This was a tale of 2 halves as the U14s held their own in the first but came unstuck in the 2nd to end up with a loss.

Sunday was a lovely afternoon to play ball and Mooncoin settled in to the game with a few strong tackles. There was a bit of to-and-fro in the midfield area and then first blood went to Tramore.

Mooncoin got back into the game and with a ball splitting the Tramore defence Emily raced onto it and hit the back of the net to make it 1-1.

There were a few chances for Tramore and then another through ball had Emily in on goal only for the keeper to make a good save and then the follow-up shot from Ella Brennan had the keeper make another good save to keep it as 1-1 at the half time break.

Tramore came on strong in the 2nd half scoring from a through ball, scoring off a corner routine, and from a lobbed shot. Mooncoin had a few bursts into the Tramore box from Eve and Emily but then Tramore went down the other end to slot in another goal which just tickled over line.

Even given the scoreline there were some fine performances in defence and once this team can get a hold of the midfield they will go far.

A short spin across the water to our neighbours in Portlaw for today’s league game saw us come away with 3pts in a below par display from this fantastic group of players .
We opened the scoring with virtually our first attack after 20 minutes when Dan Cleary swung in a corner towards the back post and Dylan Harrington was on hand to tap into the bottom corner.
Goal number two followed shortly after when Lee Tracey beat the full back and clipped the ball into the box for Daniel Fewer Ward to head home from
10 yards.
A number of chances went astray during the remainder of the half and to be honest we should’ve had one or two more going in at half time.
The performance improved for the opening minutes of the second half as we worked tirelessly to close out the game . We increased our lead just before the hour mark when a neat passing move from back to front fell to Lee , who drew the keeper from his line before passing to Daniel for an easy finish .
Portlaw responded when our concentration levels dropped and fired home two goals in quick succession .
The home team had the wind in their sails for the remainder of the game and made it extremely difficult for us to get up the pitch . A rare attack at this stage made it’s way into the opposition penalty area and Dan was in the right place to finish for his hatrick.
The home side fired in their third within minutes when some sloppy play on our part gifted them the opportunity.
The last 10 minutes was a backs to the wall display ,but we held out for the 4-3 win .
Disappointing performance but we’ll take the 3pts to keep us in touch near the top of the table.

U10 girls played Carrick this morning in lovely sunshine. 14 girls togged out rearing to go and flew out of the traps, hitting the post in the first minute. Carrick were first to score but the young ladies of Mooncoin bounced right back to equalize. Carrick capitalized on our inexperience to run out winners but the improvement was there from the first day for all to see. Well done to all girls and coach Dee Travers for her stirring speech to the girls after the game. Training resumes on Wednesday at 6.

After a two month wait, the older lads finally got a run out. A very slow start by us and we nearly got caught in the first 5 minutes but we eventually got going and started to play ball and the passing and movement was good throughout. A through ball from Scoby put Gerry Walsh through and he didn’t give up on it forcing a mistake and it was 1 nil through a Crusaders og and stayed like that up to half time. Second half kicked off and we kept the ball well and got a second from another mistake through another og. Crusaders got a goal back with a scramble in the box from a corner but we finished stronger and if not for rustiness could have been 4 or 5 to us. Good result after a two month lay off. Good numbers today with 16 available with still a few missing. Credit must be given to this squad who have kept training away even though no games have been scheduled. Next game away to Abbeyside next Sunday, 11am kick off.

Our u11 squad travelled to St Paul’s to play on a cold damp morning and put in a very good display, showing the training sessions are paying dividends. Coaches were very happy afterwards.

A deserving win today in Williamstown, after a one sided first half in which Mooncoin mostly dominated with Aaron, Kieran & Rudi all going close with half chances, 0-0 at half time .
Second half Mooncoin started strongest again with Lee & Robbie now adding to the attack, more half chances came our way but still no break through, with our defence on top DLS were relying on set pieces, and as the clock ticked down a draw looked likely.
Then with 5 minutes left Alan Walsh reacted quickly to a breaking ball on the edge of the DLS box , while holding off a defender Alan managed to get another touch on the ball, which drew the kepper off his line and calmly slotted the ball home with his left foot .
Man of the match was Jack Brennan just ahead of Kyle Kennedy both very strong and committed today.
Best wishes & speedy recovery to Jack Brennan who went off injured in stoppage time. A busy day for Jack who gave up his time this morning to help out with the youngest academy group with their session in Carrigeen and then on to DLS to secure three points. Fingers crossed the injury isn’t too bad.

Tomorrow:

U11 away to St Paul’s, kick off 10.30
Massive numbers keep training regardless of weather with this group with the competitive edge amongst the squad evident in every session.

U13 away to Kilmacow, kick off 12.30
Derek’s squad will be hoping to stop the runaway train that is Kilmacow who are league winners in waiting. A little matter of a cup final defeat to the same opposition last season will surely be mentioned when the team talk takes place.

U15 away to DLS, kick off 2.30
After the 10-1 defeat in their previous game against Kilmacow, this squad shouldn’t need any motivation.

Sunday:
U10 girls away to Carrick, kick off 10.15
This young squad continue their first steps in soccer when they visit Coolnamuck in this non competitive league.

4th division home to Crusaders, kick off 11.00
The older guys in the club have had to wait a massive two months since their last fixture. Fingers crossed they get a run out.

U14 girls home to Tramore, kick off 2.00
After their debut game against the Villa, this talented group face what is sure to be a strong Tramore outfit where the training sessions will hopefully stand to them.

Youths away to Portlaw, kick off 2.00
After last week’s defeat in the FAI youth cup, the lads resume league action when they visit the Paddock in what will be a tricky game. Let’s hope ‘Bibgate’ hasn’t hampered preparations.

Support as always will be most welcome for all seven teams over the weekend.

EVERY DAY FROM
MONDAY NOVEMBER 12TH TO
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 16TH 9.30-1PM
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Despite the poor conditions in recent days the ashgrove pitch was in immaculate condition and served up a cup cracker this afternoon.

The familiarity between both sides was always going to make for interesting viewing and players and supporters alike were treated to a riproaring battle as soon as the first whistle blew.

The early exchanges were evenly contested all over the pitch and a few early chances went astray on our part .

Ferrybank opened the scoring on 15 mins when a poorly cleared corner was floated back over our defence to the in rushing ferrybank striker who made no mistake with his oppourtunity.

In fairness to the lads they responded brilliantly to the set back and forced the ferrybank defence into conceding numerous corners and free kicks.

The equaliser arrived from a superbly struck corner by Evan Cleary and when it landed in the box Dan Ronayne held off a few defenders to rise highest and nod home.

Ferrybank responded immediately and had us on the back foot with quick counter attacks and got their second when a move up the left saw the ball swept brilliantly across the box and dispatched to the corner despite Darragh getting a hand on it.
1-2 at half time.

A couple of changes at half time gave us renewed energy and we took the game to the opposition for long periods of the half.

A few corners and free kicks into the box went agonisingly close to finding the net but unfortunately this pressure failed to yield a goal.

A good tough cup game where the opposition were just that little bit better over the 90 mins.

Fantastic effort by all involved again today .

Our u9s played their first games of the season yesterday when they visited Kildalton park for a series of games against Piltown. Goals galore in the four matches that took place. Big thanks to Piltown for hosting us.