle started the game brightly, and had the first point on the board, from Diarmaid Murtagh. The Kilbeggan/St.Josephs team responded with a couple of points of their own, before Killian Redmond pounced on a loose ball to score a well-taken goal for the green-and-red. The Garrycastle lads tried to push home the advantage, but were caught by a very good counter-attack almost immediately. A couple of points from Jamie Carroll ended the half, with the Garrycastle lads trailing by 3 points at half time.

Immediately on the resumption, Jamie struck for another point, and this was added to by Diarmaid, to reduce the difference to the bare minimum.The Kilbeggan/St. Josephs team struck back with an unstoppable goal, before Tom Sheehan and Thanh McCay scored two fine points to again reduce the difference to a single score. However, this was to be as close as the Garrycastle lads got, as the opposition tacked on 4 points in a row. Jamie was almost rewarded when his blistering shot taken at full speed on the run seemed to have a goal written on it, only to be denied by a superb save from the Kilbeggan/St. Josephs keeper. The same player denied Diarmaid similarly a minute later, and even though Diarmaid knocked over a late point, the Kilbeggan/St. Josephs team ran out worthy winners on the night.

This result leaves Garrycastle facing a semi-final for the Plate competition, due to be played on Sunday morning next. The opposition for the semi-final has not yet been determined.

Squad:

Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Anthony Mannion, Tom Daly, Brian Mulvihill, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Jamie Carroll, Diarmaid Murtagh, Tom Sheehan, Thanh McCay, Killian Redmond, Oisin Nugent, Mattie Wozniak, Conor Sheehan, David Carter, Brandon Devaney, Dean Grehan, Sean O'Donoghue, Sean Doyle, Killian Keegan, Matthew Conner.

Under 10 - Castledaly Tournament [28 September 2015]

The Garrycastle Under-10 squad played two matches this week in the Castledaly tournament. On Monday night, in very poor weather conditions, we travelled to Castledaly to take on Maryland/Tang. Even though conditions overhead and underfoot were not great for playing football, the Garrycastle team started well, and soon had scores on the board from Thanh McCay and Jamie Carroll. The majority of the first half was played in the Maryland/Tang half of the pitch, with the Garrycastle lads applying constant pressure, and were rewarded with further scores from Jamie and Thanh, as well as scores from Tom Sheehan, Killian Redmond and Oisin Nugent. As the second half started, we emptied the bench to give all players present as much game time as possible. Further scores from Thanh, Jamie and Diarmaid Murtagh pushed the game out of the reach of Maryland/Tang. The team got a welcome boost with the return of Conor Sheehan after an absence of 6 weeks, and he took a brace of nice scores as the game reached its conclusion. Not to be outdone, younger brother Tom helped himself to a score as the referee blew for full time. On the evening, Garrycastle took a deserved win.

On Wednesday we returned to Castledaly to play the Moate All-Whites in the second round of the tournament. Moate scored the opening point, but this was cancelled out almost immediately by a well taken score from Thanh. Further points were exchanged between the sides, the Garrycastle scores coming from Jamie and Tom Sheehan, before Moate broke through to score a goal. The Moate team then notched up a couple of points to lead at the half-time break. The second half saw sustained pressure from Moate resulting in a few scores, before the Garrycastle team hit a purple patch, scoring a goal, (from Conor) and 4 points, (Conor with three, and one from Diarmaid), as the Garrycastle lads started to make inroads in the Moate lead. Driven on by an excellent defensive display from Anthony Mannion and Jack Mulvihill, ably supported by the industrious Kealan Ryan-McIntyre and Brian Mulvihill, Garrycastle pushed hard but were unable to close the gap, and were caught just at the end of the game by a breakaway score from the Moate team.

Squad: Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Anthony Mannion, Tom Daly, Brian Mulvihill, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Jamie Carroll, Diarmaid Murtagh, Tom Sheehan, Thanh McCay, Killian Redmond, Oisin Nugent, Mattie Wozniak, Cian McCormack, Conor Sheehan, David Carter, Brandon Devaney, Dean Grehan, Sean O’Donoghue, Sean Doyle, Nathan McKeon.

Under-10 Castledaly Tournament, League Round 2 [23 September 2015]

We played the Moate All-Whites in a re-fixed Round-1 game in the Castledaly tournament on Wednesday night in Castledaly. 21 players attended on the night, giving us a large squad from which to choose, but as this competition only allows for one 11-a-side team, it unfortunately wasn't possible for all players to get a chance on the evening.

Moate opened brightly, and scored the opening point, but this was cancelled out almost immediately by a well taken score from Thanh McCay. Further points were exchanged between the sides, the Garrycastle scores coming from Jamie Carroll and Tom Sheehan, before Moate broke through to score a goal. The Moate team then notched up a couple of points to lead at the half-time break.

The second half saw sustained pressure from Moate resulting in a few scores, before the Garrycastle team hit a purple patch, scoring a goal, (from Conor Sheehan) and 4 points, (Conor with three, and one from Diarmaid Murtagh), as the Garrycastle lads started to make inroads in the Moate lead. Driven on by an excellent defensive display from Anthony Mannion and Jack Mulvihill, ably supported by the industrious Kealan Ryan-McIntyre and Brian Mulvihill, they laid siege to the Moate goal, but were unable to close the gap, and were caught just at the end of the game by a breakaway score from the Moate team.

So the honours went to the Moate All-Whites team on the night.

Overall, this was a patchy performance, with some good aspects, and some areas where improvement will be needed before the final league round vs. Kilbeggan/St. Josephs.

Squad:

Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Anthony Mannion, Tom Daly, Brian Mulvihill, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Jamie Carroll, Diarmaid Murtagh, Tom Sheehan, Thanh McCay, Killian Redmond, Oisin Nugent, Mattie Wozniak, Cian McCormack, Conor Sheehan, David Carter, Brandon Devaney, Dean Grehan, Sean O'Donoghue, Sean Doyle, Nathan McKeon

Under-10 Castledaly Tournament [22 September 2015]

The Garrycastle Under-10 squad started their final tournament of 2015, with a match against Maryland/Tang in Castledaly on Monday evening. In the Castledaly tournament, only one team per club is allowed, playing at 11-a-side. On a very wet evening, 18 players attended, and each got to play their part in the match.

Even though conditions overhead and underfoot were not great for playing football, the Garrycastle team started very brightly, and soon had scores on the board from Thanh McCay and Jamie Carroll. The majority of the first half was played in the Maryland/Tang half of the pitch, with the Garrycastle lads applying constant pressure, and were rewarded with further scores from Jamie and Thanh, as well as scores from Tom Sheehan, Killian Redmond and Oisin Nugent. At the half-time break, Garrycastle had a comfortable lead, having restricted Maryland/Tang to a single score.

As the second half started, we emptied the bench to give all players present as much game time as possible. Further scores from Thanh, Jamie and Diarmaid Murtagh pushed the game out of the reach of Maryland/Tang. The team got a welcome boost with the return of Conor Sheehan after an absence of 6 weeks, and he took a brace of nice scores as the game reached its conclusion. Not to be outdone, younger brother Tom helped himself to a score as the referee blew for full time.

On the evening, Garrycastle took a comfortable win. This performance was based on a solid defence, which simply refused to be beaten on the night, a midfield unit which tackled and fought for every ball, and a group of forwards very definitely wearing their shooting boots.

It was an very good team performance, with excellent passing, tackling and support play on view. The lads made light work of the difficult conditions, and can take great satisfaction in their performance. The next round of this competition sees Garrycastle play the Moate All-Whites.

Squad:

Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Anthony Mannion, Tom Daly, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Jamie Carroll, Diarmaid Murtagh, Tom Sheehan, Thanh McCay, Killian Redmond, Oisin Nugent, Mattie Wozniak, Cian McCormack, Conor Sheehan, David Carter, Brandon Devaney, Dean Grehan, Sean O'Donoghue.

Clann na nGael / Tormeys Solicitors Under-10 League, "C" Final [17 September 2015]

After a long league campaign, the Garrycastle Under-10 squad headed to Johnstown to play St. Brigids of Rosommon in the "C" final of the Clann na nGael / Tormeys Solicitors league on Thursday evening. On a lovely fine evening, with conditions perfect for playing football, we had a fabulous turnout of 31 players, divided into an under-9 team and an under-10 team.

The under-10 team started brightly, and traded points with St. Brigids over the course of a first-half played at breakneck speed. Jamie Carroll led the way, with no fewer than 6 points in the first half, ably supported by Thanh McCay, and Diarmaid Murtagh. The backline had to work extremely hard to limit the St. Brigids chances, but stepped up to the mark, and defended strongly. The second half began with Garrycastle attacking from multiple angles, and further scores by Diarmaid and Jamie brought the match level. The game was in the balance for the remainder of the half, and when Oisin Nugent scored from close range to put Garrycastle in front with a couple of minutes left, a win looked possible. However, it was not to be as St. Brigids rallied and closed out the scoring to take the win by 2 points.

Even though the result went against them, the Garrycastle squad can hold their heads high with this performance, From Conor McCarthy in goal all the way around the field, every player gave it their all.

The under-9 team also started well, and pushed hard to get some scores on the board. However, after scoring almost at will all the way throughout the league, their scoring touch deserted them on the night and they found scores very hard to come by. This match was nip-and-tuck all the way through, with absolutely nothing to separate the teams. A few injuries also took their toll, (the most serious being a finger injury sustained by Andrew Henson while blocking down a clearance, which necessitated a trip to A&E), and though the Garrycastle lads fought hard, the scores just would not come, and as the wide count mounted, St. Brigids took the win by a single point.

Again, all the players from Dean Grehan in goal all the way around the field can take great pride in their performance.

As per the rules of the competition, the Final score was the aggregate of the two matches, with Garrycastle losing out by 3 points on the night.

After the matches, the players were presented with their medals, and some much needed refreshments, by the Clann na nGael club.

And of course, we wish Andrew Henson a speedy recovery from his injury, and we're sure we'll see him playing again soon.

As this league comes to an end, we would like to thank Tormeys Solicitors and Clann na nGael for a hugely enjoyable and very well run tournament. While we were not successful on this occasion, we look forward eagerly to doing it all again next year!

Squad on the evening:

Under-10: Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Oisin Nugent, Diarmaid Murtagh, Brian Mulvihill, Jamie Carroll, Cian McCormack, Thanh McCay, Killian Redmond, Matthew Conner, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Tom Daly, Mattie Wozniak, Sean Doyle.

Under-9: Anthony Mannion, Nathan McKeon, Andrew Henson, Jack Allen, Sean O'Donoghue, David Carter, James McHugh, Killian Keegan, Tom Sheehan, Aaron Keegan, Kyle Greene, Dean Grehan, Brandon Devaney, Rian Gaynor, Oisin Mulvihill, Niadh Shine, Cian Norris.

Clann na nGael / Tormeys Solicitors Under-10 League [14 September 2015]

Garrycastle Under-10's travelled to Kiltoom on Monday night for the final round of this years Clann na nGael / Tormeys Solicitors league. As usual, we had a great turnout of players, with no fewer than 26 attending, allowing us to field the required Under-9 and Under-10 teams.

Due to the similarity in colours, as the "away" team, Garrycastle played in white for the evening.

The Under-9 match was a very one-sided affair, with Garrycastle stronger right around the field. The team took some great scores and built up a very comfortable lead by the half-time break. Indeed, if it were not for the number of shots that returned off the crossbar and posts, the score would have been higher.

In the second half, a number of positional switches were made, to give the players a chance to try out unfamiliar positions, and even with this, the team continued to push forward, and took a good win on the evening. All of the players from goalkeeper up, could justfiably be proud of their efforts on the evening.

The Under-10 match in contrast was a very close affair, with Garrycastle and St. Brigids exchanging scores in a very even first-half. An opening point from St.Brigids was answered by scores from Jamie Carroll and Brian Mulvihill, and the scoring continued in the same fashion to half time, with further Garrycastle scores from Jamie and the industrious Oisin Nugent. In the second half, the pattern continued, with further scores from Mattie Wozniak, Oisin and a final point from Diarmaid Murtagh. However, even as the scores went over, so the wide count increased, and not for the first time in this league, this cost us, as St. Brigids took a narrow victory.

Yet again, one win and one loss on the evening. After the league rounds, it would seem that we will play in the "C" final of the competition, most likely finishing 5th in the overall table. (Final results are not yet in from all matches).

Squad on the evening:

Under-10: Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Oisin Nugent, Diarmaid Murtagh, Brian Mulvihill, Jamie Carroll, Cian McCormack, Thanh McCay, Killian Redmond, Matthew Conner, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Tom Daly, Mattie Wozniak, Sean Doyle.

Under-9: Anthony Mannion, Nathan McKeon, Andrew Henson, Jack Allen, Sean O'Donoghue, David Carter, James McHugh, Killian Keegan, Tom Sheehan, Aaron Keegan, Kyle Greene, Dean Grehan.

Under 14 [14 September 2015]

Garrycastle Under 14 team put up a brave performance against Ballycomoyle in the Division 3 Shield semi-final played in Garrycastle on Saturday morning last before losing by three points in a high scoring match which was highly entertaining from start to finish. The Garrycastle team were short numerous players but full credit must be given to the players that did turn up and especially to the four Under 12 players namely Ben Donegan, Ben Kilkenny, Corey Nugent and Peter Mulvihill who were well and truly able to mix it with the older lads. These four players certainly have a great future in the club with the level of skill that they displayed despite them being so young.

Garrycastle had the aid of the strong breeze in the first- half and held a lead of 1-05 to no score after 15 minutes until Ballycomoyle got a goal to bring them back into contention and Garrycastle had a four point lead at the half-time break.

The second half was always going to be difficult for Garrycastle as they had to play into a strong breeze but full credit to the entire team in that they never gave up despite falling behind a few times during the second half and only for the excellent display of the Ballycomoyle captain and keeper Garrycastle could have snatched victory.

Overall, every one of the players that turned up played their heart out for the entire game and hopefully they will enjoy the winter break. There is no doubt that there will be better days ahead for so many of these young players as the bulk of them that played on Saturday last are all again underage next year.

Panel: Neil Costello, Daniel McManus, Joseph Henson, Cathal Redmond, Nataniel O’Neill, Robert O Brien, Dylan Keegan, Daniel Guinan, Peter Mulvihill, Fergal Mullin, Ben Kilkenny, Ben Donegan, Tommy Devery, Corey Nugent, Saumil Sharma.

Under-6 Football Blitz, Garrycastle [13 September 2015]

We held our first home under-6 blitz in Garrycastle on Saturday morning, with teams from Athlone and the Moate All-Whites in attendance. Despite missing a number of key players, the Garrycastle boys and girls gave a great account of themselves.

They played two great games, with plenty of determination and skill on view from the youngest players in the club. Particularly prominent for Garrycastle were Jack Tucker, Erin McHugh, Tadhg Mulvihill, Jack Kilmurray, Ella Sweeney, Rory O'Connor, Doireann Keena and James Earley.

After the games all the players were treated to some refreshments in recognition of their efforts.

Many thanks to the mentors and players from Athlone and Moate for coming in, and to the Garrycastle players and their parents for the great support from the sidelines.

(Match Report: Colin Clyne)

Clann na nGael / Tormeys Solicitors Under-10 League [11 September 2015]

Athlone were the visitors to Garrycastle for the re-fixed round 2 tie in the Clann na nGael / Tormeys Solicitors league. On a truly miserable night for football, we had a good turnout of players, and fielded teams at under-9 and under-10 age groups as normal.

The under-9 team struggled to make an impact in the conditions, and found that handling the ball was very tricky in the wet conditions - even keeping their feet was a challenge at times. However, they dug deep, and buoyed up by an excellent defensive display from Anthony Mannon in the backline, battled hard, and led the game at the half-time break. The second half was more of the same, with the Athlone team fighting hard to get into the game, putting huge pressure on Garrycastle all around the pitch. However, Garrycastle rallied again, and with some excellent scores from James McHugh among other, stretched out their lead and took a deserved win.

In contrast, the under-10 team started well, putting Athlone under pressure from the off. Early scores from Jamie Carroll set the scene, and Garrycastle pressed forward strongly, but were guilty of some over elaboration in the center of the field, and did not translate their possession into scores. At half-time, Garrycastle trailed by 1 point. The second half was all Athlone, as they attacked in waves, and only some excellent defending by the backline, with Jack Mulvihill most prominent, kept the scores down. However, as legs tired in the conditions, Athlone stretched their lead, and ran out deserved winners.

So, for the fifth time in this competition, it was a win and a loss for Garrycastle. Some positives to take was the effort from the under-9 team, and the first half display from the under-10 team. However, heads dropped far too early on the under-10 team in the second half, and much more effort will be required for the final round against St. Brigids on Monday evening next.

Squad on the evening:

Under-10: Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Oisin Nugent, Diarmaid Murtagh, Brian Mulvihill, Jamie Carroll, Cian McCormack, Thanh McCay, Killian Redmond, Matthew Conner, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Tom Daly, Mattie Wozniak.

Under-9: Anthony Mannion, Nathan McKeon, Andrew Henson, Jack Allen, Sean O'Donoghue, David Carter, James McHugh, Killian Keegan, Tom Sheehan, Brandon Devaney, Aaron Keegan, Kyle Greene.

Under-10 League Finals night [7 September 2015]

The Garrycastle Under-10 squad headed off to Cusack Park, Mullingar on Monday evening for the final round of this years Westmeath Under-10 league. On a lovely dry night in county headquarters, Garrycastle fielded two teams, and played against Killucan and Coralstown/Kinnegad.

The Garrycastle "Red" team played their match against Killucan, and got off to a great start, with early scores from David Carter and Tom Sheehan to settle the team down. The Garrycastle team were stronger all over the pitch, totally controlling the midfield area, and tacked on further scores from Killian Keegan, Jack Mulvihill and a pair of points from Brian Mulvihill before the break. Killucan came back strongly at the start of the second half, and now it was the turn of the Garrycastle defence to show their strength, and with some excellent tackling and clearances from Jack and Tom Daly, combined with great kickouts from Conor McCarthy weathered the storm. Garrycastle then stepped up a gear, and showed some great football, leading to further scores from Killian, Tom and Thanh McCay. In the end, Garrycastle were comfortable winners on this occasion. This was a real team performance where any of the players could make the case for man of the match.

The Garrycastle "Green" team played Coralstown/Kinnegad in their match. As in the other match, the Garrycastle lads started strongly, and were soon a couple of points up, with scores from Jamie Carroll and Diarmaid Murtagh. They pressed on strongly, and allowed nothing at the back where Anthony Mannion gave a command performance, ably supported by Sean Doyle.

Some of the fielding and catching in this game was from the top drawer, with one high catch in particular by Kyle Greene catching the eye. The Garrycastle team kept a tight grip on this game, and ran out strong winners. This was another very impressive team performance, and again, any player on this team could justifiably make a claim for the man of the match award.

Overall, a very satisfactory evening in Mullingar for the Garrycastle squad.

Squad on the evening:

"Red" Team: Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Killian Keegan, Cian McCormack, Tom Daly, Brian Mulvihill, Tom Sheehan, Thanh McCay, David Carter, Killian Redmond, Mattie Wozniak.

"Green" Team: Nathan McKeon, Sean Doyle, Anthony Mannion, Kyle Greene, Sean O'Donoghue, Jack Allen, Diarmaid Murtagh, Jamie Carroll, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Matthew Conner, Oisin Nugent, Brandon Devaney.

(Match Report: William Leahy)

Under 14 [7 September 2015]

Garrycastle 3-15 Tubberclair 3-06

The Under 14s have been plagued all summer with an extensive injury list and other absences. This match was probably the closest management have come to fielding a full strength team. The game which was played in Tubberclair saw a much improved overall team performance from the Garrycastle players who fully deserved what was a hard-earned but comprehensive victory in the end. Garrycastle led 0-12 to 0-3 at half time having played with the aid of a fresh breeze. The half was marked by some excellent long range point taking from the likes of Dylan Keegan, Andrew Monaghan, Fergal Mullin and Daragh Kenna while Nathan Breslin was a constant threat in the full forward line where he received good support from James Murphy and the pacey Luke Clinton. Jason Collins Mannion put in a very positive shift from right half forward and set up several good moves. Chances were at a premium at the other end where full back Ryan Cornally and centre half back Daniel Guinan were dominant but Michael Dooley still had to make an excellent save after an incisive Tubberclair attack.

With Keegan and Monaghan continuing to take charge in the middle of the field, Garrycastle dominated possession in the first five minutes of the second half but they failed to put the game to bed with a number of shots drifting wide or falling short into the stiff breeze. Gradually Tubberclair started to enjoy some sustained pressure of their own and a couple of goals in quick succession midway through the half saw the gap narrow to an uncomfortable four points. However, whereas in previous matches Garrycastle had no substitutes to call upon it was the bench on this occasion which came to the rescue with the fresh legs of Nathaniel O’Neill, Corey Nugent and Neil Costello making a difference. Goals from Nathan Breslin and Corey Nugent steadied the ship and after Fergal Mullin added another following some excellent build up play Garrycastle were able to see out the last period of the match in comfort.

As well as those already mentioned there were very solid performances in the full back line from Cian Dowling and Joseph Henson while both Robert O’Brien and Cathal Redmond were always on top on the flanks against a number of different opponents. The only dampener on the night was a nasty injury sustained in an accidental collision by one of Tubberclair’s most prominent players, Neil Kenny. The Garrycastle players and management wish him a speedy return to action.

Garrycastle squad on the night was: Michael Dooley, Cian Dowling, Ryan Cornally, Joseph Henson, Robert O’Brien, Daniel Guinan, Cathal Redmond, Andrew Monaghan, Dylan Keegan, Jason Collins Mannion, Daragh Kenna, Luke Clinton, James Murphy, Fearghal Mullin, Nathan Breslin, Nathaniel O’Neill Neil Costello, Corey Nugent, Daniel McManus (not used, inj.).

Clann na nGael / Tormeys Solicitors Under-10 League [2 September 2015]

The Under-10 and under-9 teams played St. Dominics, from Knockcroghery in Roscommon in the sixth round of the Clann na nGael / Tormeys Solicitors league on Wednesday evening in Garrycastle. A good turnout on the evening allowed us field 2 teams at 11-a-side.

In the Under-10 match, Garrycastle started well, and soon had a score on the board from Jamie Carroll. Playing with the wind, Garrycastle had to work hard to get some scores on the board against a resolute St. Dominics defence. Good midfield play opened up some opportunities for Jamie, Killian Redmond and Kealan Ryan-McIntyre to add to the score before St. Dominics registered their first score. Further scores from Diarmaid Murtagh and Kealan rounded off a good first half display.

Playing against the wind in the second half, Garrycastle laid siege to the St. Dominics goal, but kicked no fewer than 6 wides in a row before Jamie and Matthew Conner added to the score. From then on, Garrycastle were always in charge around the field and further scores from Jamie rounded out a good win. This was an impressive display with all 14 players playing at least half a match each, and all players impressing.

In the Under-9 match, the Garrycastle team started slowly and relied on some strong defending by Anthony Mannion and Andrew Henson to keep St. Dominics at bay. Slowly the midfield of Tom Sheehan and Jack Allen got the upper hand, and helped by some good forward play from David Carter and Killian Keegan started to pop over some scores. At half-time, Garrycastle led by a single score.

As the second half started, the Garrycastle team stated to dominate around the field, and with better service to the forwards, the scores started to flow, with Rian Gaynor and James McHugh to the fore. In full flow now, the team continued to add scores, but also defended strongly as the need arose, and ran out comfortable winners in the end.

So, two wins on the night. Overall, this was a very impressive display from the under-10 and under-9 teams, with all 26 players on the night playing their part in two excellent matches. All of the players can hold their heads high after two excellent performances.

Squad on the evening:

Under-10: Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Sean Doyle, Oisin Nugent, Diarmaid Murtagh, Brian Mulvihill, Jamie Carroll, Cian McCormack, Thanh McCay, Killian Redmond, Matthew Conner, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Tom Daly, Mattie Wozniak.

Under-9: Anthony Mannion, Nathan McKeon, Andrew Henson, Jack Allen, Sean O'Donoghue, David Carter, James McHugh, Rian Gaynor, Niadh Shine, Killian Keegan, Tom Sheehan, Cian Norris.

Clann na nGael / Tormeys Solicitors Under-10 League [31 August 2015]

We welcomed Ballinasloe in to Garrycastle to play the fifth round of the Clann na nGael / Tormeys Solicitors league on Monday evening. On a decent evening for football, we fielded 25 players, fielding teams at under-9 and under-10 level.

In the under-9 match, Garrycastle started well, but a combination of poor shooting, and wayward passes kept the scores to a minimum, and at the break, Garrycastle led by just a single score. However, in the second half, a couple of positional switches proved the difference, as the Garrycastle lads took a firm hold of the game. Some strong defensive work limiting the Ballinasloe chances, as well as much more accurate shooting, allowed the Garrycastle team to stretch their lead, and they ran out comfortable winners in the end.

In the under-10 match, the Garrycastle team started very slowly, and allowed Ballinasloe to build up an early lead. Some poor handling, especially once the ball was won, and some wayward shooting, meant the Garrycastle team trailed at the half-time break. A much more businesslike start to the second half saw Garrycastle pile on the pressure to try and level the match. Thanh McCay in the center of the field was the focus of much of the good work in the second half, as was Brian Mulvihill, who worked tirelessly, tacking and blocking and linking the play. With some excellent scores from Jamie Carroll, Cian McCormack, Diarmaid Murtagh and Brian, it looked for a while that we would close the gap. However, a large number of wides also meant that we were always chasing the game, and Ballinasloe held on for the win.

So, not for the first time this year, we had one win and one loss on the night, a fair result for both teams.

Squad on the evening:

Under-10: Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Sean Doyle, Oisin Nugent, Diarmaid Murtagh, Brian Mulvihill, Jamie Carroll, Cian McCormack, Thanh McCay, Killian Redmond, Matthew Conner, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Tom Daly

Under-9: Anthony Mannion, Nathan McKeon, Kyle Greene, Andrew Henson, Jack Allen, Sean O'Donoghue, David Carter, Oisin Mulvihill, James McHugh, Aaron Keegan, Killian Keegan, Tom Sheehan.

Under-10 win Shield in Larry Nugent Tournament [29 August 2015]

The Garrycastle under-10 team won the Shield competition at the Larry Nugent Tournament held in Caulry on Saturday morning, defeating Rosemount in the final.

On the morning, Garrycastle were drawn in the same group as Kilbeggan/St. Josephs and Ballinacarrigy for the group games. In thr first match, Garrycastle played Kilbeggan/St. Josephs, and started brightly, with scores from Thanh McCay and Killian Redmond, and led deservedly at the half-time break. However, we were wasteful with scoring opportunites, shooting a large number of wides, and this really was was to prove our undoing, as in the second half playing into the wind, we could not get the scores needed, and Kilbeggan ran out winners by two points.

In the second group game, we played against Ballinacarrigy, and due to depleted numbers on their team, this match was played at 7-a-side. In order to give all our players a chance, we changed the team totally at half-time in this match. In the first half, we again started brightly, with scores from Thanh and Jamie Carroll, but struggled a little with only having 7 players on an 11-a-side pitch, and gave away a couple of scores to Ballinacarrigy from frees and 45's. In the second half, with a totally changed team on the field, we took a little time to settle, but a well taken score from Kyle Greene steadied the ship, and we went on to take a deserved win.

This meant that we qualified for the Shield final, where we played Rosemount. The Rosemount team took an early lead before Diarmaid Murtagh levelled for Garrycastle, and further points from Brian Mulvihill and Jamie, interspersed with points from Rosemount, meant the game was level half-way through the first half. However, from then on, it was one-way traffic from Garrycastle as scores from Jack Allen, Thanh and Jamie gave Garrycastle a comfortable lead at the half-time break. In the second half we introduced all of our substitues, and pressed home the advantage, with some excellent scores from Thanh, Jamie, David Carter and Diarmaid, while our defence held firm, restricting Rosemount to just a single point in the second half.

It was a jubilant group of players, led by captain Jack Mulvihill, who ascended the steps to accept the Larry Nugent Shield, and their medals from the host club.

Overall, this was a decent display from the under-10 squad. The issues with taking scores, so evident in the first match, were nowhere to be seen in the Shield final. All the players present can take huge pride in their efforts on the day, and in bringing the first trophy of the year back to Garrycastle.

Squad on the day:

Sean O'Donoghue, Sean Doyle, Anthony Mannion, Jack Mulvihill, Matthew Conner, Tom Sheehan, Jamie Carroll, David Carter, Diarmaid Murtagh, Brian Mulvihill, Kyle Greene, Thanh McCay, Jack Allen, Killian Redmond, Cian McCormack, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre.

Under-12, Div. 1 League [23 August 2015]

GARRYCASTLE 1-07, THE DOWNS 3-08

Our U12s made the long journey to the Downs last Wednesday evening to take on the home side in a Division 1 league tie. On a difficult evening for football because of a swirling wind the lads gave an excellent account of themselves against a physically stronger and taller Downs side! The game was only decided in the final 10 minutes by the concession of two late Downs goals against the run of play.

In what was a fine team effort from the boys despite still being short a few lads due to holidays they went toe to toe with a Downs team that were certainly aided by some very dubious home town refereeing decisions all through. The boys played some great football from start to finish and unfortunately some unforced handling errors cost them in the end. This was a very pleasing performance from the mentors perspective and we hope to continue this form into our next game away to St Lomans.

Panel on Duty:

Bill Carmody, Frank McKiernan, Cian McCarthy, Chris Kehoe, Peter Mulvihill, John McBride, John Dylan O Shea, Ben Kilkenny, Corey Nugent, Ben Donegan, Andrew Ruane, Kirill Egan, Tadgh McKiernan, Rishav Gufta, Stephen Gaffey, Frano Derwin, Niall Agwaboro, Adam Mulvihill, Rory Kilgarriff.

(Match Report: John Ruane)

Clann na nGael / Tormeys Solicitors Under-10 League [21 August 2015]

The Garrycastle Under-10 team journeyed to Johnstown to play Clann na nGael in the fourth round of this years Clann na nGael/Tormeys Solicitors league. Our numbers were somewhat depleted on the evening, but with the addition of some of our under-8 players, we were able to field 2 teams, one at under-10 level, and one at under-9 level.

In the Under-10 match, Garrycastle started strongly, and soon had some scores on the board from the industrious Thanh McCay and Diarmaid Murtagh. Some great football all around the pitch saw Garrycastle build out a decent lead mid way through the first half. As half-time approached, it was the home teams turn to apply the pressure, and at the break, the home team led by three points. As in the first half, Garrycastle started the second half strongly, and soon regained the lead with some great scores building on fantastic defensive work, with Sean Doyle impressing, and great midfield play, with Diarmaid, Brian Mulvihill and Jamie Carroll. From then to the end, the teams traded scores, but just as the game ended, the last Garrycastle attack was waved agonisingly wide by the referee, to leave Clann the victors by a single point.

This was an excellent game of football, with great skill and effort on display from both teams. From a Garrycastle viewpoint, some great defensive play, allied to a strong midfield performance, and some super score taking was a pleasure to behold.

In the Under-9 match, Garrycastle also started the stronger, and led all the way to the half-time break. The Clann team attacked strongly as the second half started, but some great play by the backline of Anthony Mannion, Kyle Greene and Andrew Henson kept the chances to a minimum, while at the other end of the field, the scoreboard was kept ticking over with some great scores from James McHugh, Aaron Keegan and Jack Allen. Garrycastle maintained their lead from start to finish in this game to take a well deserved win.

Overall, this was a good performance from both Garrycastle teams, with one win and one loss on the evening. However, with a little bit of luck, both games could have been won.

Squad on the evening:

Under-10: Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Sean Doyle, Oisin Nugent, Diarmaid Murtagh, Brian Mulvihill, Jamie Carroll, Cian McCormack, Thanh McCay, Killian Redmond, Matthew Conner.

Under-9: Dean Grehan, Anthony Mannion, Kyle Greene, Andrew Henson, Jack Allen, Sean O'Donoghue, David Carter, Oisin Mulvihill, James McHugh, Brandon Devaney, Aaron Keegan.

Minor League Championship [20 August 2015]

BALLYCOMOYLE 7-10 GARRYCASTLE 2-3

Garrycastle minors, who had a number of absentees due to the school graduation functions, suffered a heavy defeat in their opening game in the League Championship in Ballycomoyle last Wednesday evening.

Ballycomoyle were a bigger and stronger outfit and made full use of this advantage to race into an early lead, scoring a couple of goals and points in the opening quarter. Garrycastle did respond with a point from a free by Cathal Mannion. The home side continued to dominate and added a third goal, from what looked a soft penalty award. An improvement from the Garrycastle lads saw two further points from Cathal Mannion, one from a free and one from play. Jack O’Connor then added a goal to bridge the gap somewhat. However, Ballycomoyle added a fourth goal on the stroke of half time to lead 4-3 to 1-3 at the break.

Matthew McBride was brought on in goal at the break with Shane McEnery moving to midfield for the second half. However, the home side continued to dominate and while Garrycastle did have some scoring opportunities, players were guilty of looking for goals when points were on offer. Conor Mulvihill did score a goal for the Garrycastle boys after some good approach play. The final score 7-10- to 2-3 in favour of the home side.

This was a very disappointing performance from Garrycastle, and the lack of match practice in the lead up was clearly evident. They will have to show significant improvement, determination and work-rate in their remaining fixtures. Mark Denby, Loic Gately, Ross Mulvihill, Brian Ruane and substitute Matthew McBride were most prominent for the Garrycastle side.

GARRYCASTLE: Shane McEnery, Brian Leahy, Mark Denby, Jack Brody, Loic Gatley, Sean Mulvihill, Ross Mulvihill, Bill Kelly, Brian Ruane, Cathal Mannion (0-3, 2f), Eoin Duignan, Jack O’Connor (1-0) and Conor Mulvihill (1-0).

SUBS: Matthew McBride for C Mulvihill; Caolan Jameson for S Mulvihill; Conor Macken for E Duignan; Ian Carroll for J O’Connor; Conor Mulvihill for B Kelly;

Under-10 League Division 1, Miltownpass, August 11th [12 August 2015]

The Garrycastle Under-10 squad headed off to Miltownpass on Tuesday evening for round-8 of this years county under-10 league, which was played as a blitz evening, with Garrycastle playing the hosts, Shandonagh and Coralstown/Kinnegad in three rounds of matches. Garrycastle were short players on the evening, so we only fielded 1 team.

In the first round of matches, Garrycastle faced the hosts, Miltownpass. A great game of football was served up by two well matched teams. Some great play by the Garrycastle lads saw them create numerous attempts in the first half, but poor shot choices, and some great goalkeeping by the Miltownpass goalie, meant the teams were level at half-time. Garrycastle introduced all their substitutes for the start of the second half and traded score for score with Miltownpass, and could not pull away. The game ended in a well-deserved draw for both teams.

The second game against Shandonagh started well for the Garrycastle lads, and they soon drew into a comfortable lead coming up to the half-time mark. Some great performances all over the field, with Jamie Carroll and Brian Mulvihill in the middle of the field, catching the eye. Again, all the substitutes were introduced at halftime, and even though Shandonagh tried hard to get back into the game, there was no way past the Garrycastle backline, and the Garrycastle squad extended their lead to win confortably in the end.

In the final match of the evening, Garrycastle played against Coralstown/Kinnegad. After a bright start, the Garrycastle lads left in a few scores just before the break to allow Coralstown/Kinnegad take a slender lead. The second half, with Garrycastle now playing downhill, was a very evenly contested affair, with the teams trading points evenly. However, some poor wides, as legs tired, meant that we could not close the gap and Coralstown/Kinnegad ran out winners in the end.

Overall, a great evenings football from the Garrycastle squad, With very depleted numbers, playing just one team meant that everyone present played at least one half of every match.

Squad on the evening:

Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Killian Keegan, Cian McCormack, Tom Daly, Brian Mulvihill, Thanh McCay, Killian Redmond, David Carter, Nathan McKeon, Sean Doyle, Matthew Conner, Jamie Carroll, Oisin Nugent, James McHugh, Andrew Henson.

Under-12 League, Group A [31 July 2015]

GARRYCASTLE 6-10, MULLINGAR SHAMROCKS 0-06

Our U12s played Mullingar Shamrocks last Wednesday evening in Garrycastle in pleasant but windy conditions. Right from the throw-in the lads dominated during which they showed some excellent teamwork. Playing into the wind in the first half we built up a good half time lead of 3-06 to 0-02 thanks to some fine work in particular from Frank McKiernan, Cian McCarthy, John Dylan O Shea, Peter Mulvihill and Chris Kehoe in defense, Frano Derwin in Midfield and Ben Donegan, Kirill Egan, Rory Kilgarriff and Corey Nugent in attack.

Determined to finish the job and collect the 2 league points on offer we started the second half strongly again with Andrew Ruane, Niall Awagaboro, Ben Kilkenny and Jamie Carroll prominent throughout! As usual our goal was well minded by Bill Carmody, who as well as making a few fine saves, his kick outs and distribution was excellent.

(Match Report: John Ruane)

Under-10 League Blitz, Castledaly, July 21st [21 July 2015]

The Garrycastle Under-10 squad played in Round 7 of the Westmeath Under-10 league which was runoff as a blitz evening in Castledaly on Tuesday evening. Due to Summer holidays, we had a very depleted squad, with only 17 players available, including some under-8 players called up to ensure we could field. Even so, we fielded 2 teams, playing at 8 or 9-a-side.

The Garrycastle "Red" team, (playing at 8-a-side), played against the Caulry-1 and Caulry-2 teams in their two matches. Both matches were characterised by some excellent play from the Garrycastle lads, with great performances from all the players present. Some excellent defensive work by Jack Mulvihill and Killian Keegan, in front of the impressive Nathan McKeon in goals, provided the springboard for the midfield of Conor Sheehan and Brian Mulvihill to control the game. Up front, the industrious and very busy David Carter led the line, and picked off some fine scores, ably supported by Kealan Ryan-McIntyre and Tom Daly, both of whom chipped in with important scores when needed. On the evening, the "Red" team was a little too strong for their opponents, and won both games.

The Garrycastle "Green" team had a harder opening match against a strong Moate All-Whites team. The midfield pairing of Diarmaid Murtagh and Tom Sheehan had to battle hard for possession, and the backline of Anthony Mannion, Rian Gaynor and Oisin Nugent found themselves fighting a rearguard battle to handle the Moate forwards.

In the second half, the "Green" team upped their game considerably, and took the game to Moate, with some excellent scores from Jack Allen and Aaron Keegan, and some fine support play in setting up chances from Dervla Turley. Even though they outscored Moate in the second half, Moate still claimed the victory in the overall match.

In their second match, they came up against a skillful Castledaly side, and the exertions from he previous match started to take its toll as energy waned, However, even though the Garrycastle team battled bravely to the end, they had to yield to Castledaly on this occasion.

Overall, a good evenings football, and allowing for the small number of players available, and the fact they all played in the Clann na nGael tournament the night before, this was an encouraging performance.

Squad:

"Red" Team : Nathan McKeon, Jack Mulvihill, Tom Daly, Conor Sheehan, Killian Keegan, Brian Mulvihill, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, David Carter.

"Green" Team: Conor McCarthy, Anthony Mannion, Jack Allen, Tom Sheehan, Rian Gaynor, Aaron Keegan, Oisin Nugent, Dervla Turley, Diarmaid Murtagh.

Clann na nGael / Tormeys Solicitors Under-10 League, Round 3 [20 July 2015]

The Garrycastle Under-10 team played Padraig Pearses from Roscommon in the third round of this years Clann na nGael/Tormeys Solicitors Under-10 league in Garrycastle on Monday evening. In this league, each club fields an under-10 and under-9 team in each round. On the evening, it was a very depleted Garrycastle squad which took the field, with a number of under-8 players called up so that we could field at both grades. It also meant that as we had no substitutes, all players present played a full match. Weather conditions were not great, with a strong wind blowing across the pitch, making control difficult.

In the Under-10 match, both teams started well, trading some fine scores. Garrycastle started playing against the wind, but thrived in the conditions, and except for some poor finishing at times, would have led into the break. Playing with the wind in the second half, the number of wides grew, and Padraig Pearses made better use of their possession, to run out worthy winners.

Best for Garrycastle were Jack Mulvihill at full back who had an excellent game, Brian Mulvihill at midfield who was everywhere in pursuit of the ball, and forwards Oisin Nugent and Brandon Devaney who showed well for the ball and were a little unlucky with some scoring attempts.

In the Under-9 match, Garrycastle played against the wind in the first half, and put the opening score on the board thanks to Jack Allen. The next two scores went to the Pearses squad. However, from then on, the Garrycastle team took control, kicking over some lovely points from play, to take a good lead into the break. After the break, the Garrycastle team continued where they left off, and continued to rack up the scores, giving very little away. As the game ended, the Garrycastle team ran out comfortable winers.

This was an excellent performance from the under-9 squad, including, as it did, three under-8 players. Every single player could justifiably take a man-of-the-match award, and the displays of high fielding, blocking, tackling and passing was first rate.

So overall, honours even, with one win and one loss for each club.

Under-10 squad:

Conor McCarthy, Conor McCormack, Jack Mulvihill, Tom Daly, Brian Mulvihill, Diarmaid Murtagh, Conor Sheehan, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Oisin Nugent, Brandon Devaney.

Under-9 squad:

Nathan McKeon, Rian Gaynor, Killian Keegan, Anthony Mannion, Jack Allen, Tom Sheehan, Kyle Greene, James McHugh, David Carter, Aaron Keegan, Dervla Turley.

Under-10 County League [11 July 2015]

The latest round of the Westmeath Under-10 league was runoff as a blitz evening in Garrycastle on Tuesday evening. We welcomed teams from Milmore Gaels, Caulry, St. Marys Rochfortbridge and Rosemount. In total, 9 teams were present, with each team playing two matches.

The Garrycastle squad was very depleted on the evening due to many players being absent on summer holidays, so in order to field two teams as usual, we called up some of our under-8 squad to make their debut at this level.

The Garrycastle "Red" team played against Caulry and Milmore Gaels. They were victorious against the Caulry team, and lost out narrowly to Milmore Gaels. There were good performances from Diarmaid Murtagh in midfield, and some excellent scores from Jack Allen and Thanh McCay.

The Garrycastle "Green" team played against the second Caulry team, and St. Marys Rochfortbridge, and even though they never stopped trying, they were unable to match the size and strength of their opponents, losing out in both matches. Impressive performances here from Jazmen Rafiz, and great debut performances from James McHugh and Andrew Henson from our under-8 squad.

Overall, this was a mixed performance, but given that so many of the under-10 group were unavailable, it was heartening to see the effort put in by those players who attended.

Squad on the evening:

Cian McCormack, Conor Sheehan, Jack Allen, Matthew Conner, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Thanh McCay, Diarmaid Murtagh, Killian Redmond, David Carter, Tom Sheehan, Brian Mulvihill, Tom Daly, Killian Keegan, Nathan Kelly, Nathan Jackson, Anthony Mannion, Jazmen Rafiz, James McHugh, Andrew Henson.

Minor League (Division 3) [10 July 2015]

GARRYCASTLE 1-9 CORALSTOWN/KINNEGAD 0-11

Garrycastle minors recorded a second consecutive win in this league encounter in Garrycastle last Friday evening. It was a good evening for football and thankfully the rain held off until just after the final whistle.

It was the visitors who made the most promising start and struck over three points in the opening six minutes of play. Garrycastle had to withstand a couple of other attacks but gradually worked their way into the game. A pointed free from Ross Mulvihill got them on the scoreboard after the same player was fouled. Cathal Mannion added a point from play in the 10th minute to leave the minimum between the sides. A pointed free and one from open play saw Coralstown/Kinnegad restore their three point advantage as the game entered the closing minutes of the first half. Brian Ruane then chipped in with a good point for Garrycastle. A pointed free from Cathal Mannion was added to with a point from Bill Kelly to level the scores. Garrycastle grabbed the lead as the game went into injury time when a good attack saw the ball drop behind the Coralstown/Kinnegad defence and Jack O’Connor was on hand to fire to the net. The visitors again responded with a point before the break to leave it 1-5 to 0-7 in Garrycastle’s favour.

In all of their games to date the Garrycastle lads have started slowly in the second period. However, that was not the case in this game, they pushed forward at every opportunity and were rewarded with a point from Brian Ruane and a pointed free form Cathal Mannion had the Garrycastle boys three to the good by the 36th minute. It could have been better, but a number of other opportunities were not converted. The visitors hit back with a point from play and a point from a close range free. Bill Kelly broke forward to hit a point and this was immediately added to with a fine point from Eoin Duignan as the game entered the final 10 minutes. Coralstown/Kinnegad began to exert great pressure on the Garrycastle defence, who battled gallantly to keep them out. The only reward for the visitors were two pointed frees as the game entered added time. Garrycastle held on and recorded a close fought win.

This was a closely contested game between two evenly match sides. It could easily have finished on level terms, as the visitors missed a couple of point chances at the end, including a 13 meter free. However, the Garrycastle boys showed great determination and grit to forge the win in such a tight game. In addition, the fact that Garrycastle had only 13 player available meant that there was no opportunity to introduce any fresh legs as players energy levels dropped towards the end. There were particularly good performances from Brian Leahy, Mark Denby, Loic Gately and Ross Mulvihill in defence. Bill Kelly and Conor Mulvihill worked tirelessly in midfield. Cathal Mannion, Brian Ruane showed well in attack and Jack O’Connor chipped in with the game’s only goal.

GARRYCASTLE: Shane McEnery, Brian Leahy, Caolan Jameson, Mark Denby, Loic Gatley, Ross Mulvihill (0-1, 1f), Bill Kelly (0-2), Conor Mulvihill, Brian Ruane (0-2), Cathal Mannion (0-3, 2f), Ronan Mulvihill, Jack O’Connor (1-0) and Eoin Duignan (0-1).

Minor League (Div 3) [1 July 2015]

GARRYCASTLE 4-7 BALLYCOMOYLE 1-7

The Garrycastle minors secured their first win of the league with a well-deserved win over Ballycomoyle in Garrycastle last Wednesday evening. A heavy shower just before throw-in made the playing surface very greasy and the opening exchanges saw players from both sides struggle to keep their feet and numerous handling errors. However, it helped to contribute to an exciting and open game of football.

Garrycastle got a perfect start when a slick attack involving several players put Cathal Mannion clear on goal and he made no mistake to raise the game’s first green flag in the 2nd minute. Ballycomoyle responded with appoint from play and indeed had a good goal opportunity which was thwarted by some good defending by the Garrycastle lads. Bill Kelly pointed soon after to stretch his side’s lead. A second Garrycastle goal came mid-way through the half when Brian Ruane was on hand to finish to the net. At this stage Garrycastle were playing with great confidence and this was amplified when Ronan Mulvihill chipped in with his side’s third goal to put Garrycastle all of 3 goals to the good. Ballycomoyle had a point from a free but Ross Mulvihill pointed for Garrycastle, also from a placed ball. Cathal Mannion had another pointed free as the break approached, but there was sufficient time for Ballycomoyle to get a point from play and leave it 3-3 to 0-3 at the break.

On the resumption Cathal Mannion had a point from a free. Ballycomoyle broke forward and a dangerous attack resulted in a foul by a Garrycastle defender in the large square, which was correctly punished by the award of a penalty. However, Shane McEnery stood tall and made a fine save from the penalty kick to maintain his side’s advantage. Ballycomoyle had their best period of the game now and hit over a point. A goal soon followed for the visitors and when they hit two more points in the next 5 minutes the gap was reduced to just four points with plenty of time remaining. Garrycastle steadied and two points, the first from a Ross Mulvihill free and the second from play by Cathal Mannion left six between the sides. Garrycastle were awarded a penalty when Ronan Mulvihill was fouled close to goal and Cathal Mannion struck hit shot firmly to the net. Ballycomoyle fought hard to get back into the game but apart from an injury time pointed free, they could not breach the Garrycastle defence. There was just enough time for substitute, Ian Carroll, to hit over a point in the closing minutes, to leave it 4-7 to 1-7 at the finish.

This was a somewhat patchy performance but the lads will take great confidence from the win. Shane McEnery was solid in goal and made an important penalty save early in the second period. Brian Leahy, Loic Gately and Jack Brody defended well throughout. Bill Kelly was prominent in mid-field. Cathal Mannion and Ronan Mulvihill gave the Ballycomoyle defence a trying time of it and there were also telling contributions from substitutes, Philip Monaghan and Ian Carroll.

GARRYCASTLE: Shane McEnery, Brian Leahy, Tiernan Dixon, Sean Mulvihill, Loic Gatley, Jack Brody, Bill Kelly (0-1), Conor Mulvihill, Ross Mulvihill (0-2, 2f), Cathal Mannion (2-3, 1-0 pen, 0-2f), Ronan Mulvihill (1-0), Eoin Duignan and Brian Ruane (1-0).

SUBS: Philip Monaghan for Conor Mulvihill (Half time); Jack O’Connor for Eoin Duignan (43 min); Conor Mulvihill for T Dixon (47 min); Ian Carroll (0-1) for B Ruane (50 min).

Clann na nGael / Tormeys Solicitors Under-10 League, Round 1 [29 June 2015]

Garrycastle Under-10's opened their campaign in this years Clann na nGael/Tormeys Solicitors league with an away fixture to Tubberclair. On the evening, we had a much reduced number of players available, so two matches were played at 9-a-side.

The Garrycastle "Red" team, comprising the older players started slowly, and soon found themselves down by a couple of points. However, driven on by Brian Mulvihill and Conn O'Hara, they worked their way back into the game, and went in at the half-time break down by the narrowest of margins. Tubberclair started the second half strongly, and opened up the lead again, but the Garrycastle team dug in and aided by some great scores from the industrious Thanh McCay and Jamie Carroll, eventually took the lead, to win out the match by a single score.

The Garrycastle "Green" team, started at speed, and except for some wayward shooting, would have had a handsome lead. Tubberclair were more clinical in their shooting, and opened up a slender lead, which was pegged back by two fine points from Jack Allen. Further points from David Carter, Tom Sheehan and Jack left the Garrycastle team trailing by two points at the break. However, in the second half, nothing worked for the Garrycastle team, and try as they did, they could not break down a determined Tubberclair rearguard, and were caught repeatedly on the counter attack, giving up a lot of easy scores. Tubberclair easily took the win in the end of this match.

So, overall, a mixed bag from a Garrycastle point of view.

Squad on the evening:

"Red" team: Conor McCarthy, Killian Keegan, Jack Mulvihill, Conn O'Hara, Brian Mulvihill, Jamie Carroll, Thanh McCay, Nathan Jackson, Matthew Conner, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre.

"Green" team: Dean Grehan, Anthony Mannion, Nathan McKeon, Tom Daly, Brandon Devaney, Tom Sheehan, David Carter, Jack Allen, Jazmen Rafiz, Nathan Kelly.

Under-8 challenge vs. Clann na nGael [26 June 2015]

Garrycastle U-8’s played Clann na nGael on Wednesday night, (June 24th), in Johnstown for the first time this year. Both clubs had great numbers which resulted in the creation of three concurrent matches.

The Garrycastle "Red" team played against Clann na nGael’s strongest team which gave the mentors a chance to compare the skills and abilities between the two clubs. When the ball was thrown in the Garrycastle boys tried to keep their positions, but a mix up between players gave Clann the opportunity to kick a fast ball in and post the first score.

However, the Garrycastle team were not fazed and had an immediate response, kicking the next 11 points without response. There were some fine scores from all our forwards and midfielders with some fantastic movement and passing from Kealan McNamara, Andrew Henson and James McHugh.

Daniel Stankard in goals made some vital saves and his accurate kicking was fantastic. Our three backs Oisin Mulvihill, Rian Gaynor and Niadh Shine were cleaning up all 50/50 balls and stopped all Clann attacks.

We expected a strong response from Clann in the second half and they started much sharper with a fine score from long range. However, following some positional changes Oisin Mulvihill started to dominate midfield - laying off the ball into Aaron Keegan, Oisin O’Donoghue and Darragh Glennon where they started scoring from all angles. An absolutely excellent display of football from every player.

The Garrycastle "Green" team weren’t to be outdone by the "Red" team with some fantastic displays throughout the field. This game was a lot more closely contested with both teams picking off some fine scores. However, it was the quality of the tackling, blocking and defending that caught the eye in this game. Dylan Summers and Keelan Ward made a countless number of fantastic blocks both while in goals, and when they were out the field.

Fionn McMahon and Dylan Frawley were excellent in defence, winning 50/50 balls and taking the ball out of the danger areas. Calum Hudson dominated the midfield area and won every ball that game his way. Louie Shine and Conor McCormack covered the whole pitch putting in some brilliant tackles and carrying the ball forward with super pace and skill. Upfront Hazel Donegan and Van McCay showed lightening pace and skill and kicked some wonderful scores. Another excellent display.

The Garrycastle "White" team decided from the start that they weren’t going to be outshone either, and got stuck in right from the throw in. This game was also very closely contested and the Garrycastle defence worked hard to keep Clann out. Dylan Moloney, Adam Kearney, Martin Stephens and Christian Turean led from the defence with a brilliant display of tackling and blocking.

Mairead McBride, Luke Quilty and Senan Nugent policed the mid area with great effect with Luke putting in a man of the match performance and picking up three fine scores along the way.

Ronan Croughan, Tadgh Mulvihill, Amelie Henson and Katelin Devlin-Gaffey put in great work all over the field and came out on top in a number of crucial challenges. Rhys Larkin, Oskar Pieskorski and Alex Connor were a constant threat to the Clann defence and picked off a number of fine scores. The "White" team had the largest number of players, and each player showed excellent maturity and comradery when asked to give their teammates a run.

Overall the team performances from all three teams was excellent and to see all the skills of the game being performed, and the improvement being made, by everyone was encouraging.

A big thanks to Trevor from Clann and we hope to return the favour later on in the summer. A huge thanks also to all of the coaches and parents who help out, your support in invaluable and greatly appreciated.

(Match report : Ger O'Donoghue and Karl Henson)

Minor League (Division 3) [24 June 2015]

The Garrycastle minors finally got their league campaign underway, following the end of the Leaving Certificate examinations with two games, beginning with a home fixture on Monday 22 June against Tyrrellspass, followed on Wednesday with an away fixture against Kilbeggan/St Josephs. With several minors missing because of holidays, a number of Under 16s stepped up to the plate and can be proud of their contributions in both games.

TYRRELLSPASS 5-10 GARRYCASTLE 2-6

The early exchanges were close but it was Tyrrellspass who registered the first score, a point from play in the 5th minute. Garrycastle hit back straight away with a fine point from play from the boot of Jack Brody. The game’s first goal arrived soon after, following a penetrating run from Ronan Mulvihill and a shot from Oisin Langan, which saw the Tyrrellspass goalie make a good save. However, the rebound was snapped up by Ross Mulvihill who finished to the net from close range. Garrycastle further increased their lead with two excellent points from Cathal Mannion. Tyrrellspas hit back with two points of their own as the mid-point of the half approached. Soon after the visitors had a goal from a penalty to level matters at 1-3. Jack O’Connor was on hand to restore the advantage to Garrycastle with a good point in the 18th minute. Tyrrellspass responded with a point from a free to level it again. However, in the final minutes of the half, Cathal Mannion pointed again and Garrycastle lead by 1-5 to 1-4 at the break.

The game was won and lost in the opening minutes of the second half, as Tyrrellspass broke forward in attack after attack. Shane McEnery made an excellent save in the very first minute of the second half to avert a certain goal for the visitors. However, there was nothing he could do about a succession of points, five in all, that put Tyrrellspass into a decisive lead. A second Tyrrellspass goal in the 37th minute emphasised their dominance of possession at that stage and Shane McEnery had to be alert to prevent a number of other goal bound efforts in the subsequent attacks. Ross Mulvihill got Garrycastle’s first score of the second half in the 43rd minute, when he converted a free after he was fouled about 30 meters from goal. The play was more even from there to the end, but the visitors had two more goals and a point as the game entered its final moments. Cathal Mannion scored a goal in injury time but there was just enough time for the visitors to score their fifth goal with their final attack.

The Garrycastle lads were a match for their opponents in the opening 30 minutes but flagged after the break. Given that this was their first outing, it was not surprising. They can take some encouragement from the first period and build on it going forward. Best for Garrycastle were Shane McEnery, who made a string of fine saves, Brian Leahy, Jack Brody and Ross Mulvihill in defence. Colm Lynch and Ronan Mulvihill were most prominent in attack.

GARRYCASTLE: Shane McEnery, Brian Leahy, Caolan Jameson, Jack Brody (0-1), Sean Mulvihill, Ross Mulvihill (1-1, 0-1f), Oisin Langan, Cathal Mannion (1-3), Brian Ruane, Colm Lynch, Ronan Mulvihill, Jack O’Connor (0-1), Conor Mulvihill.

SUBS: Conor Macken for J O’Connor; Ian Carroll for B Ruane; Cillian Lyons for Ronan Mulvihill.

KILBEGGAN/ST JOSEPHS 5-15 GARRYCASTLE 0-5

With a number of absentees and injuries from Monday’s game, Garrycastle travelled to Kilbeggan with only 13 players. Against a physically stronger and more skilful side it proved to be a difficult evening for the side. Much like Monday’s game, Garrycastle were competitive in the first half, but faded in the second and were comprehensively beaten. All of the Garrycastle scores came from centre forward, Cathal Mannion, with four of these in the first half, which ended on a score line of 3-6 to 0-4 in favour of Kilbeggan/St Josephs. The home side pressed on in the second period and hit over some fine points, and a couple of goals. Garrycastle’s only score of the second period came from a free by Cathal Mannion.

Best for Garrycastle on the night were, Shane McEnery, Brian Leahy, Loic Gately, Jack Brody and Brian Ruane. With players returning from holidays and much needed match practice, this side cam look forward to improved performances for the remainder of the league and championship campaigns.

GARRYCASTLE: Shane McEnery, Brian Leahy, Caolan Jameson, Sean Mulvihill, Loic Gatley, Ross Mulvihill, Ross Mulvihill, Conor Mulvihill, Brian Ruane, Cathal Mannion (0-5, 3f), Ronan Mulvihill, Conor Macken, Ian Carroll.

Under-10 League [23 June 2015]

The Garrycastle Under-10 team welcomed St. Marys Rochfortbridge in to Garrycastle for round 5 of the county under-10 league on Tuesday evening, (June 23rd). On a great evening for football, with nice sunshine, and no wind to speak of, Garrycastle fielded two teams to take on the visitors.

The Garrycastle "Red" team started slowly, taking a while to find their range, and even though had more of the possession, simply could not score, racking up a large number of wides. St. Marys, by contrast, were far more clinical with their chances, and deservedly led at the half-time break by two points, the Garrycastle scores coming from Brian Mulvihill and David Carter. The second half started for Garrycastle as the first half finished, with three wides in succession, before finally the scoring boots came out, and courtesy of a brace of points from Conor Sheehan and an excellent score from Thanh McCay, Garrycastle took the lead, which they built on and held to the finish, to take a hard-earned win on the evening. Some excellent defensive work from Jack Mulvihill and Killian Keegan set the team up for their second half performance.

The Garrycastle "Green" team started strongly in their game, and took and early lead with some fine scores from Diarmaid Murtagh and Jamie Carroll, and building on a solid defensive and midfield showing, led by 4 points at half-time. St. Marys fought back strongly in the second half, but great defence by Anthony Mannion, Sean Doyle and keeper for the evening, Matthew Conner, kept them at bay. The second half was a very even affair, with both teams trading scores equally, but the "Green" team never relinquished the lead they built up in the first half to take the win.

Overall this was a very good performance from the under-10 squad. The St. Marys teams certainly gave nothing away cheaply, and it took real effort right across the field to get the results. Some great examples of skill on display, from both teams, but also some areas where improvements may be made, and these will be targeted in training over the next few weeks.

"Green" Team: Matthew Conner, Sean Doyle, Anthony Mannion, Conn O'Hara, Cian McCormack, Diarmaid Murtagh, Tom Sheehan, Jamie Carroll, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Jazmen Rafiz, Oisin Nugent, Nathan Kelly.

"Red" Team: Conor McCarthy, Jack Mulvihill, Killian Keegan, Conor Sheehan, Tom Daly, Nathan McKeon, Brian Mulvihill, Sean O'Donoghue, Thanh McCay, Dervla Turley, Brandon Devaney, Killian Redmond, David Carter.

County Under-8 Football Blitz, Cusack Park [18 June 2015]

A big group of Garrycastle Under-8 players made the trip to the County Grounds, Cusack Park in Mullingar, for the latest round of county sponsored under-8 blitzes. On a lovely evening for football, almost 30 players made the trip, meaning that Garrycastle easily fielded two evenly matched squads. All the players present played on the evening, playing a total of 4 matches.

The Garrycastle "Red" team played Killucan in their first match, and Maryland in their second match. There were some excellent displays on show with Aaron Keegan leading the way with some excellent scores - as good as any that have graced this pitch. Great support play and accurate passing from Hazel Donegan, Luke Quilty and Jack Dowling set up the team to take two well deserved wins. Excellent defensive play from the two Oisin's, Mulvihill and O'Donoghue, minimised any chances the opposition got.

The Garrycastle "Green" team also played Killucan in their first game and St. Malachys/Ballinagore in their second match, and not to be outdone by their teammates on the "Red" team, also set out their stall early. With some great scores from James McHugh, as well as great individual play from Andrew Henson and Rian Gaynor, the "Green" team pressed forward from the start and were rewarded for their efforts on the evening with two superb wins. A feature of the play was some excellent interplay between James and Andrew, with some of the one-twos between them as good as anything the seniors would have done.

Overall, this was an absolutely great display from this very impressive group of players. The hard effort being put into training is really starting to pay dividends, and this group of players surely has a bright future in front of them.

Squad on the evening:

Cristian Turean, Jack Dowling, Conor McCormack, Rian Gaynor, Oisin Mulvihill, Niadh Shine, Cian Norris, Aaron Keegan, Matthew Hardiman, Mairead McBride, Oisin O'Donoghue, Hazel Donegan, Daniel Stankard, Adam Kearney, Dylan Maloney, James McHugh, Louie Shine, James Derwin, Amelie Henson, Senan Nugent, Andrew Henson, Oskar Pieskorski, Darragh Clyne, Conor McCormack, Fionn McMahon, Ronan Croughan, Luke Quilty.

Under-12 League, Group B [18 June 2015]

GARRYCASTLE 3 -14, MARYLAND/TANG 1-08

Our U12s put in a strong second half performance to over power the combination team of Maryland/Tang by a margin of 12 points last Monday evening in Garrycastle. The first half was a very tight affair with some excellent defending on show from both sides. The Garrycastle lads had the majority of the possession, however they were guilty of some poor finishing to leave the half time score 1-06 to 1-04 in favour of Garrycastle.

Determined to make up for the poor shooting in the first half the lads were more determined and better focused for the second period scoring 1-03 without reply in the first 5 minutes. The momentum was with Garrycastle from then on, enabling them to run out comfortable winners in the end.

Panel on Duty:

Bill Carmody, John McBride, Cian McCarthy, Frank McKiernan, Chris Kehoe, Peter Mulvihill, Rory Kilgarriff,

John Dylan O'Shea, Ben Donegan, Ben Kilkenny, Corey Nugent, Andrew Ruane, Adam Mulvihill, Rishav Gufta,

Kirill Egan, Tadgh McKiernan, Brandon Farrell, Frano Derwin, Stephen Gaffey, Niall Awagboro.

(Match report: John Ruane)

Under-10 League, Division 1 [9 June 2015]

The Garrycastle Under-10's travelled to Rosemount to take part in Round 4 of the Under-10 County league on Tuesday evening. This round of the league was played as a blitz, with teams from Rosemount, Garrycastle, St. Malachys/Ballinagore, Tubberclair and Millmore Gaels taking part on the evening. As usual, we had a great turnout allowing us to field two teams on the evening.

The Garrycastle "Red" team played two matches, against Rosemount, and Tubberclair, while the Garrycastle "Green" team played their counterparts from St. Malachys/Ballinagore and the second Tubberclair team.

The "Green" team started brightly against the host club, and driven on by Diarmuid Murtagh and Tom Sheehan in midfield, got some early scores to settle the team down. Having played Rosemount previously this year, the "Green" team were under no illusions about the need to keep pressing the game, and did so effectively, helped on by some nice scores from the energetic Jack Allen and Jamie Carroll, to hold out for the win. In their second game, a tough battle with a strong Tubberclair team, was decided at the death by the narrowest of margins in favour of the Garrycastle team.

The "Red" team started well, and soon registered scores from David Carter and Conor Sheehan. St. Malachys came back strongly and levelled the scores before taking a slender lead. However, Garrycastle rallied with scores from Thanh McCay, Conor, David and Killian Redmond to take the lead as the game entered the last few seconds. A final attack from St. Malachys resulted in the last score of the game to leave it all square at the end. A fair result given the effort from both teams. In their second game, the "Red" team played the second Tubberclair team. This was a real end-to-end battle with some excellent fielding, tackling and scoring on display from both teams. The teams traded scores from start to finish with neither able to pull away on the scoreboard, and for the second time on the evening, the "Red" team was involved in a drawn game.

Overall, this was an encouraging display from the Garrycastle squad, missing some regulars due to other commitments. Unbeaten on the evening, they can use this as a springboard for the next round of the county league, and the first round of the Tormeys/Clann na nGael tournament, due to start soon.

"Green" Team: Dean Grehan, Sean Doyle, Anthony Mannion, Conn O'Hara, Diarmuid Murtagh, Tom Sheehan, Jamie Carroll, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Jack Allen, Oisin Nugent, Cian McCormack.

"Red" Team: Nathan McKeon, Matthew Conner, Jack Mulvihill, Jazmen Rafiz, Conor Sheehan, Tom Daly, Brian Mulvihill, Sean O'Donoghue, Thanh McCay, Mattie Wozniak, Killian Redmond, David Carter.

Under-12 League, Group B [7 June 2015]

GARRYCASTLE 6-05, CAULRY 8-11

Our U12s played out a high scoring and entertaining game last wed evening against a strong Caulry side. Despite a very spirited fight to the end from Garrycastle, the Caulry boys were the stronger team on the evening.

Best for Garrycastle on the night were John Dylan O Shea, Christopher Kehoe, Corey Nugent, Cian McCarthy, Ben Kilkenny and Frano Derwin who was excellent in his first game back this year.

(Match Report: John Ruane)

Under 14 [30 May 2015]

Garrycastle 6-8 Athlone 3-14

Garrycastle Under 14 team recorded their first win in the Under 14 league with a hard earned victory over neighbours Athlone in a highly entertaining match in Pairc Chiarain on Thursday night last. Garrycastle playing into the breeze opened the scoring in the first 10 minutes with two fine points before Athlone came into the game and dominated most of the first-half to lead by 1-8 to Garrycastle’s 0-3 at half time. Garrycastle were determined to make use of the wind in the second-half and scored some fine goals from play and also converted a penalty. They took an eight point lead at one stage in the second half before Athlone came back with a goal from a penalty to bring themselves back into contention. Garrycastle had to withstand severe pressure in the final ten minutes and the goals they got early in the second half were the difference in the end.

Garrycastle can be thankful to their keeper Michael Dooley who made numerous saves throughout the whole game that ensured that Garrycastle emerged victorious.

In the full back line Ryan Cornally, Daniel Mc Manus and Joseph Henson defended heroically and their distribution of the ball was excellent. Robert O’Brien, Tommy Stephens and Cathal Redmond had to be at their best to contain the fast Athlone forwards. The midfield pairing of Dylan Keegan and Fergal Mullin were outstanding throughout the hour and ensured that their forwards got plenty of the ball, and also came to the rescue of the defence on numerous occasions. The half forward line of Ben Kilkenny, Luke Clinton and James Murphy scored some fine goals to keep Garrycastle in contention in the match. Peter Mulvihill, and Saumil Sharma laid off some good ball to the other forwards and worked hard for the entire match. Hopefully Garrycastle can build on this performance going forward and with the return of some players there might be brighter days ahead for this team.

Garrycastle team: Michael Dooley, Daniel Mc Manus, Ryan Cornally, Joseph Henson, Cathal Redmond, Robert O’Brien, Connie Stephens, Dylan Keegan (0-4), Fergal Mullin (2-2), Ben Kilkenny(2-0), Luke Clinton (2-1), James Murphy (0-1), Peter Mulvihill, Saumil Sharma.

Under-12 League [28 May 2015]

GARRYCASTLE 3-07, MOATE ALL-WHITES 4-12

Our Under-12s travelled to Moate last Wednesday evening and despite their best efforts had to give way to a well drilled Moate team. Due to the unavailability of some of the panel due to illness we had to make several adjustments to the line out from previous games and this obviously effected our start as after 15 minutes we were down 2-04 to 0-01.

To their credit they then stormed into the game and at half time the score was 1-04 to 2-05 in favour of Moate.

Garrycastle continued to have the best of the chances early in the second half and with 10 minutes to go had got back to within a point with some great play from Peter Mulvihill, Cian McCarthy, Rory Kilgariff, Ben Kilkenny, Rishav Gufta, and Ben Donegan in particular. With the huge effort required to get back into the game the lads tired and Moate finished strongly to take the league points. Overall a pleasing performance after a poor start. Others to shine on the night were Andrew Ruane in goal who played very well until injured in the second half and John McBride who was solid in the full back line.

(Match Report: John Ruane)

Under-10 County League, Div. 1 [26 May 2015]

Garrycastlle Under-10's headed off to Streamstown to play Kilbeggan/St. Josephs in round 3 of this years under-10 county league. 24 players made the trip, allowing us to field two even teams.

The Garrycastle "Red" team started brightly, and went on the offensive right from the start. With good build-up play from midfield, there were plently of chances for the forwards to get on the scoreboard. Some wayward shooting kept the scores down, but at the break the "Red" team led by two scores. As the second half got underway, it was the turn of the hosts to apply the pressure, but the Garrycastle rear-guard held firm, and limited the chances available. Having weathered the pressure, the "Red" team then took over to take some nice scores, and ran out worthy winners.

In the second match, the Garrycastle "Green" team started very slowly, playing into the sun and against the wind, and found it hard to get any momentum going. Scores were hard to come by, and they trailed Kilbeggan/St. Josephs at the break. With a few positional switches at half-time, in addition to playing with the wind in the second half, the Garrycastle team pressed forward strongly, and were rewarded with a trio of well taken scores in the first few minutes. The team continued to press forward strongly, but despite outscoring their opponents in the second half, could not pull back the entire deficit from the first half, and the honours went to the home team.

So, on the evening, it was all square, with each club winning one match.

Overall, this was a satisfactory performance from both Garrycastle teams. The importance of starting well was evident in the second match, which showed that against a strong team, pulling back a lead is not easy, or guaranteed to be successful. The overall skill levels are improving, and with some focus now on accurate shooting in training, this squad will surely develop further.

"Green" Team: Brandon Devaney, Sean Doyle, Anthony Mannion, Conn O'Hara, Matthew Conner, Diarmuid Murtagh, Tom Sheehan, Jamie Carroll, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Jack Allen, Oisin Nugent, Cian McCormack.

"Red" Team: Nathan McKeon, Jack Mulvihill, Kyle Greene, Conor Sheehan, Tom Daly, Brian Mulvihill, Sean O'Donoghue, Thanh McCay, Mattie Wozniak, Killian Redmond, David Carter, Dean Grehan.

County Under-8 Blitz, Castledaly, May 22nd [23 May 2015]

The Garrycastle Under-8 squad travelled to Castledaly on Friday evening to take part in the latest round of County Under-8 football blitzes. On the evening, an absolutely fantastic turnout of more than 30 players, allowed Garrycastle to field three separate teams, with each team playing two matches. This ensured that all players present played the maximum amount of football.

The opposition on the evening was provided by the home club, as well as Rosemount and Kilbeggan/St. Jsoephs.

On the evening, the Garrycastle teams displayed the various skills they have been perfecting in training each week, and impressed the supporters present with fine displays of tackling, blocking and passing, not to mention some excellent score taking. In the various matches, the Garrycastle teams were a little too strong for their opponents, and finished the evening with a clean sweep of wins.

Huge thanks as always to the mentors, Karl, Ger, Roy, Darragh and Michael, for looking after the teams on the evening, to the players themselves for a fantastic turnout and their enthusiasm to play football, and to the parents for bringing them along and providing such great support on the evening.

Many thanks also to the Castledaly mentors for a well organised and entertaining blitz.

Under-10 Challenge vs St. Brigids [20 May 2015]

The Garrycastle Under-10 squad welcomed St. Brigids from Roscommon in to Garrycastle on Wednesday evening for some challenge games. On a good evening for football, even allowing for a strong breeze, a good turnout of players allowed us to field 2 teams at 11-a-side.

To suit St. Brigids, many of whose players are contesting a community games final soon, we played 2 rounds of 20-minute matches, with the teams re-fixed after the first round of games. Due to the similarity of colours, Garrycastle played in unfamiliar white colours on the night.

In the first game, the Garrycastle "Green" team started off playing into a strong breeze and had the better of the possession during the first half. Although playing against the wind, and with some very wayward shooting, at half-time the "Green" team trailed by just one score. After the break, and with the aid of the wind, the "Green" team quickly took the lead, and held it to the end of the game, fighting off a strong St. Brigids comeback, to win by one score.

In the second game for the "Green" team, the first half was a real-end-to-end battle, with neither team able to pull away, and at the break, the teams were level. In the second half, as tiredness set in, the scores became more plentiful, but the balance between the teams remained, and at the final whistle, the teams could not be separated on the scoreboard.

In their first game, the Garrycastle "Red" team also started playing into the wind, and building from an excellent performance in the middle of the field, built up a slender lead by the break. Playing with the aid of the wind, they closed out the game and took the honours on the evening.

In their second game, the "Red" team started to show the effects of their exertions from the previous match, and struggled to make use of the wind in the first half, going in level at the break. In the second half, St. Brigids opened up a narrow gap, and despite the best efforts of the "Red" team, held on to their advantage to run out deserving winners.

Garrycastle "Green" Team:

Dean Grehan, Sean Doyle, Anthony Mannion, Conn O'Hara, Diarmuid Murtagh, Tom Sheehan, Jamie Carroll, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Jack Allen, Oisin Nugent, Kyle Greene, Nathan Kelly, Nathan McKeon.

Garrycastle "Red" Team:

Matthew Conner, Cian McCormack, Jazman Rafiz, Jack Mulvihill, Killian Keegan, Conor Sheehan, Tom Daly, Brian Mulvihill, Sean O'Donoghue, Thanh McCay, Killian Redmond, David Carter, Brandon Devaney

Under 12 league [18 May 2015]

Garrycastle 3-06 Athlone 1-04

Our U12s enjoyed a winning start in the first round of the league when beating neighbours Athlone last Friday night in Garrycastle by 3-06 to 1-04. In an exciting game from start to finish all the Garrycastle lads on the panel played their part in a deserved win over a strong Athlone team. Playing with the aid of the breeze in the first half Garrycastle had the majority of the possession through great work from Peter Mulvihill, Ben Kilkenny, Rory Kilgarriff, Cian McCarthy, John McBride and Ben Donegan. However, this work was undone by some uncharacteristic way ward shooting in front of goal leaving the half time score 1-02 to 1-01 in favour of Garrycastle.

Playing into the wind in the second half the lads played some excellent football not allowing their opponents the opportunity to get into the game with tight marking and some great blocking.John Dillon was introduced for the second half and excelled along with vital contributions from Corey Nugent, Frank McKiernan, Andrew Ruane, Stephen Gaffey and Adam Mulvihill. Athlone worked very hard in the last 10 Minutes to get back into the game but Rishav Gufta,Kirill Egan,Tadgh McKiernan,Niall Awagboro and Brandon Farrell worked tirelessly to ensure the 2 league points went to Garrycastle.

Bill Carmody played very well in goals and was confident throughout the game with some great clearances and kickouts.

Under 10 challenge [18 May 2015]

The Garrycastle under-10 team welcomed near neighbours Moate All-Whites into Garrycastle on Wednesday night for a couple of challenge matches. On a good evening for football, when thankfully the rain held off, we had a good turnout of 26 players, allowing us to field two teams. A great evening’s football was served up by all the teams present in two fast paced and sporting games, played in the right spirit. On the evening, the honours were shared with one win each for Garrycastle and Moate. Overall, there is great development in this squad, and we can see the improvement in skill levels and playing confidence on a week-by-week basis. Many thanks to Brendan and the other mentors in Moate for coming in to play us, and we look forward to travelling to Moate to return the fixture in the near future.

Squad on the evening:

Red Team : Conor McCarthy, Kyle Greene, Jack Mulvihill, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Brian Mulvihill, Diarmuid Murtagh, Dean Grehan, Anthony Mannion, Sean O'Donoghue, Killian Keegan, Thanh McCay, Mattie Wozniak, Nathan McKeon.

Green Team: Sean Doyle, Nathan Kelly, Tom Daly, Matthew Conner, Conor Sheehan, Conn O'Hara, Daniel Sierpinski, Oisin Nugent, David Carter, Tom Sheehan, Jamie Carroll, Killian Redmond, Brandon Devaney.

Under 14 league [18 May 2015]

Moate All Whites 4-6 Garrycastle 1-7

Garrycastle Under 14 team put up a brave performance against Moate in Division 1B of the Under 14 league in Garrycastle on Thursday last. Garrycastle playing with the aid of the breeze in the first half scored some nice points from play and from frees from Fergal Mullin and Dylan Keegan but were rocked when Moate got through for two goals to leave the half time score Moate 2-2 to Garrycastle 0-4. Garrycastle’s defence were playing well and ensured that the forwards were getting plenty of ball and Garrycastle efforts were rewarded when Tommy Devery hit the Moate net with a goal to bring Garrycastle team back into contention. Unfortunately for Garrycastle, Moate got through for two more goals to win by eight points.

This was very much improved performance from the team on their previous outing with goalkeeper Michael Dooley making some fine saves throughout the hour. The full back line of Joseph Henson, Ryan Cornally, and Cian Dowling defended heroically throughout the hour. The half back line of Cathal Redmond, Dylan Keegan and Tommy Stephens cut out numerous threats from Moate and were linking up well with the forwards. The midfield pairing of Daniel Guinan and Fergal Mullin covered a serious amount of ground and their work rate was excellent. The half forward line of James Murphy, Ben Kilkenny and Luke Clinton all showed well for the ball and worked hard both in attack and in defence. The full forward line of Daniel Mc Manus, Tommy Devery and Saumil Sharma won plenty of possession and laid of a few fine passes which led to scores.

Garrycastle: Michael Dooley, Joseph Henson, Ryan Cornally, Cian Dowling, Cathal Redmond, Dylan Keegan(0-4),Tommy Stephens, Daniel Guinan, Fergal Mullin(0-3),James Murphy, Ben Kilkenny, Luke Clinton, Daniel McManus, Tommy Devery, Saumil Sharma

Hopefully going forward and with the return of a few players from injury the team can build on this performance .

Under 16 League [18 May 2015]

Garrycastle 6-12 Killucan 1-4

The under 16’s got back to winning ways with a victory over Killucan. The first half proved to be a tight affair, with Garrycastle going in two points up at the break 1.5 to 1.3. However, with the aid of the breeze and with an increased work rate, the lads took control in the second half. Jack O’Connor opened the scoring for Garrycastle with a couple of frees. Ian Carroll beat the Killucan keeper and full back to a high ball to score the opening goal of the game, Ian would follow this up in the second half with two further goals, and he also won a penalty which was expertly converted by Jack O’Connor, who finished the game with an impressive 2.6. Brian Ruane, Phillip Monaghan and Colm Lynch all chipped in with points, while Oisin Langan scored an excellent goal with one of his trademark solo runs. Dylan Keegan created a number of scores and proved to be a real handful for his marker. Jack Fitzgerald had an impressive debut in goals, while Robert Kelly, Mattius O‘Neill, Patrick McKiernan, Conor Macken, Eoin Mulvihill and Cillian Lyons were excellent defensively, in particular in the second half, conceding only one point.

Garrycastle: Jack Fitzgearld, Robert Kelly, Mattias O’Neill, Pat McKiernan, Conor Macken, Eoin Mulvihill, Cillian Lyons, Oisin Langan, Colm Lynch, Jack O’Connor, Brian Ruane, Phillip Monaghan, Ian Carroll, Dylan Keegan.

Under-12 League, Group B [18 May 2015]

GARRYCASTLE 3-06, ATHLONE 1-04

Our U12s enjoyed a winning start in the first round of the league when beating neighbours Athlone last Friday night in Garrycastle by 3-06 to 1-04. In an exciting game from start to finish all the Garrycastle lads on the panel played their part in a deserved win over a strong Athlone team. Playing with the aid of the breeze in the first half, Garrycastle had the majority of the possession through great work from Peter Mulvihill, Ben Kilkenny, Rory Kilgarriff, Cian McCarthy, John McBride and Ben Donegan. However this work was undone by some uncharacteristic way ward shooting in front of goal leaving the half time score 1-02 to 1-01 in favour of Garrycastle.

Playing into the wind in the second half the lads played some excellent football not allowing their opponents the opportunity to get into the game with tight marking and some great blocking.

John Dillon was introduced for the second half and excelled along with vital contributions from Corey Nugent, Frank McKiernan, Andrew Ruane, Stephen Gaffey and Adam Mulvihill.

Athlone worked very hard in the last 10 Minutes to get back into the game but Rishav Gufta, Kirill Egan, Tadgh McKiernan, Niall Awagboro and Brandon Farrell worked tirelessly to ensure the 2 league points went to Garrycastle.

Bill Carmody played very well in goals and was confident throughout the game with some great clearances and kickouts.

(Match Report: John Ruane)

Under-10 League Division 1 [15 May 2015]

Garrycastle was host to Castledaly and Rosemount for Round 2 of the Westmeath Under-10 league last Tuesday night. A great turnout of players allowed us to field two even teams, with the Garrycastle "Red" team playing against Rosemount, while the Garrycastle "Green" team played against Castledaly. Conditions on the evening were almost ideal, cool and dry, although with a strong breeze blowing the length of the pitch.

The Garrycastle "Green" team started strongly in their game, driven on from midfield by the dynamic pairing of Diarmuid Murtagh and Tom Sheehan, well supported by a solid defence marshalled by Brandon Devaney in goal. A solid display of tackling and blocking allowed much ball to be driven in towards the forwards where the forwards led by Jamie Carroll were clinical in taking their scores. It was most certainly not all one-way traffic however, as the Castledaly team posted some fine scores, and pushed hard all the way to the end of the game. However, on the evening the Garrycastle "Green" team were a little bit stronger and took a deserved win.

The second match saw the Garrycastle "Red" team take the field against Rosemount. This was a thrilling affair, with possession and chances evenly split during the first half, with Garrycastle being more accurate to lead at half-time even though playing against the wind. Garrycastle started the second half strongly, with some excellent displays right across the field. A special mention goes to to Brian Mulvihill who was everywhere tackling, blocking and linking the play, very well supported by Conor Sheehan and Sean O'Donoghue. With the aid of the wind, the "Red" team opened up a solid lead which they held to the end of the game.

Overall these were 2 very strong performances from our Under-10 squad. All the players present played their full part in securing the results on the evening, and can take great pride in their performances. Our shooting accuracy is definitely improving, and the effort put in to regain the ball when possession is lost is extremely encouraging to see.

Many thanks to Michael and the other mentors in Castledaly, and to David and the mentors in Rosemount for a great nights football, played in the right spirit.

Match pictures on the Under-10 webpage at http://garrycastle.gaa.ie/teams/juvenile/under-10

Garrycastle "Green" Team:

Brandon Devaney, Sean Doyle, Anthony Mannion, Conn O'Hara, Matthew Conner, Diarmuid Murtagh, Tom Sheehan, Jamie Carroll, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Jack Allen, Oisin Nugent, Dervla Turley, Kyle Greene.

Garrycastle "Red" Team :

Daniel Sierpinski, Jack Mulvihill, Killian Keegan, Conor Sheehan, Tom Daly, Brian Mulvihill, Sean O'Donoghue, Thanh McCay, Mattie Wozniak, Cian McCormack, David Carter, Nathan McKeon.

County Under-8 Blitz in Caulry [9 May 2015]

The Garrycastle Under-8 squad traveled the short distance to Caulry on Saturday morning to take part in the latest round of County Under-8 football blitzes, competing with Caulry and Moate All-Whites.

The Garrycastle squad was much depleted with more than half of the squad absent due to being involved in First Communion celebrations on the day. However, this in turn gave many of the younger players a chance, and on the day we still had a great turnout of 20 players, allowing 2 teams to be fielded giving all of the players present as much match time as possible.

The Garrycastle "Green" team played against their counterparts from the Moate All-Whites and Caulry. Both matches featured some great football, with great displays from Andrew Henson and the two Conor McCormacks. In both matches the Garrycastle team was a little too strong for their opponents.

The Garrycastle "Red" team also played against their counterparts from Caulry and Moate All-Whites. Again, two great games of football were served up, with the players showcasing the skills they are learning at training, and divided the spoils on the day, being narrowly defeated by Caulry, while enjoying success against the All-Whites.

Overall, an excellent performance from the clubs youngest team, showing the rewards of the effort they put in at training, with some fantastic pick ups, tackling and shooting on display.

Thanks to Karl Henson, Ger O'Donoghue, Roy Glennon and Michael Mulvihill for looking after the teams on the morning, and to the Caulry club for a well organised and enjoyable football blitz played in a proper sporting spirit.

Teams on the day:

Garrycastle "Green" Team: Vivaan Gupta, Oisin O'Donoghue, Andrew Henson, Callum Hudson, Conor McCormack, Conor McCormack, Martin Stephens, Rhys Larkin, Amelie Henson, Jack Dowling

Garrycastle "Red" Team: Dylan Somers, Jack McCallon-Tucker, Oisin Mulvihill, Van McCay, Katelyn Devlin-Gaffey, Vidhur Varma Dandu, Sam Heaton, Cristian Alex Lazarescu, Ronan Croughan.

Under 16 League [4 May 2015]

Garrycastle 3-6 Rosemount/Castledaly 3-9

The under 16's hosted Rosemount/Castleday on a very windy evening on Monday of last week. Garrycastle played against the elements in the first half, but despite this started brightly with a Joe Carmody goal in the opening few minutes. Rosemount levelled with 3 unanswered points before great work from Pat McKiernan and Brian Ruane set up Oisin Langan who went on an excellent solo run and scored a second Garrycastle goal. Rosemount levelled again with another 3 unanswered points. Garrycastle were defending resolutely against the strong wind, in particular Matthius O'Neill and Pat McKiernan were clearing a lot of ball that came into the full back line, while Colm Henry won a number of kick outs. Colm Lynch covered every inch of grass and never stopped working around the middle. Rosemount finished the half with a goal of their own putting them ahead for the first time, before Philip Monaghan kicked an excellent point, leaving two points in it at the break.

Garrycastle opened the second half with a Joe Carmody point, following good work from Philip Monaghan and Conor Macken. Rosemount however scored 1-2 in the next couple of minutes before good work from Joe Carmody set up Jack O'Connor who scored a well taken point. Eoin Mulvihill, Cillian Lyons and Robert Kelly were having excellent second halves in defence, while Ian Carroll was unlucky not to goal only for an excellent Rosemount block. Enda Malone did raise the green flag for Garrycastle with a low drive into the bottom corner following an Oisin Langan won free and a pin point pass from Joe Carmody. Joe followed this up with 3 points of his own putting Garrycastle back in front. Rosemount responded well with a goal and a point in quick succession putting them ahead 3.6 to 3.9 at the final whistle.

Despite losing, it was a good team performance from the Garrycastle lads. All the lads would like to wish Matthew McBride all the best on his recovery and look forward to seeing him back in the nets!

Garrycastle: Matthew McBride, Robert Kelly, Mathius O'Neill, Cillian Lyons, Brian Ruane, Eoin Mulvihill, Conor Macken, Colm Lynch, Oisin Langan (1.0), Phillip Monaghan (0.1), Joe Carmody (1.4), Colm Henry, Pat McKiernan, Enda Malone (1.0), Ian Carroll.

Under-10 League Division 1 [29 April 2015]

The Garrycastle squad travelled the short distance to neighbours Athlone for the first round of this years Under-10 league on Tuesday evening. On a shockingly bad evening, with torrential rain and high winds, we had practically a full squad travel, 29 players being available on the evening.

The squad was divided into two teams, with each team playing against the equivalent Athlone team, at 11-a-side.

The Garrycastle “Red” team started brightly, and soon a score on the board from David Carter. A second from Kyle Greene soon followed, before the anticipated Athlone fightback began. As the first half progressed, the “Red” team were guilty of some very wasteful shooting, clocking up no fewer than 6 wides, as Athlone made much more productive use of their scoring chances, and led by three at the break. As the second half-started, the heavens opened, and playing into the wind and the rain, the “Red” team found to hard to keep possession, and were unable to close the gap, with Athlone running out worthy winners in the end.

In the second match, the Garrycastle “Green” team started slowly, but after shipping some scores, some good defensive work by Jack Mulvihill and Killian Keegan steadied the ship, and they came back strongly into the match by half-time. In contrast to the first game, playing with the wind and rain in the second half allowed Garrycastle to put up some fine scores, including a couple from Anthony Mannion, and the match ended in a narrow win for Garrycastle.

Overall, it was very impressive to see the numbers turn out for this opening round, but with conditions as they were, it was difficult to play good football. All players present got an extended run, and this will be a feature of the league going forward from here.

Huge thanks to Dave and the rest of the Athlone crew for the organisation on the evening.

Garrycastle “Red” team:

Conn O’Hara, Sean Doyle, Brandon Devaney, Mattie Wozniak, Tom Daly, David Carter, Kealan Ryan-McIntyre, Jack Allen, Jame Carroll, Killian Redmond, Kyle Greene, Nathan Kelly, Cian McCormack, Dean Grehan, Oisin Nugent.

Garrycastle “Green” team:

Matthew Conner, Killian Keegan, Jack Mulvihill, Nathan McKeon, Conor Sheehan, Conor McCarthy, Diarmuid Murtagh, Tom Sheehan, Thanh McCay, Anthony Mannion, Sean O’Donoghue, Brian Mulvihill, Nathan Jackson, Dervla Turley.

Under 16 League [27 April 2015]

Garrycastle 2-8 Inny Gaels 0-14

The Garrycastle under 16's travelled to Bun Brosna and eked out a hard fought draw against Inny Gaels, a combination of Bunbrosna, Streete, Castletown-Finea-Coole-Whitehall and Ballynacargy. Garrycastle started well with two quick points from Ian Carroll and Enda Malone following good work from Dylan Keegan in the opening minutes. However, they failed to score for the next twenty minutes, during which time Inny Gaels rattled off seven unanswered points. It could have been worse only for Cillian Lyons and Shane Duffy who were having great games in defence while Matthew McBride pulled off a number of fantastic saves. Garrycastle finished the half strongly with points from Oisin Langan, Colm Lynch and Ian Carroll. Mattius O'Neill was having an excellent game at centre back, ably assisted by Jack Fitzgerald, Robbie Kelly and Pat McKiernan.

Garrycastle started the second half as they finished the first with points from Philip Monaghan and Colm Lynch following excellent work from Shane Duffy. However the Gaels responded strongly with four unanswered points before a Colm Lynch won free, converted by Enda Malone, stemmed the tide. Jack O'Connor was unlucky not score a goal forcing a great save from the Inny keeper and also hitting the post. Enda Malone did raise the green flag with two quick fire goals, the first following an excellent run from Colm Henry, the second a rocket into the top corner from a 14 yard free. Inny fought back and drew level with the last kick of the game.

From a Garrycastle perspective Cillian Lyons was man of the match who had an excellent game throughout, followed closely by Shane Duffy, Oisin Langan, Colm Lynch and Enda Malone.

Garrycastle: Matthew McBride, Pat McKiernan, Robert Kelly, Cillian Lyons, Shane Duffy, Mattius O'Neill, Jack Fitzgerald, Oisin Langan (0.1), Colm Lynch (0.2), Ian Carroll (0.2), Phillip Monaghan (0.1), Colm Henry, Jack O'Connor, Enda Malone (2.2), Dylan Keegan.

Under 14 League [20 April 2015]

Garrycastle Under 14 team got their league campaign under way when they were defeated by a much stronger Shannon Gaels team in Garrycastle on Thursday night last. Garrycastle had the aid of the breeze in the first half and started brightly with two fine long range points from frees by Fergal Mullin and another fine point from play by Daniel Mc Manus. The Garrycastle defence was constantly been threatened by Shannon Gaels in the first half but with excellent defending by goalkeeper Michael Dooley and all six backs they managed to keep the threat to a minimum. Garrycastle got a boost when a long range kick from Fergal Mullin ended up in the Shannon Gaels net and a further fine point from Andrew Monaghan gave Garrycastle a one point lead at half time on a scoreline of Garrycastle 1-5 to Shannon Gaels 2-1.

Garrycastle were unfortunate to lose two of our excellent defenders Daniel Guinan and Robert O Brien through injury at half time and it was always going to be an uphill battle as Shannonn Gaels had the aid of the breeze in the second half. However, Garrycastle introduced some substitutions at half time and the team battled hard and never gave up and it was Shannon Gaels overall strength that won the game on the day.

The following panel of players all played their part in the game : Michael Dooley, Cian Dowling, Ryan Cornally , Nathan Breslin, Robert O Brien, Daniel Guinan, Dylan Keegan, Andrew Monaghan, Fergal Mullin, James Murphy, Darragh Kenna, Luke Clinton, Cathal Redmond, Daniel Mc Manus, Tommy Stephens, Jason Mannion, Tommy Devery ,Joseph Henson and Saumil Sharma.

We wish Robert O Brien & Daniel Guinan a speedy recovery from their injuries.

Under 16 League [13 April 2015]

Garrycastle 4-17 Shannon Gaels 1-9

Garrycastle under 16’s got off to a great start to their league campaign on Monday of last week in Tubberclair when from the throw in midfielder Joe Carmody caught the ball, ran the length of the pitch and scored a goal. Soon after Oisin Langan scored a point following good work from half back Dara Mulvihill and Joe Carmody scored another point from the kick out. Shannon Gaels were beginning to settle and were denied only by some great defending from Cillian Lyons. However, in the next few minutes they knocked over two points. Oisin Langan got his second point of the day with a great long range effort, while Jack Fitzgearld worked his socks off all night winning numerous kick outs breaking up the play well.

Following another Shannon Gaels point, goalkeeper Matthew McBride made the first of a number of fantastic saves to keep Garrycastle ahead, while at the other end Enda Malone was denied by a great save from the Shannon Gaels keeper. Philip Monaghan got his name on the score sheet with a fantastic point from the wing. Joe Carmody intercepted the kick out and delivered a pin-point pass to Enda Malone who knocked it over the bar. Oisin Langan scored a long range free, while Enda Malone added another point despite being under a lot of pressure. Joe Carmody delivered another excellent ball, this time to Jack O’Connor who was denied by great save from the Shannon Gaels keeper who pushed his shot out for a 45. Brian Ruane found Philip Monaghan with a good pass who in turn found Oisin Langan who blasted to the net, to put Garrycastle 2-7 to 0-4 up. Colm Lynch, whose work rate was relentless all night, found Philip Monaghan with an excellent pass, and Philip duly put the ball over the bar. Shannon Gaels weren’t finished yet though and added three points before half time and forced another great save from Matthew McBride, leaving the half time score line 2-8 to 0-7 to Garrycastle.

In the second half the Garrycastle defence were a lot meaner with Eoin Mulvihill, Cillian Lyons and Patrick McKiernan sniffing out anything that reached the full back line, while Ian Carroll, Dara Mulvihill and Brian Ruane launched numerous attached from the half back line. Philip Monaghan scored the first point of the second half and Enda Malone followed it up with a pointed free. Conor Macken added another point after receiving a good pass from Colm Lynch who won a dirty ball and broke through a couple of defenders. Eoin Mulvihill won a high ball in the full back line and broke quickly feeding Philip Monaghan who found Colm Lynch with a sublime foot pass. Colm found Oisin Langan who put it over the bar for the best worked score of the day. Shannon Gaels pulled one back, but Oisin Langan won the ball from the kick out, passed quickly to Joe Carmody who in turn found Enda Malone who rifled it into the back of the net. Eoin Mulvihill made a good interception and found Joe Carmody who put it over bar. Dara Mulvihill then broke up a Shannon Gaels attack and found Oisin Langan. Oisin found Joe Carmody who wasted no time in finding Enda Malone who blasted in his second goal of the night, putting Garrycastle 4-13 to 0-8 ahead.

Gaels pulled one back before Joe Carmody scored another point. Brian Ruane went on a mazy meandering run out of defence before finding Philip Monaghan who in turn delivered another fantastic foot pass to Oisin Langan who scored a point. Conor Macken chipped in with point before Shannon Gaels scored a goal. Jack O’Connor got his name on the score sheet with a well taken point after working very hard all night. All in all a very good performance, in particular the second half, but no doubt sterner tests lie ahead. We would like to thank out host Tubberclair for a good sporting game and wish them the best for the remainder of the league, and we would also like to thank referee Dermot Whelan.

Team: Matthew McBride, Cillian Lyons, Eoin Mulvihill, Patrick McKiernan, Ian Carroll, Dara Mulvihill, Brian Ruane, Oisin Langan (1-5), Joe Carmody (1-3), Jack Fitzgerald, Colm Lynch, Phillip Monaghan (0-3), Jack O’Connor (0-1), Enda Malone (2-3), Conor Macken (0-2).

Garrycastle 2-10 Shandonagh 3-13

The under 16’s hosted a strong Shandonagh side in the second round of their league campaign on a warm pleasant evening last Wednesday. Colm Lynch opened the scoring for the home side with a well taken point after a tense opening 5 minutes from both sides. Shandonagh equalized before Conor Macken forced a good save from the Shandonagh keeper, who pushed it out for a 45. Shortly afterwards Conor Macken rounding two defenders drilled the ball into the back of the net, but unfortunately he was deemed to have over carried the ball and the goal did not stand. Shandonagh responded with a goal and then quickly tacked on two points. Joe Carmody pulled one back for Garrycastle before Shandonagh added a further two points before the break.

Shandonagh opened the scoring in the second half before Garrycastle finally got a bit of momentum going through a Philip Monaghan point and then an Oisin Langan goal. Defensively Mattias O’Neill and Eoin Mulvihill were playing very well and broke down numerous Shandonagh attacks. Goalkeeper Matthew McBride made a great save and Mattias O’Neill a goal line clearance before Shandonagh got their second goal of the day. Joe Carmody responded with a couple of points for Garrycastle.

In attack Oisin Langan was unfortunate not to get a second goal while Colm McHenry also came very close to rattling the net. Forwards Enda Malone and Jack Fitzgearld working diligently to create some scoring opportunities, while around the middle Colm Lynch, Philip Monaghan and Joe Carmody never stopped working. From defence Brian Ruane made some excellent forward runs while Pat McKiernan and Ian Carroll didn’t give their markers an inch of space. Cillian Lyons made a fantastic goal line save to stop a certain goal, before Shandonagh added a couple more scores. Jack O’Connor scored an excellent goal with a well-placed shot for Garrycastle, but alas it was not to be enough for the home side and Shandonagh ran out deserving winners by six points.

Team: Matthew McBride, Patrick McKiernan, Matthias O’Neill, Cillian Lyons, Brian Ruane, Eoin Mulvihill, Ian Carroll, Joe Carmody, Oisin Langan, Philip Monaghan, Colm Lynch, Jack Fitzgerald, Jack O’Connor, Enda Malone, Conor Macken.

Sub: Colm McHenry

Under-10 County Football Blitz [7 April 2015]

The Under-10 football season kicked off with a blitz held in the county ground, Cusack Park, Mullingar, on Tuesday evening (April 7th). A fantastic sunshine filled evening was the perfect backdrop for some excellent football served up by all the teams present.

On the evening, Garrycastle fielded 16 players, an excellent turnout considering that the club’s Easter Camp is also ongoing this week. This allowed us to field 2 teams, and each team played two matches on the evening.

In the first round of matches, the Garrycastle “Red” team played the Shandonagh first team, and the Garrycastle “Green” team played the Shandonagh second team. Both games contained some excellent displays of skill from both teams, with a highlight being the excellent fielding on display. After some engrossing football, the Garrycastle teams just edged out their Shandonagh counterparts.

In the second round of matches, the Garrycastle “Red” team took on Ballynacargy, while the “Green” team played the Shandonagh first team. Given their exertions in the first round of matches, coupled with their involvement in the Easter Camp, it was inevitable that there was a drop in energy in these games, but even so, the “Green” team maintained their perfect record, while the “Red” team came up one score short, after an epic tussle with Ballynacargy.

Overall, this was an excellent evenings football, with great enthusiasm and no little skill on display. This hopefully sets us up for a good league campaign, due to start next week.

Many thanks as always to the players for attending, and also to the parents and other supporters who travelled up to Mullingar to cheer them on.

Squad on the evening:

Daniel Sierpinski, Oisin Nugent, Brandon Devaney, Jack Allen, Conor Sheehan, Nathan McKeon, Thanh McCay, Anthony Mannion, Killian Keegan, David Carter, Tom Daly, Killian Redmond, Diarmuid Murtagh, Tom Sheehan, Jamie Carroll, Kyle Greene.

Under 14 - Feile na nOg [6 April 2015]

Garrycastle Under 14 team put in a great performance in the Under 14 Blitz held in Ballinagore on Saturday last, 4th April.

Garrycastle were in a very strong group which included the amalgamation of Rosemount/Castledaly, Mullingar Shamrock’s And Lilliput Gaels.

The first match for Garrycastle was against the Rosemount/Castledaly amalgamation. Despite Garrycastle being short a number of players from their panel the team that took the field gave it their all throughout and at the end of their first match only a goal in the last minute deprived them of a victory and in the end they shared the spoils on a scoreline of Garrycastle 3-0 to Rosemount/Castledaly 2-3.

The team had no break going into their second game against Lilliput Gaels and despite their best efforts they had to give way to a much stronger opposition and ended up losing to Lilliput Gaels. The lads put up a creditable performance against eventual winners Mullingar Shamrock’s in their last game and the management was very pleased with the performance of the team on the day.

In goals Michael Dooley made some fantastic saves throughout the three games and made an excellent penalty save as well. In the full back line Robert O Brien was solid throughout and was well helped by Ryan Cornally and Cian Dowling who intercepted the ball on numerous occasions. The half back line of Cathal Redmond, Dylan Keegan and Under 12 player John Dillon cut out numerous attacks with their excellent defending and supported the forwards in all matches. The midfield pairing of Fergal Mullin and Daniel Guinan covered every blade of grass on the field and worked hard both attacking and defending. The half forward line of James Murphy, Daniel Mc Manus and Tommy Stephens showed well for the ball and worked very hard throughout the three games. The full forward line of Jason Mannion, Under 12 player Ben Kilkenny, Luke Clinton and Saumil Sharma gave it their all and two great goals from Ben Kilkenny in the Rosemount/Castledaly game shows he is the makings of a fine footballer in the future.

Overall this team has great potential to do well in the league and championship if they continue to show the dedication and commitment that they have shown so far this season.