BRINNY club Castlelack finished a memorable SuperValu West Cork Schoolboys and Schoolgirls League season by claiming the U13 Schoolboys Shield trophy after an entertaining final against Skibbereen Celtic.
The Brinny side overcame Clonakilty AFC Spurs (3-0) and Bunratty United (4-2) to reach this season’s Shield decider. Skibbereen’s path to the final saw the Baltimore Road team knock Skibbereen Dynamos (3-2) and Bay Rovers (6-0) out of the competition.
Castletown Celtic’s home ground of Castletownkenneigh played host to Castlelack and Skibb’s floodlit midweek final. Castlelack got off to the best possible start when Callum Craig provided the assist for Jack Allen’s opener after five minutes. Skibbereen Celtic’s response was positive but their opposing defence gave little away and the score remained unchanged at the half time whistle.
Castlelack would have extended their lead but for excellent Skibb defending and wasteful finishing. The winners kept pressing however, and found the net for a second time with quarter of an hour remaining. Aaron Harrington’s superbly placed header made it 2-0 and confirmed a delighted Castlelack as U13 Schoolboys Shield winners for 2024.
‘The club would like to express our gratitude to the parents of all our players,’ Castlelack coach Matthew Craig commented.
‘They, the parents, have given us unwavering support throughout a season that began 11 months ago. We also want to acknowledge the incredible dedication of Castlelack’s coaches and their tireless efforts behind the scenes as we competed in five different competitions”
Castlelack: D O’Regan, O Kiely, E Kiely, A Ferguson, J Twomey, S Evans, J Allen, C Craig, D Kerr, L Barry, T Hickey.
Subs: A Morgan (captain), W Hickey, A Harrington, C Heaney, J Horgan, O Lucot, J Smithers.
Skibbereen Celtic: R O’Driscoll, S Pelesok, L Dowdall, F Ryan, S McCarthy, C McCarthy, F Garrett (captain), M O’Donoghue, C Heaton-Jones, L Allan, R O’Driscoll.
Subs: L Holmes, R Collins, R Buckley, C Kelleher.
Referee: A McDermott.
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The West Cork Academy has been confirmed as one of the entrants in the 2025 Budget Energy Super Cup in Northern Ireland.
An U16 schoolboys squad will travel north to represent their academy and region between Sunday, July 27th and Friday, August 1st.
This year’s Super Cup competition will consist of three male age groups: minor (schoolboys born on or after 1st January 2012), junior (schoolboys born on or after 1st January 2011) and premier (schoolboys born on or after 1st January 2009). Each of the schoolboys’ sections will consist of a minimum of 16 teams.
An equally popular schoolgirls section of the annual Super Cup NI will also be played between July 27th and July 31st.
Last year, in their first trip north to compete in the prestigious tournament, the West Cork Academy U16 schoolboys squad earned a creditable 12th overall placed finish. Drawn in Group C of the U16 Boys’ Premier grade West Cork faced County Down Schoolboys, Deportivo Tolouca (Mexico) and Dubai’s Barcelona Academy.
Following the conclusion of the group stages, West Cork were drawn to face Scottish Premier League club Rangers in the Vase semi-finals. Defeat in that encounter meant a 11th and 12th placed play-off against Skouted FC which ended in a narrow 2-1 loss.
West Cork’s superb efforts helped the academy cement a place in the following November’s Surf International Tournament in Salou, Catalonia.
