Yet another schoolboys title for Avenue United

Avenue United 1   St Pat’s 0

AVENUE United added yet another title to their list of winnings when they accounted for St Pat’s in the final of the U-14 Cup at Doora on Saturday. This win marked the Ennis club’s fifth schoolboys’ cup title this season.
Padraic McNamara scored the all-important goal from the penalty spot after a St Pat’s player was penalised for handling the ball with five minutes to go. St Pat’s defender Stephen Keogh was dismissed as a result. 
Jack Morrissey and Shane O’Connor came close for the West Clare outfit earlier in a game in which Avenue won the greater number of corners.
Both sides had chances on the day and few would have complained had the game ended in a draw.
After the game, Flan Hehir from the Clare League presented the trophy to the winning captain, Tom Sharkey, while Cathal Lynch was presented with the player-of-the-match award.
The team was managed by Alan Murphy and Ritchie Lynch and after the game the Avenue players paid a special tribute to Ritchie Lynch who is taking a break from his post as team coach for the coming year. He has been a mentor with this group of players for the past six years.

Avenue United: Fiachra Cooney; Nzubee Okoye, Tadhg Connellan; Maurice Nugent, Tom Sharkey; Cathal Lynch, Ronan Kerin, Willie Twumasai, Tadhg Murphy; Padraic McNamara, Kieran O’Mahoney.
Subs: Rory Crimmins for O’Mahoney; Cathal Fitzgerald for Murphy. Other members of the panel were Ronan Grace, Kieran Thynne, Darragh Crimmins, Alan Daly, Barry Woods.
St Pat’s: Killian Roche; Stephen Keogh, Keith Marrinan, Dara Bohannon, Paudie O’Brien, Shane O’Donoghue, Ciarán O’Donoghue, Ronan Murrihy, David Killeen, Jack Morrissey, Shane O’Connor.
Subs: Sean McNamara for Murrihy, Cillian O’Flaherty for P O’Brien. Other members of the St Pat’s panel, which was managed by Nigel Baker and Joe Healy, are Sean O’Neill, Rory McCloone, David Killeen, Donal O’Grady, Dean Cleary, Rory Ryan, Shane McNamara, Brian O’Connor, Michael Kelleher, Owen O’Dea and Eoin Keane.