Coffey and Walsh on the double for super Stradbally
The Stradbally FC players celebrate their win over Carrick United in the Joe Goulding U11C Cup Final at Graun Park on Saturday last.
Stradbally justified their long odds on favouritism to land the WSFL Joe Goulding Under 11C Cup Final when they proved too strong for a battling Carrick United side following their decider played at Graun Park on Saturday afternoon last.
After dominating the game from start to finish, the visitors scored four times during the course of the decider with Daniel Walsh and Kevin Coffey netting a brace each as their side celebrated a fantastic triumph for the club.
They were on the front foot from the opening whistle with the opening chance arrived on two minutes when Walsh played the ball through for Coffey, but he couldn’t direct his effort on target before the same player was just wide with a fine shot four minutes later.
The breakthrough goal for Stradbally arrived on 10 minutes when Kevin Coffey cut in from the left-side that saw the Carrick defence clear into the path of Daniel Walsh, and he swept a cracking right-footed strike past the dive of keeper Gearoid Long.
An excellent effort from Donnacha Walsh saw the post deny Stradbally a second goal two minutes later when he cracked in shot from the right. A second goal did arrive on15 minutes when Walsh sent over a corner-kick that fell nicely for Kevin Coffey, and he swept the ball to the net from close-range.
A brilliant clearance off the line from Carrick’s Billy Keane denied Coffey his second goal of the contest a minute before the half-time break as Stradbally were well on top by the time referee Luke Brennan sounded the half-time whistle.
It was the upright that came in the way of the victors adding a third goal on 36 minutes when Daniel Walsh laid the ball off into the path of Grace Power on the left-side of the area, and her cracking effort came crashing back off the post with keeper Long beaten.
Kevin Coffey scored a stunning third goal that put the game out of any reach of the Coolnamuck outfit four minutes later when he stood over a free-kick 25-yards from goal, and he beat the Carrick netminder Gearoid Long with an excellent right-footed strike.
There was a big chance for Carrick to pull a goal back on 43 minutes when Michael Phelan cracked in a free-kick from distance that was well saved by the Stradbally keeper Jack O’Shea that saw the ball rebound to Norald Ayazi, but his shot fizzed over the bar.
Stradbally added a fourth goal sixty seconds later when Coffey turned provider for Daniel Walsh, and he made no mistake when planting a low right-footed shot to the far corner past keeper Long, who did try his best to keep the effort out.
Grace Power did have the ball in the Carrick net, but her cracking effort was ruled out for offside, before there was one final chance for her opponents to get a goal in injury-time only for Phelan to fire into the sidenetting after cutting in from the left.
After the game, a delighted Stradbally captain Aidan Lawlor accepted the Joe Goulding Under 11C Cup from Joan McDonald daughter of Joe in the presence of WSFL’s Davy Cullen, Mary Ray, and Pat Kelly as they celebrated a cracking triumph. A great win for the young Stradbally players by the seaside.
Gearoid Long, Billy Keane, Franky Dalton, Tom Tobin, Riley Rockett, Charlie Keane, Norald Ayazi, Tomas Long, Fionn Lanigan, Michael Phelan, Harry Hanrahan.
Jack O’Shea, Conor Curran, James Curran, Jamie Fennell, Donnacha Power, Daniel Walsh, Kevin Coffey, Jamie Hayes, Aidan Lawlor, Grace Power, Noah Condon, Seamus O’Reilly.
Luke Brennan assisted by Damien Kelly and Wayne Marshall.
