Limerick Desmond 14s finish top of their Subway Group
U14 Munster Interleague Group 3
Limerick Desmond 5 (Michael Kirby, Dylan Buckley, Brooklyn Delahunty 3)
Clare 1
Limerick Desmond U14 Boys played their final group game at home at the splendid Manor Fields Astro last Sunday they met neighbours Clare who were looking for their first points, however it was the home side who took all three points and made it maximum points from the two group games after defeating North Tip before Christmas.
It proved to be the same scoreline as it was v North Tipp with Desmond’s winning 5-1.
Limerick Desmond got off to a cagey start with Clare hitting the post inside the first minute from a free kick but netminder Zach Bennis gathered the ball in the box. Once the home side started getting a grip in midfield we started to grow into the game. Took the lead on 8 minutes when winger Dylan Buckley won the ball in the Clare half and put Michael Kirby through on goal with the forward slotting home to the bottom corner to make it one nil. It was very nearly two nil when Kirby half volley strike was expertly saved by Clare’s goalkeeper with Buckley unable to turn in the rebound. At the other end Bennis was called into action a couple of times from Clare set pieces.
Half Time would come and it would finish 1-0 to Limerick Desmond.
The second half began with Clare winning a lot of ball in the middle of the park, this led to pressure on the home team defence which would ultimately end in the equaliser from Clare on 40 minutes, a free kick on the edge of the box to which sub goalkeeper Andrew Johnson unlucky not to keep it out. The response from Desmonds was good and within 6 minutes we were ahead again, midfielder Seán O’Flynn pressing the Clare kickout winning the ball, taking it to the byline and crossing to the back stick where winger Dylan Buckley gladly finished to the net, a 3rd goal in two games for the GB Rovers player.
Limerick Desmond had goalkeeper Johnson to thank on a few occasions, gathering well and claiming a lot of crosses keeping calm in the defence. On 56 minutes it would be 3-1 and the home time now starting to pull away from Clare, a kick out from the keeper won by winger Eamon O’Sullivan who brought the ball in field, playing a clever one-two with Buckley who crossed into striker Brooklyn Delahunty who finished at the second attempt. Delahunty grabbed his 2nd a couple of minutes later, when Rowan Collins, who was named Kennedy Cup captain before the game, picked up the ball in midfield and played a clever ball over the top for Brooklyn to run onto and take it passed the defender and finished expertly into the net.
Brooklyn would grab his hattrick 5 minutes from time, he would pick up the ball at the halfway line and run at the Clare defence before shooting from the edge of the box to make it 5-1 and grab his 4th goal in two games in the group. A fantastic performance from the team who finish top of the group and will face a Cup QTR final next month vs Kerry or Waterford.
A mention for Shountrade player Rowan Collins who was named Kennedy Cup captain by the management before the game with Dromoe Utd player Zach Bennis named Vice Captain.
Team: Zach Bennis, Ryan Foley, Ben Hough, John Ross O’Reilly, Charlie McCarthy, Rowan Collins (C), Seán O’Flynn, Eamon O’Sullivan, Michael Kirby, Dylan Buckley, Tiarnan Kelly. Subs used: Brooklyn Delahunty, Andrew Johnson, Eoin Hennessy, Thomas McMahon, Matthew Walshe, Aaron Murphy.
Limerick Desmond U14 Kennedy Cup Squad 2023:
L to R Back Row: Mikolaj Pater, Eoin Hennessy, Aaron Murphy, Ben Hough, Brooklyn Delahunty, Seán O’Flynn, Eamon O’Sullivan, JohnRoss O’Reilly, Tiarnan Kelly, Michael Kirby, Cian Barry
L to R Front Row: Matthew Walshe, Sheagh Mulvihill, Thomas McMahon, Ryan Foley, Dylan Buckley, Andrew Johnson, Rowan Collins(c), Zach Bennis, Charlie McCarthy.
Limerick Desmond Kennedy Cup Captain Rowan Collins with Clare captain and match referee Ger O’Connor.