Waterford – Munster U-16 soccer champions after they defeated the Kerry League on Sunday in Cork.

It’s the season of goodwill and all that but Munster Gold medals must be won on the field. The Waterford Schoolboy League went into last Sunday’s Munster U-16 showpiece decider as underdogs but John Furlong’s side delivered the goods with a 3-0 success over the Kerry League at Carrigaline.
After the disappointment of underachieving over recent years, finally these young players tasted final success with a dominant performance
For Waterford manager John Furlong and his backroom team of Paul Breslin and Michael Condron, it was a fantastic day when captain Greg Waters got his hands on the Munster cup as Waterford picked up their first U-16 title since the 2014 season.

OVER THE MOON
Speaking after the game with a smile on his face, the Waterford boss said, “I’m over the moon to be honest with you because I said during the week that it would be special for this group of players because they have been quite unlucky in recent years.
“I’m delighted that they’ve won of course I am but I think that the manner in which they achieved it was special because they showed more desire, more commitment and were probably a bit unlucky not to have won the game a bit more comfortably.
“I know that 3-0 looks comfortable but it was only 1-0 for a long time before we scored two late goals to calm the nerves but I think that we thoroughly deserved it. I thought that they were brilliant. We did stress that in finals it’s important to start well and I thought we came out of the blocks really well.
“The only disappointing thing is that we only scored once in the first half because I’m sure you have the stats but we created chance after chance. I knew like all games that the other team would get a period that they would be in control but to be honest I don’t think they really got that for too long.
“We knew Kerry’s pedigree as they have won the Kennedy Cup but Ben Kirwan produced a fantastic save at a vital stage in the game. I thought that the big four was very good but I felt that Mark O’Meara and Craig Reidy were exceptional.
“That’s not taking away from the other 13 that got onto the field because they worked their socks off. To me the second goal was crucial to the match and although I would have wanted it about 20 minutes before it came, thankfully it did.

PROUD AS PUNCH
“The second goal always gives you a bit of a cushion and I was wondering would it come but thankfully we got two goals that saw out the game for us. I thought that the midfield three of John Kavanagh, Greg Waters and Niall O’Keeffe in the first half were fantastic and they set the platform for us to be honest.
“I’m delighted for the players. To see them playing with that confidence and belief. It’s brilliant and I’m very proud of what they’ve achieved here today. They have beaten a team that won the Kennedy Cup two years ago, and they’ve really come on in recent months.
“I’m looking at them now in the dressing room. They can’t stop taken pictures of the cup, taken selfies and it’s brilliant for them. It’s something that has eluded them but this isn’t over now. We have an All-Ireland semi-final against Donegal to look forward to too.
“It would be great to start the New Year with this group of players with a National title before the start of the new League of Ireland U-17. We’ve achieved one aim that was to get to a Munster final, we achieved a second in winning so our next aim is to win a semi-final before seen where it takes us.”