Claremorris AFC Youths winning Funstal Competition in Barancarroll Sports Center
Claremorris Soccer Club
Registration Night 2008
Claremorris AFC have their 2008 registration on Wednesday 5th March from 7 to 930pm. The venue is the Curam Centre beside St Colman’s Church.
First time members need to bring an original Birth Cert.
Fees for the year are 90 euro per child or 150 euro for a family membership.
Membership fees include Bus Insurance AstroTurf Laundry and Equipment.
Membership is open to all children between the age of 5 and 18.
Mixed teams at U8 U10 U11 and U12
Girls teams at U12 U14 U16
Boys Teams at U12 U13 U14 U15 U16
A diary of events, year planner and contact details will be available on the night.
Check website www.claremorrisafc.com for further information. You can also email to secretary@claremorrisafc.com or Text message to the Clubline 0851155052
Futsal Tournament
On Saturday 1st March Claremorris Under 10's had a thrilling
victory in the 2008 Futsal Tournament when they pipped
Charlestown
Athletic in the final by 4 - 3.
Ciara Nally Ryan McDonnell Hannah Cleary Mark Lusson Sean
Mc Guinness Brian Mc Guinness
Patrick Barry Daniel Huane Conor Keaney Conor Diskin Jurgen
Pilbrow
Donal Heaney Nicole Lavelle
Claremorris had one of their tougher games of the new season in Concannon Park on Thursday evening last against a battling Glenhest side.It was a credit to both sides that even though in blustery conditions there was some great fast spells of play.
However against the run of play it was Glenhest who took the lead with a well worked team goal that ended with their right winger firing the ball to the back of the net.Having said that they had the advantage of a fairly strong breeze.
Things changed in the second half though with the switch of Claremorris AFC's Paddy o Gara to right back to nullify the Glenhest attack and with the advantage of the breeze in their favour they started to make themselves known.
This showed with a fine solo effort from Brian Gallagher who rounded two Glenhest players before firing cooly past the opposition goalkeeper.
And thats the way this stalemate stayed with both teams applying increased pressure throughout the second half.
Frankie Barrett,James Kavanagh,Paul Maloney,Jimmy Mitchell,Niall Kitching,Greg Mulkerins,Paddy o Gara,Dermot Costello,Paul Beirne,Sam Darcy,Brian Gallagher.
CROSSMOLINA was enlivened Saturday evening by the triumphant homecoming
of the local U-14 basketball team that had just clinched the Connacht
title. The joyful cavalcade of cars snaking through the town would have
been witnessed by members of the soccer team en-route to their opening
home game of the season and would have revived memories of happier times
when they were the ones celebrating promotions and cup wins.
Those days seemed quite far away two hours later after a resounding 5-0 defeat to Super League newcomers Claremorris that left the home team pointless after three games and firm-ly rooted to the bottom of the table. Prior to kickoff neither side had any points and it had been labelled as an early season six-pointer by some media representatives. Claremorris’ confident start betrayed their league position and Danny Broderick epitomised their bravado with an opportunistic twenty-five yard effort after five minutes that was just too high to trouble Johnny O’Hora in the Crossmolina goal. Encouraged by the effort the left winger accepted the chance to do better later in the half when he was entrusted with a free kick from about the same distance.
He curled a tantalising left footed effort just wide of O’Hora’s left post but these near misses combined with a decent amount of possession infused the visitors with a belief that they could get their first points of the season.
Crossmolina, on the other hand, were limited to half chances despite the visitors' defence enduring a nervy opening period when put under pressure. A careless pass across the edge of their penalty area was nearly seized upon by John Duggan but, with goalkeeper Francis Barrett out of goal, the winger’s shot from twenty yards was too weak and the netminder retreated to save. Jonathan Burke then hit a speculative thirty-yard shot that was too high as the hosts struggled to find some fluency. At the other end Broderick continued his shoot-on-sight policy with another long-range effort, this time more optimistically from an acute angle on the left. It was altogether quite an uninspiring spectacle with the drizzle turning to heavy rain. The hardy few souls who came to support the visitors were oblivious to the downpour however when their team took a deserved lead after twenty five minutes. A corner kick from the left was swiped clear to the edge of the box where it was met by a sweet Claremorris drive. Johnny O’Hora dived to his right to deflect the ball onto his right hand post, where it rebounded across the goal line behind the prone keeper towards the other upright. Sam Darcy reacted quickest to the loose ball and swooped to ram home the opening goal.
The midfield slugathon continued until half time when the hosts would have hoped to regroup and respond with a second half onslaught.
What ensued was the exact opposite. Claremorris maintained their hold on the game, comfortably coping defensively with the Deelsiders threat while creating a few half chances for themselves. The best fell to Greg Mulkearns after O’Hora made a superb save from a long range effort but, with the goal at his mercy, the midfielder’s attempt was brilliantly smothered by an excellently timed block tackle from the backtracking Jason Canavan. Shortly after Brian Gallagher netted a second goal for the visitors and the task of claiming anything from the game seemed beyond the home team. Mulkearns received reward for his persistence with fifteen minutes remaining when he cut in from the right wing and faked a shot to earn himself some space for the real thing, which was an unstoppable twenty yard daisycutter that accelerated past O’Hora. Dermot Costello spurned a great opportunity to widen the gap when he made scant contact with a cross the bobbled off the hard ground, causing him to scuff his shot wide. But the demoralised hosts were easy prey for Claremorris now and they rounded off the game with two more goals. Costello himself capped a left flank attack with a strange shot that seemed to take an eternity to reach the net and then in the dying minutes he punctured the home rearguard for the final time to set up substitute Mick Jennings' strike.
The hosts only attempts at goal in the half were an acrobatic bicycle kick by Stewart Griffin and a shot by substitute Owen Doherty that flew over from the left side of the penatly area. The defeat marked only the fourth time this millennium that Crossmolina have conceded five goals at home and Claremorris can now claim responsibility for two of those because they achieved the feat in August 2000 too!
As Crossmolina trudged off the rain-soaked pitch they could only console themselves with the thought that they began last season with three defeats too before rebounding to ultimately finish in the top half of the table.
CLAREMORRIS: Francis Barrett, Jimmy Mitchell, Paul Maloney, Mark Sullivan, Niall Kitchen, Brian Gallagher, Sam Darcy, Greg Mulkearns, Darragh Costello, Danny Broderick (Mick Jennings), Niall Whittle (Kevin Walsh).
Subs: Mick Jennings for Broderick, Kevin Walsh for Whittle.
CROSSMOLINA: Johnny O’Hora, Jason Canavan, Stewart Griffin, Pierce Loftus, Mark Loftus, John Duggan, Paul McGuinness, Jonathan Burke, Paul Flaherty, Adrian Conway, Mark Howley.
Subs: Michael Timlin for Conway (60), Owen Doherty for Duggan
(80).
Referee - Harry Loftus.
Claremorris AFC suffered a heartbreaking second defeat of the season as they were beaten 1-0 by Ballyheane in Concannon Park on sunday last.
The score line was not a true reflection of the way the game went as Claremorris had the majority of the possession and had Ballyheane under the kosh for most of the game.The goal came from a corner kick that was finished finely to the net with a great half volley.
Claremorris were unlucky not to get anything from the game and you could say their luck was out when Danny Broderick's free kick came back of the post and was cleared by the defending side.
Claremorris can take great confidence from this game as they nearly defeated one of the great mayo super league sides.
Claremorris AFC
Frankie Barrett,Paul Maloney,Jimmy Mitchell,Mark O Sullivan,Niall Kitching,Sam Darcy,Dermot Costello(c),Greg Mulkerins,Andy Woodhouse,Danny Broderick.
Sub used -- Anthony Barry
In blustery conditions in Ballina on sunday last Claremorris AFC returned to the upper echelon of mayo soccer in a well contested game.
As befitting the super league the game started at a frantic pace that both teams found hard to adjust to and this was reflected in the football.Had this not been the first game of the season the standard would have being much higher.
Both teams spent most of the first half probing and never really making the breakthrough that would see a vital lead.
And this is the way the half finished out.
The breakthrough came mid-way through the second half when Claremorris centre back James Kavanagh slipped on the soft surface allowing the Ballina striker to finish to the net.
This seemed to be the spark that Claremorris needed as they pummeled the Ballina goal with set pieces and from general play.However the south mayo sides first foray in super league for a few years ended in disappointment,but they should be encouraged by the performance of a side that had five vital players missing.
Frankie Barrett,Paul Maloney,Danny Broderick,Mark o'Sullivan,James Kavanagh,Greg Mulkerrins,Brian Farragher,Dermot Costello,Jimmy Mitchell,Paul Beirne,Brian Gallagher.
Subs Used : Andy Woodehouse,Anthony Barry
Celebrating 21 years in existence, Claremorris AFC gathered in the McWilliam Park Hotel recently to look back on a successful year. Cróna Esler reports.
OVER THE last 21 years, Claremorris AFC has seen many changes and developments, not least the club’s impressive new 60x40m all-weather pitch. At a recent ceremony in the McWilliam Park Hotel, the club looked back on another successful year for the management and players, both on and off the field.
A great crowd gathered in the Claremorris hotel for the annual Presentation night for Claremorris AFC and, while they waited for the ceremony to begin, the audience were treated to a life-size presentation of a plethora of photographs, allowing the locals to take a trip down memory lane, with pictures of the Claremorris soccer teams from the 80’s and 90’s. As the pictures rolled on, and the presentations grew closer, the images moved bang up-to-date, to include the current successful youngsters and Junior team during the 2006 season - one of the club’s most successful to date. Not surprisingly, the presentation came to a close with photographs of the new development at the club grounds and their state-of-the-art Astroturf pitch.
On behalf of Claremorris AFC, Tommy Gleeson took a step forward at the beginning of the ceremony and spoke briefly about the fabulous new all-weather training surface, which allows the members to train both day and night. “The facility is open to all, regardless of age or sex or any other difference, and it is our intention that it be used to its maximum capacity and not lie idle,” Tommy explained.
“In fact,” he continued, “there are reports circulating of talented older players togging out and reliving past glories. And there are more reports of fellas going round with thigh and calf strains, doing warm-ups, stretching exercises and replenishing fluids,” smiled Tommy.
Moving on, Tommy spoke about the new era of sport in Claremorris and stated that, although the old photos would remind people of the friends they had lost along the way, one thing is for certain - the personality, determination and spirit of Brian Higgins and Noel McGuinness would live on forever.
Before introducing the Special Guest, Tommy extended the club’s appreciation to their sponsors and in particular to CBE, Finn Auctioneers, Albany Home Décor, The Goat Tavern, McHale Engineering, and MMH Builders. He also thanked Paul Hanley at the Western Hotel and Mark and staff at the Dalton Inn for their continued support, as well as acknowledging the help of John Kean and Michael Cosgrove.
Getting proceedings underway, Tommy then introduced Special Guest, Paul Byrne. A former player and youth coach with Urlar United, Paul was appointed Mayo Development Officer in a full-time capacity as part of the FAI Development Plan last year, and is now based in Milebush.
Speaking as an outsider, Paul expressed his delight at the developments within the Claremorris club, commenting that it would be a great country if every club were as progressive as Claremorris. Looking around him, Paul pointed out that there are a lot of background people in place in Claremorris and acknowledged that the club wouldn’t be where it is today without them. The FAI Officer praised the players, parents, coaches and management for their tireless dedication to the club and congratulated them on a great year.
With the speeches out of the way, it was time for the awards to be handed out and the aspiring young boys and girls playing U-8 were called up individually to collect their medals. In this regard, their coaches Stephen Ring, Mark Peters, Seamus Butler and Maud Finn were thanked for their work.
The U-10s were next to come forward for their medals, with coaches Margaret Shaughnessy, Brendan Costello, Rene Jannsen and Tony Reapy standing by proudly.
The U-12 Reserves, coached by Rene Jannsen and John Brennan, were then called to the front of the room to collect their medals, with John Brennan collecting the Player Of The Year Award and Michael Lavelle earning the Most Improved Player title.
These presentations were followed by the awards for the U-12 first team, who are coached by Mark Peters and Brendan Costello. In this category, James Stretton and Andrew Peters were jointly awarded as Players Of The Year, while Cian Brennan picked up the prize as Top Scorer.
The U-13s had a fantastic season, reaching the last 32 in the FAI Cup but were beaten by the Drogheda Boys on penalties. Under the guidance of coaches Greg Prendergast and Michael Hutton, the team were congratulated on their great season, with Ryan Quirke picking up the Player Of The Year award.
Coached by Tommy Cunningham, Seamus Shaughnessy and Tommy Gleeson, the U-14 Reserves finished joint 2nd in their division and there was great cheer as they went to collect their medals. The Reserves were followed by the U-14 first team, who finished 3rd in their division. For the Reserves, Most Improved Player went to David Mitchell, with Brian McLoughlin getting the Top Scorer prize. In the first team, who are coached by Tommy Gallagher and Kieran Heneghan, Player Of The Year went to Nicky Pilbrow, with Kevin Gallagher being named as Top Scorer.
Coached by Michael McLoughlin, t0he crowd heard that the season was still ongoing for the U-16 Reserves. Player Of The Year in this category went to James Glynn, with Jonathon Burke selected as Most Improved Player. For the first team, who are coached by Seamus Butler and Tony Gleeson, Player Of The Year went to David Egan, while Top Scorer was Liam Kearns.
For the U-18s, the league starts at the end of July and the team have given a lot of commitment to their coach Tommy Gallagher. Brian Gallagher was named on the night as the U-18 Player Of The Year, while Mark Sullivan scooped the Special Achievement Award.
The Junior team received great praise on the night, having been promoted for the second successive year. They will now play in the Mayo Super League for 2007 and great credit was extended to coach Andy Woodhouse for the high standards and commitment, which he demanded, and got, from a fantastic bunch of players in
As captain, player and club Treasurer, Niall Kitching was also commended for his dedication, before Niall and Andy were called forward to present the squad with their runners-up medals.
The individual awards had been presented to the Junior team at a special function earlier in the year, but were again congratulated - Niall Whittle (Players’ Player Of The Year), Dermot Costello (Manager’s Player Of The Year), Frankie Barrett and Danny Broderick (Joint Young Player Of The Year), and Adrian Joyce (Most Improved Player).
In the Premier Division, special mention went to Claremorris-man Derek Glynn who was selected as the recipient of the Premier Division Golden Boot. Derek was not in attendance on the night, as he was in pre-season training with Galway United. Derek’s achievements with the club in the last two years were record-breaking and his goals were an important part of a very successful period for the Junior team. It was only a matter of time before other clubs found out how good he was and unfortunately, he was spotted by Galway United and scooped from his home club!
At the Presentation ceremony, Tommy Gleeson and Andy Woodhouse took the opportunity to thank Derek for his special contribution on the field of play and, on behalf of his fellow team mates and coach, his friends and everybody at the club, they wished Derek all the very best in the season ahead.
Claremorris recorded something of a surprise when they overcame a strongly fancied Westport Utd side in a thrilling Cup semi-final played at Urlar on Sunday Last.
A highly competitive opening quarter saw both teams working hard with few chances of note being created. Claremorris’ midfield duo of Shane Nally and David Daly worked tirelessly to snub out the undoubted threat of Westport’s highly rated pairing of Danny Fallon and Eoin Torpey.
Eventually, somewhat against the run of play, Claremorris made the breakthrough when right back Donie Finn made an excellent run down the right before laying the ball onto Liam Kerins who squared to striker Brian Walsh who made no mistake from close range. As expected the Westport response was immediate as they surged forward immediately after this set back. They won a free kick inside the Claremorris half, which was swung in dangerously and eventually broke free to Pat Kelly who made no mistake to send the teams in level at half time.
The second half was again a highly competetive affair with both teams driving forward in pursuit of a potential winning goal. That goal eventually arrived on 60 mins. Claremorris central defender Ian Costello floated a free kick into the box, the ball was chested down by Liam Kerins to his strike partner Brian Walshe who volleyed home from the edge of the box. This goal again prompted Westport into a period of sustained pressure. They launched attack after attack and were unfortunate not to equalise on a number of occasions. Indeed they had the ball in the net on three occasions only for the referee to adjudge all to be offside. Claremorris managed to hold on to their lead and in so doing set up a final against Urlar Utd, which is one that few pundits would have predicted at the outset of the campaign.
Danny McNamarra, Donie Finn, David Egan, Ian Costello, Sean McLaughlin, Kevin Walshe, Shane Nally, David Daly, David Dolan, Liam Kerins, Brian Walshe, James Glynn, Kevin Butler, David Macken, Johnny McCormack, Alan Healy, Jimmy King.
Claremorris u12 boys reached the quarter finals of the Connacht shield with a deserved victory over Athlone side St Josephs.
Claremorris made their intentions clear from the outset playing controlled attacking football and using the full width of the pitch to torment their hosts. St Josephs struggled to cope with the speed and technique of lone striker Cian Brennan, and with James Stretton and Andrew Peters both driving forward from midfield it was only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken. That breakthrough arrived after eight minutes when the influential Andrew Peters won possession in midfield, he ghosted past three defenders before driving an unstoppable shot to the net. Continuous Claremorris pressure brought a second goal on fifteen minutes when Cian Brannan received the ball on the right, he beat his marker before delivering a perfect cross which was met by the in rushing Jamie Gill who made no mistake from close range. St Josephs came more into the match as the half progressed, but found the Claremorris back four of Lynch, Matt Peters, Finn, and Clarke impossible to break down with goalkeeper Adam Murphy playing confidently throughout.
The second half started with Claremorris again dominating proceedings and playing some excellent football. However they were caught with a sucker punch after five minutes when Josephs scrambled the ball to the net following a corner kick. This didn’t deter the Claremorris lads who continued to drive forward and Thomas Waldron, who was impressive throughout , had two great efforts saved by the Josephs’ keeper. James Stretton also went close with an effort after a great move involving Brennan and Ronan Finn. Claremorris finally made sure of victory five minutes from the end when a superb through ball from James Stretton found Cian Brennan and he coolly slid the ball past the keeper to ensure victory.>
Claremorris Squad: Adam Murphy, Kevin Lynch, Matthew Peters, Michael Clarke, Ciaran Finn, Ronan Finn, James Stretton, Andrew Peters, Jamie Gill, Thomas Waldron, Cian Brennan, Aaron Costello,Cathal Hanley, Brian Clarke, Simon Butler.
Registration for all underage players takes place this Friday night March 2nd at the Curam (beside church) Claremorris. Registration open from 7.00p.m – 9.00p.m.
If this date is not suitable registration forms can be obtained from committee members. A parent/guardian should accompany players being registered.
It’s important that players new to the club bring with them an original birth Certificate.
Registration fees are €60.00 per child, or €100 for a family of two or more.
Claremorris Astro Pitch is now open and available for rental to all interested groups. It’s an ideal venue for those training for competiton, those wishing to keep fit or indeed for those wishing to play for fun. For further details please ring 085-1155052.
It was a busy weekend on the field for the club.
Our u12’s had an excellent win in Athlone in the Connacht Shield.
Our u11’s played in the Connacht finals of the Danone Cup and performed very well reaching the final before losing 2-1 to Barna. The 13’s lost 2-1 to Westport and our 18’s beat Straide & Foxford in a keenly fought match, winning out eventually after a penalty shoot out.
Claremorris 1 Drogheda Boys 1 (after extra time)
(Brennan 19 mins) (Darby 56 mins)
Drogheda win on penalties.
Concannon Park was resplendent in spring sunshine on Saturday last for the visit of top Dublin and District league side Drogheda Boys in this SFAI Cup Clash.
Drogheda brought with them all the professionalism of their Eircom league senior side and a large travelling support. A measure of the challenge facing Claremorris was the fact that four of the Drogheda side are on the DDSL Kennedy Cup squad.
However any thoughts that this was going to be an easy passage to the next round for the Drogheda lads were quickly dispelled in the opening minutes when a number of crunching tackles from the Claremorris lads set the tone for what was to become a highly competitive encounter.
Drogheda controlled matters in the opening stages playing inventive football and creating a number of good chances. Daniel Darby broke through the home defence and shot narrowly wide, before setting up star striker Daniel Grimes whose snap shot brought out a world class save from home ‘keeper Ciaran McDermott. Claremorris grew in confidence and began to put the visitors defence under some pressure. That pressure eventually paid off in the 19th minute when a Ryan Quirke cross was nodded down by Barry Healy to the inrushing Connor Brennan who made no mistake from close range.
Drogheda came back into the game and created a number of chances without seriously threatening the Claremorris goal. The home side suffered a blow just before half time when full back Steve Gallagher suffered an injury that meant he wouldn’t be able to take part in the second half. After the restart Drogheda continued to pile on the pressure, but found the Claremorris defence of Peters, Stretton, Butler and the outstanding Andrew Shally impossible to break down. Behind them goalkeeper Ciaran McDermott performed superbly throughout. Claremorris had a number of chances themselves in the second half with Sean Gill & Jayme O’Brien both going close. However the home sides luck eventually ran out four minutes from time when Daniel Grimes headed home Drogheda’s equaliser. Despite that setback the Claremorris lads still continued to attack and the hard working Darren Connolly was unlucky not to snatch a late winner when he got on the end of a well worked free kick only to see his shot end up in the side netting.
The final whistle signalled a period of extra time during which both sides had chances to win. Claremorris’ best chance fell to Sean Gill who shot narrowly wide after being set up by Cian Brennan. However the deadlock couldn’t be broken during normal play and the penalty shoot out ensued. Unfortunately for the home side it wasn’t meant to be and they made their exit after the bravest of performances. The Claremorris lads can feel rightly proud of their performance, as they showed that they can match one of the best teams in the country.
Ciaran McDermott, Steve Gallaher,Andrew Shally, Aidan Butler, James Stretton, Sean Gill, Jayme O'Brien,Ryan Quirke, Connor Brennan,Darren Connolly,Barry Healy,James Shaughnessy, Cian Brennan,David Mitchell, Shane McGuinness, Andrew Peters, David O'Reilly, Andrew Murphy, Steven Killeen, Matthew Peters, Kevin Moran
Claremorris recorded a deserved, but hard fought, victory over Castlebar Celtic at Celtic Park last week to reach the last 32 of the SFAI Troy Cup.
This is the second season in sucession that this squad has reached this stage of a National competition having reached the last 32 last year of the u12 Norton Cup.
The game was played under floodlights giving these young players the opportunity to experience the atmosphere of night time games.
The initial exchanges were evenly balanced with both teams playing good football and creating scoring oportunities. As the half progressed Claremorris began to dominate, with Ryan Quirke controlling midfield, and the Claremorris defence dealing capably with the threat of Celtics Roy Cresham.Connor Brennan went close with a snap shot and a Barry Healy header crashed off the crossbar as Claremorris piled on the pressure. That pressure eventually paid off on 22 minutes when a great through ball from Sean Gill left Barry Healy in on goal and he calmy found the net.
The initial stages of the second half saw further Claremorris pressure and they went close to extending their lead with Ryan Quirke, Andrew Shally, and Jayme O'Brien all going close.
Celtic then came more into the match and dominated the latter stages, and nearly equalised on 50 mins when a long range shot narrowly cleared the crossbar.
However the Claremorris defence stood strong, with Aidan Butler and James Stretton both in outstanding form. Andrew Shally defended well throughout and also added an extra dimension attacking on the left hand side. Steve Gallagher defended well dealing with any threats on the right hand side. Ciaran McDermott dealt capably with all that Celtic could offer in terms of shots on goal. Up front Darren Connolly and Connor Brennan tormented the Celtic defence thrughout.
The final whistle was greeted with relief by the Claremorris lads, who know that they will have to step up a level in the next round when they are due to host either Drogheda Utd or Crumlin F.C. from Dublin.
Ciaran McDermott, Steve Gallaher,Andrew Shally, Aidan Butler, James Stretton, Sean Gill, Jayme O'Brien,Ryan Quirke, Connor Brennan,Darren Connolly,Barry Healy,James Shaughnessy, Cian Brennan,David Mitchell, Shane McGuinness, Andrew Peters, David O'Reilly, Andrew Murphy, Steven Killeen, Matthew Peters, Kevin Moran,
The Claremorris AFC AGM will take place on Sunday January 21st at 2pm in the Curam Centre Claremorris. All Members should attend.
Many thanks to Claremorris AFC Junior Panel on the great year and success in reaching the Super League
Frankie Barrett. Sparky Hughes, James Kavanagh, Fergal O’Connor, Kevin Walshs, Niall Kitching, Niall Whittle, Paul Maloney, Dermot Costello, Danny Broderick, Brian Gallagher, Danny Broderick, James Mitchel , Brain Mitchel, Derek Glynn, , Mickey Mullins, Adrian Joyce, Tony Barry, Greg Mulkerns, Shane Timothy, Tom Healy, Mikey Gallagher, Paddy Boyce, Adrian Delaney, Conor Whittle, Ernie Lynn, Brian Farragher, Sean Cunnanne, Padraig Ring, Brendan French, Damien Broxton
Manager: Andy Woodhouse
Junior Fixtures Sectary: Tony Gleason
Club Physio. John Hession
By: Michael Gallagher in Milebush
PREMIER DIVISION PROMOTION PLAY-OFF
Claremorris 4 Achill Rovers 0
THERE were only seconds remaining in this promotion play-off when Derek Glynn ran through the Achill defence for the umpteenth time. He had two goals to his credit but had squandered numerous chances to grab his hat-trick and as time slipped away it seemed as if he’d have to be happy with his lot.
Then the ball found him one last time and he raced forward and slotted it into the far corner of the rigging to put the icing on a very impressive Claremorris promotion cake.
The team in white and green had been much better than their Achill opponents on the day and but for the stunning display of Rovers goalkeeper, Martin Patten, they would have enjoyed a much more handsome winning margin. The net minder was superb and prevented a handful of goals with timely stops throughout the match.
The winners were slow to start and Achill had the better of the opening exchanges but in the 13th minute Danny Broderick latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the Achill box and smashed it beyond the dive of Patten. Six minutes later Broderick found Glynn sneaking in behind the defence and the predator nudged it past the stranded goalkeeper.
Mickey Mullins was running Rovers ragged at this stage and his probing runs created numerous chances for his colleagues, some of which were saved by Patten, while others slipped by the posts.
Achill tried to get back into contention with determined play from Pat McGinty, Declan O’Malley, Michael Sweeney and Michael McNamara but they made no impression on the winners and it was Claremorris who hit the net for the third time in the 60th minute. Once again it was Broderick who released Glynn and the sharpshooter made no mis-take.
At the back Claremorris were impregnable with Barrett, Kavanagh, O’Connor, Walsh and Kitching giving nothing away. In the middle Whittle, Costello and Gallagher were providing superb support to the spring-heeled displays of Glynn, Broderick and Mullins.
Chances continued to be made and missed by Clare-morris and with Achill battling hard but failing to produce scoring chances, there was a lot of dogged midfield encounters.
As time passed it became obvious that Achill wouldn’t mount a comeback and there was only going to be one winner. All that remained to be decided was whether Glynn would get his hat-trick but that wasn’t delivered until the final seconds when the assassin drove home his third.
CLAREMORRIS: Frankie Barrett, James Kavanagh, Fergal O’Connor, Kevin Walshs, Niall Kitching, Niall Whittle, Derek Glynn, Dermot Costello, Mickey Mullins, Danny Broderick, Brian Gallagher. Subs: James Mitchel for Mullins (inj, 61), Paul Maloney for O’Connor (68).
ACHILL ROVERS: Martin Patten, J.P Keane, Pat McGinty, Tom Fadian, Shane Padden, Michael McNamara, Colm Gallagher, Declan O’Malley, David Cattigan, Michael Sweeney, Pat Grealis. Subs: Martin Calvey for Grealis (42), Sean Cafferkey for Gallagher (68).
Referee: Martin Halligan. Assistants: Mick Walsh and Jimmy Blake.
Claremorris AFC have finally reached the promised land of Mayo Super league soccer with a superb 4 goal victory over Achill Rovers on sunday last.
In a game that was played in damp conditions in Milebush Park,it was the Claremorris side that set out their stall with the defence providing an unbreakable wall that Achill just could not break down.
Claremorris took the lead through Danny Broderick after a fine passing move from midfield that he cooly finished to the net.Try as they might Achill could not break down the solid defence of Claremorris with all four players showing the meaning of resistance.
Claremorris then scored their second of the game just before half time to go into the break with a two goal advantage.
After the break the game continued along the same path with Claremorris being the better side throughout and they further increased their advantage through Derek Glynn.If the truth be known the south mayo side could really have put 3 or 4 more goals past Achill but for some outstanding saves from the Achill goalkeeper.
Claremorris AFC now go into the upper echelon of junior soccer in mayo where they will hope to repeat the successes of the last two seasons.
After the game Claremorris manager Andy Woodehouse thanked the players for their efforts and commiment over the last two seasons.This trait really showed in the Claremorris side with successful campaigns over the last two seasons.
Frankie Barrett,James Kavanagh,Fergal o Connor,Kevin Walshe,Niall kitching,Niall Whittle,Derek Glynn,Dermot Costello,Mickey Mullins,Danny Broderick,Brian Gallagher Subs Used -- Jimmy Mitchell,Paul Malloney
CELTIC RODE their luck in the 3rd Rd of the FAI Junior Cup against a strong Claremorris team last Sunday. To be fair Claremorris could have won by 3 or 4 goals and nobody from Celtic would have complained. It was Claremorris who opened the scoring when Celtic lost the ball in the middle of the park and the excellent Derek Glynn finished past Ciaran Kelly. Celtic were soon on level terms when Sean McHale finished a Shane Hynes pass to the Claremorris net. The rest of the game was very poor affair with the pitch not helping the teams to play the ball on the ground. It was Claremorris who broke through the Celtic defence time & time again but could not find the vital finish. Celtic won the penalty shoot with Shane Hynes, Chris Kelly & Paul Walsh on target and Ciaran Kelly saving two Claremorris penalties. This was a very young Celtic team with 9 of the 14 players used Under-20, but an improved performance will be needed to advance in the competition.
Showing the strength of membership in the club,Claremorris AFC had a total of five teams in action this past weekend.
On Saturday evening the under 16's were away to Knock Kiltimagh in the Barry Cup.It started well for Claremorris when there was a mix up between the Knock-Kiltimagh goal keeper and central defender resulting in an own goal.However the home side equalised before half time.In the second half Ian Costello had to be replaced by Dave Daly through injury,which further enhanced the control Claremorris had on the game.Liam Kerins put the away side 2-1 ahead followed shortly by David Egan to make it 3-1.The best was definetely saved for last when Shane Nally scored a superb free kick in the last minute to close out the game with a 4-1 victory going to the Claremorris side.
Meanwhile the unders 14s had a tough game in the Goodson Cup against Dunmore.The Claremorris side went 1-0 up but the Galway side soon pegged that back to lead the game 2-1.An exquisite pass from Darren Coen from the halfway line which was followed by a superb finish from Darren Connolly gave the Claremorris side a deserved 3-2 victory.
On Sunday afternoon in Concannon Park the Claremorris junior team played Kilmore from Belmullet in the FAI Junior Cup.The first half was full of incident asthe two sides were playing flowing football.The game sparked into life when a Mickey Mullins shot was well saved by the Kilmore goalkeeper.He was unfortunate to parry the ball into the path of the oncoming Derek Glynn who made no mistake and rolled the ball into the net.Kilmore were down but not out and equalised soon after when a defence splitting pass was finished cooly past Claremorris netminder Frankie Barrett.Towards the end of the half Claremorris were awarded a free kick that was expertly converted by ace talisman Derek Glynn.In the second half Claremorris took control of the game with further goals from Jimmy Mitchell and Dermot Costello bringing the final score to 4-2 in favour of the south mayo side.
Frankie Barrett,Paul Maloney,Fergal o Connor,Kevin Walshe,Niall Whittle,Brian Gallagher,Derek Glynn,Danny Broderick,Mickey Mullins,Adrian Joyce,Jimmy Mitchell.
Subs Used:Andy Woodehouse,Dermot Costello,Adrian Delaney.
In other news the under 18 side won 1-0 after extra time in the Connaught Cup.
Unfortunately the under 12s were beaten 3-1 by St.Josephs of Athlone on Sunday afternoon.
In a titanic battle that took place on Sunday last,it was the Claremorris side who came away victorious.
With the game poised at 3-3 the winning side came out with renewed vigour and looked a changed side in the second half.
They showed flowing football skills with both the defence and midfield playing out of their skins.
This allowed the strike partnership of Derek Glynn and Mickey Mullins to weigh in with a hat trick a piece.
A mention should also be made about a fantastic free kick taken by Danny Broderick.From 40 yards out he rifled a shot to the back of the net in what was a truly spectacular goal.
With such a commanding performance,Claremorris will be an intimidating prospect for their next opponents.
Claremorris AFC
Conor Hughes,James Kavanagh,Niall Kitching,Kevin Walshe,Fergal O Connor,Paul Maloney,Jimmy Mitchell,Niall Whittle,Danny Broderick,Derek Glynn,Mickey Mullins.
Subs Used:Adrian Joyce,Brian Mitchell.
The annual Claremorris AFC sports quiz will take place on Thursday the 5th of October at 9pm in The Goat Tavern,Claremorris.
Quizmaster on the night will be Sunday Game analyst Martin Carney.
Teams are strictly limited to 4 per team.
The cost per team is 60euro.
Prize money on the night is 1st)500euro,2nd)300euro,3rd)150euro.
There are also plenty of spot prizes on the night including 2 tickets for the first soccer match to be held in Croke Park between Ireland and Wales next year.
Any further queries or questions to
Tommy Gallagher (087-2370206) or
Ger McHale (087-9745837)
Claremorris had a great win on sunday last in Concannon Park with a 5-1 win over the men from the coastal town.
The game got off to a great start with Derek Glynn scoring after 2 minutes.This was followed shortly with a penalty decision going the way of the south mayo side.However talisman Derek Glynn failed to convert it.
Claremorris need not have worried as Mickey Mullins scored after some fine passing movements down the left wing.
After the break the game continued on the same wavelength but with Westport gaining more of the possesion.But for some bad shooting they could have easily drawn the match.
The third goal was scored by top scorer Derek Glynn and a further goal was followed by Mickey Mullins to close out the game.
It should also be noted that Claremorris goalkeeper Frankie Barrett made a save that would not look out of place in the Super League.Only for his strong hand Westport United B would have levelled and the outcome of the match could have been different.
Claremorris AFC
Frankie Barrett,James Kavanagh,Fergal o Connor,Kevin Walshe,Niall Kitching,James Mitchell,Derek Glynn,Dermot Costello,Danny Broderick,Mickey Mullins,Niall Whittle.
Subs Used
Paddy Boyce,A.Woodehouse.
Westport United B 0 Vs Claremorris AFC 1 Claremorris AFC claimed a vital victory over their arch rivals on Sunday last.With the game taking part in Westports home ground,it was the south mayo side that took the lead with a typical Derek Glynn strike.
For the rest of the first half Claremorris were taking control of the forward and defence division,but westport were more dominant in midfield.This however did not stop the progress of the Claremorris side as they made some great breakthroughs but could not apply the finish.
In the second half Westport came out with all guns blazing and were unlucky not to score but for the efforts of Frankie Barrett in the Claremorris goal.This spurred on the Claremorris side and they created many more chances but only for some bad finishing they could have beaten Claremorris by more.
Special mention has to go to Claremorris goalkeeper Frankie Barrett,who pulled one hell of a save from a Westport United B penalty.
Claremorris AFC
Frankie Barrett,James Kavanagh,Fergal O Connor,Kevin Walshe,Niall Kitching,Brian Gallagher,Derek Glynn,Dermot Costello,Jimmy Mitchell,Niall Whittle,Danny Broderick.
YES, it is getting to that time of year again.....FAI Summer Soccer Camps. The North-West we have a great selection of venues for our FAI Summer Soccer camps this year and we also have our Goal-keeping specialist camp back again for the fourth year. This year in Mayo we have five soccer camps scheduled.
As always on our soccer camps, all of our coaches hold soccer specific coaching qualifications from the Football Association of Ireland or an equivalent soccer governing body. Remember, all of our Summer Soccer camps are open to both boys and girls.
This years camps are designed to give all participants(Boys and Girls) five football packed days of fun, skills and games. The FAI Summer Soccer camps shall run Monday to Friday inclusive, from 10.30am to 3pm with breaks for light lunch and refreshments. The specialist goal-keeping camp shall take place on Saturday and Sunday.
July 10-14 ; Claremorris FC, Concannon Park, Claremorris, Co.Mayo
The specialist goal-keeping camp shall be held at Milebush Park, Castlebar on Saturday and Sunday July 15 and 16
Entry forms are now available from local soccer clubs. For any further information call Niall Harrison, FAI Regional Development Officer at 087-2499506
Claremorris got back to winnig ways on Sunday last in Concannon Park with an emphatic win over Conn Rangers.The south mayo side started the more brighter team in what were pretty miserable weather conditions and adapted their game accoridngly.
Player manager Andy Woodehouse got the scoring started with a strike inside the penalty area following a superb corner by Danny Broderick.
The game was all one way traffic after that and it was only a matter of time before Derek Glynns pace caught the Conn Rangers defence off guard and he finished a superb free kick to the top left corner of the net.
Others to put their name on the score sheet were Tony Barry with a fine 20 yard drive and Danny Broderick whose free kick was deflected to the Conn Rangers net.
After their mid week cup win in Mulranny,Claremorris came back to show their true form and scoring prowess at home in Concannon Park.
Claremorris AFC
Frankie Barrett,James Kavanagh,Fergal o Connor,Kevin Walshe,Niall Kitching(c),Tony Barry,Derek Glynn,Niall Whittle,James Mitchell,Danny Broderick,Andy Woodehouse.
Sub used -- Adrian Joyce.
In a pulsating game that took place at Concannon Park on Saturday evening last the game ended in a draw.
Achill Rovers took the lead in the first half with a well struck goal.It was really only a matter of time before Claremorris equalised as they kept putting the Achill defence under enormous pressure.
Following a flowing move down the right wing Derek Glynn finished with a first time shot to the net which left the Achill goalkeeper with no chance.
If truth be known Claremorris deserved to win the match as they had the majority of the chances in the second half but could not convert them.
Claremorris AFC
Frankie Barrett,James Kavanagh,Fergal O Connor,Kevin Walshe,Niall Whittle,Tony Barry,Derek Glynn,Dermot Costello,James Mitchell,Brian Gallagher,Danny Broderick.
Subs Used : John English,Kevin Costello.
In what was a tightly contested affair on Saturday evening last,the south mayo side lost to a lightning quick swinford side.
The first goal was scored by swinford after some fine work from their midfield.Their main striker unleashed an unstoppable shot past Jimmy Mitchell in the Claremorris goal.The goalie was never really given a chance.
Claremorris to their credit never dropped their heads and were duly awarded with the equalising goal,scored by Tony Barry,after a goalmouth scramble.This took the game into extra time.
The game went along the same trend in extra time with some tough hard tackles being made.The scores were even until Swinford were awarded a free kick on the edge of the Claremorris penalty area.This was duly dispatched in fantastic fashion by the Swinford striker,making the score 1-2.
Unfortunately this was how the game ended but Claremorris can hold their heads high after another battling display.
Claremorris AFC
James Mitchell,James Kavanagh,Niall Whittle,Kevin Walshe,Niall Kitching,Brian Gallagher,Derek Glynn,Tony Barry,Mickey Gallagher,Danny Broderick,Greg Mulkerins.
Subs Used:Brendan French,Andy Woodehouse,John English.
Claremorris AFC took on Ballyheane B in the first round of the Touhy cup in Concannon Park on Sunday 24/4/06 @ 11:30am.
In a match where both sides had their chances,the claremorris defence held strong and this held them in good stead towards the latter end of the match.
Claremooris struck first with a penalty from Derek Glynn after the same man was fouled in the penalty area by the Ballyheane defence.
Following this score Claremorris never really looked like relinquishing this lead and it duly proved so.It seemed that the Ballyheane defence could not handle the speed or guile of both Derek Glynn and Danny Broderick and this was duly rewarded when Derek Glynn dispatched a free kick from the edge of the area to the roof of the net.In all Derek Glynn scored a superb hat-trick that the swung the match in Claremorris' favour.
Captain of the team Niall Kitching also weighed in with a goal after a set piece from a corner kick.
About 25 minutes into the second half the game turned decidedly sour with the dismissal of Greg Mulkerins and a Ballyheane player after an altercation in the middle of the field.The behaviour of both players was unruly and no-one had any complaints when both players were sent off.
Claremorris took on Swinford in Concannon Park on sunday 9/4/06 in the first round of the Touhy cup.In what was a decidedly one sided affair,last years division 1 champions dominated this match.
The first goal came midway through the first half when the clinical Derek Glynn finished after a fine run and cross from Brian Gallagher.
Even though Swinford equalised after an uncharacteristic mistake from Claremorris goalkeeper Frankie Barrett,the south mayo side,in truth never looked like being beaten.
On the pitch Claremorris played complete football,with exquisite passing and movement that carved open the Swinford defence on more than 1 occasion.
It was through this pressure that further goals were added by Mikey Gallagher,Tony Barry and Brian Gallagher.They now advance to next round where they await their next opponents.
Frankie Barrett,James Kavanagh,Niall Whittle,Andy Woodehouse,Niall Kitching,Tony Barry,Derek Glynn,Michael Gallagher,Brian Gallagher,Dermot Costello,Greg Mulkerins.
Subs used:- Kevin Walshe,John English,Jimmy Mitchell,Danny Broderick,Fergal O Connor.
Claremorris AFC finally got off to a winning start against Conn Rangers on Sunday 26/3/06,in Mount Falcon,Ballina.
In what was a tightly contested match the visitors,Claremorris AFC, got off to a great start with a goal from talisman Derek Glynn.
What followed was a pretty tense and tight match as both sides traded chances both neither defence could be broke down.It was only the Claremorris midfield consisting of Greg Mulkerins,Dermot Costello and Tony Barry that showed any real endeavor with crunching tackles and tireless running.
The second half continued on the same lines until midway through the half when Brian Gallagher received the on the left hand side of halfway.With an incising run the Conn Rangers defence opened up in front of him and he cooly slotted the ball past their goalkeeper to give the south mayo side the two goal lead.
This made the result a formality as the Claremorris defence stood solid and never looked like being breached.
Frankie Barrett,James Kavanagh,Niall Whittle,Andy Woodehouse,Niall Kitching(C),Tony Barry,Derek Glynn,Brian Gallagher,Greg Mulkerins,Dermot Costello,Mikey Gallagher.
Subs used:Paul Maloney,John English,Kevin Walshe,Brendan French.
