Congrats to the ★U13 girls football team★Match Report
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Congrats to the ★U13 girls football team★ on winning their final in Rathcoffey this morning. 31-Oct, versus Balyna. Our thanks to the management team of Sean Gallagher & Brendan Pimlott for their hard work with the team. Thanks to Paul Lynch for sending in these images without water marks or copyright for us to enjoy & share. Match Report by Brendan Pimlott.
Date: 31st Oct 2016
For every winner, there must be a loser. Gaelic Football can be a cruel game at times, and unfortunately for Balyna, they were on the back foot from the best U13’s Celbridge Girls performance of this year. On paper, this game was supposed to be different from all the other matches played in this league this year, for all the girls concerned on both sides. As their last encounter (Celbridge vs Balyna) was only barely won, from last few minutes’ goal, in Celbridge’s favour, which separated the two teams in the end, only by a two-point margin. In every game before today’s final, both teams have shown a ruthless streak within this league beating other teams, which many believed would see them battle into extra time come this final day, like the Rathcoffey vs Na Fianna final also played today in another division.
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For Celbridge, the hard luck tales of a final defeat for Feile, experienced by a handful of the girls remaining from last year’s old U13’s team, was thankfully now a distant memory today. It’s is hard to believe that it’s only a few months ago, a small handful of girls from last year’s under U13’s team, linked/teamed up with another small group of girls from last year’s U11/U12’s team and last year’s U12’s management mentors, to form a newly formed U13’s Celbridge Girls side, which has grown. This new Celbridge team have certainly come a long way since the start of spring, when put together. Today’s victory was fully deserved and showed Sean & Brendan’s philosophy in this team playing an open attacking brand of football this year.
So, what changed since the last encounter with Balyna in the summer! Well, some of these girls have been put into new positions within the team, some were out/missing on the last encounter, there some tactical changes made to the team over the last few weeks, but! It’s clear to see, that one of the main reasons is that all the girls started playing as a team! From the Goalkeeper, to defence, to midfield, right up to the forward line and that was self-evident today. Supporting each other, when a team member was under pressure and looking to pass the ball forward every time.
From the off whistle, under instruction from a very experience referee (Caroline Sexton), the ball was passed between the Celbridge midfield into the centre half forward line and then a point was scored from one of the forwards, followed by another two points from the midfielders, then a goal from the centre half forward, then another from the full forward and suddenly the game was being fully controlled from the Celbridge Girls, all the time focusing on were each of their team colleagues was located. The game was all but over by the first half, as the midfield, centre half forward line and full centre forward line all shooting ranges of points and goals at the Balyna net. The same goal & point scorers as the semi-finals, with the Celbridge defence all the time remaining as strong as in the semi-finals match last week.
You could tell the Celbridge girls were focused and supportive of each other throughout the half. But! To credit the Balyna girls, they did put two free kicks into the Celbridge Goal just before the halftime whistle. There was excellent family and friends support at the side-lines from both teams throughout the game.
On the second half, the Celbridge mentors could afford to use this half to make 3x Sub changes and change the teams flow, using with a different approach, having a large margin. Balyna did come into this half and focused on attacking, with Balyna managing to score another goal and two more points. They also received a penalty, which was excellently saved from the Celbridge Goalkeeper. But! this was little too late, as Celbridge attacking line had already completed their day’s work in the first half. Celbridge did also score another goal and point in the second half to add to the tally! There was only one team which was eager/focused to win this game today and that was Celbridge. Their mentors (Sean & Brendan) weekly hard training sessions had paid off and they were delighted & proud for the whole team, with the team’s captain and defender (Emma Lynch) doing a wonderful speech about her team & the managers/mentors, while also giving the Balyna team the credit they deserved, which was echoed by all the Celbridge the team.
Not all the girls could to play on the pitch today for Celbridge or Balyna, due to the 5x Subs bench rule for the finals, but as the Celbridge mentors already pointed out to the girls before the game: That! All the girls have played and contributed to the team throughout this league. So, the final was won by all the girls on this Celbridge team (both on and off the pitch), a unit, as a team!
“Celbridge Champions 2016”
Celbridge Mentors: Sean Gallagher and Brendan Pimlott
Final Score in the LGFA Kildare - Division Final in Rathcoffey:
Celbridge U13’s Girls 10-7, Balyna 3-5 - U13’s Girls
