Men Seniors: Mainebank 1 v 3 Samphires A (Scorers: (2) Conor Lenihan)
A good performance by the senior men’s team where we were competitive throughout and converted some of our chances. We went 1 up early in the match which gave us the confidence to play our own game and close to half time we scored again. Early the second Mainebank came at us and scored but we steadied ourselves and scored a third with 20 to go and we held out to the end for a good win.
Men Seniors: Samphires B 1 v 8 Ballymac Celtic (Scorer: Eoghan Walsh)
Another bad day for our Senior Bs last weekend. Despite the scoreline, against a good team who will challenge for top spot this season, we weren’t as bad as it looks, but at the same time we’re a bit off the other teams in this division and defending is a problem from back to front. Many of the team are good in possession but when we don’t have the ball. we’re slow enough at times to run the hard yards which is leading to poor results.
Women Social Soccer: Our girls played in the first blitz of the sesaon and acquitted themselves well versus different teams. In our first game, we drew 0-0 against Ballyhar yet again and there remains nothing between the teams. We lost out 2-1 against a very young Tralee Dynamos team but we were very happy with our performance. In our final match we drew 1 all against Dingle in another tight affair. Despite missing a few players, we had 19 players show up on the evening so we chopped and changed our teams and our team formations from match to match. It is great to see so many playing and training and most importantly having the craic. Well done girls… Thursday night again in ARC 8 – 9.
Girls U16s: Tralee Dynamos 2 v 3 Samphires (Scorers: Hannah Barrett-Naziri, Erin Harty, Ella Sayers)
In windy conditions in Cahermoneen the girls put in a resilient performance against a strong Dynamos team. Playing against the wind in the 1st half they were lucky to go in at the break 2-1 ahead thanks to well taken goals by Hannah and Erin. Dynamos had dominated for long periods but our defence held firm helped by excellent goalkeeping from Julie. With the wind at our backs in the 2nd half, the girls were more composed in possession and enjoyed better passages of play. After Dynamos equalised midway through the 2nd half, the winning goal finally came from a corner with Ella Sayers finding the net with a well taken volley from a breaking ball. Thanks to Dynamos for a great sporting contest in windy conditions. Onto the next round now in the National Trophy.
Boys U16s: Corbally United 1 v 3 Samphires FC (Scorers: Cormac Lawlor, Evan Neary, Adam Goggin)
U16 boys made the trip to Corbally this after noon for the 3rd round of thr National Cup. Strong performance against a good Corbally team who absorbed a lot of pressure over the course of the game. 2 goals in quick succession from Cormac Lawlor and Evan Neary on 21 and 23 mins had us ahead at the break and a 3rd on 60 mins from Adam Goggin had us well placed for the final 20 mins. A lapse in concentration allowed Corbally pull one back with an excellent through ball and finish but lads played out the final minutes in control. A game played in the right way by both teams and great hospitality from Corbally after the game.
Girls U15s: Camp Juniors v Samphires
Boys U15s: Samphires B 3 v 4 Mastergeeha B (Scorers Elliott Savage, Conor McCarthy, John McCarthy)
Our team played very well in this match last Saturday which was nip and tuck right to the end. It was 1 all at half time with nothing in it. It was 3 all in the last minute, we were awarded a penalty to win the match, but we missed and from the rebound, Mastergeeha tore down the pitch and scored with the last kick of the game to give them the victory.
Girls U14s: Samphires 6 v 0 Killarney Athletic B (Scorers: Aoife Carey(2), Fiadh McElligott, Saoirse Reen, Caoimhe Madden, Siún O’Donnell)
Our U14 girls hosted Killarney Athletic B in KDL last Friday evening. We started on the front foot from the off and went in 2-0 at halftime. Goals by Fiadh McElligott and Saoirse Reen. We spoke about increasing the work rate at halftime and the girls responded against a very sporting and spirited Killarney Athletic team. The game finished 6-0 in the end with second half goals scored by Aoife Carey x 2, Caoimhe Madden and Siun O’Donnell. Fantastic to see these girls going from strength to strength
Boys U14s: Samphires 0 v 3 Broadford United
Our boys suffered a 3 nil defeat in the National Cup last Saturday in Fenit. We didn’t play badly but our opponents were better than us on the day and were deserved winners.
Girls U13s: Killorglin 2 v 3 Samphires (Scorers: Evie McCarthy(2), Annabelle Rolls)
The girls came away with 3 points this weekend away to Killorglin. The game was played in good spirits and the facilities & pitch was top class. Excellent team performance from the girls who created numerous opportunities to score, passing was crisp & the girls went about today’s task with real intent. They took their chances well & dug in to see the result out. Thanks to Killorglin for hosting us & good luck for the rest of the year.
Boys U13s: Nenagh AFC 4 v 1 Samphires (Scorer: Riley Maughan)
Not our day today, but the boys can be very proud of their performance. They played well, worked extremely hard throughout and competed right to the final whistle. We went into the break 1-0 down, but came very close to equalising when we struck the post just before half-time.
We got the perfect start to the second half when Riley Maughan equalised to make it 1-1. Nenagh responded soon after to regain the lead, but we continued to have their moments and created some good chances, only to be denied by some excellent saves from the Nenagh goalkeeper.
Unfortunately, Nenagh pulled away right at the end with two late goals to make it 4-1. The final scoreline probably didn’t reflect how competitive the game was, and on another day the result could have been very different. Absolutely no faulting the boys’ effort or commitment today. They gave everything, and we can now look forward to getting stuck into the Kerry Premier Division. We wish Nenagh thr best of luck in the rest of the competition and thank you to Nenagh too for looking after us after the game.
Man of the Match: Abja Torres Burke, who was exceptional in the centre of defence today.
Girls U12: St Brendan’s Park 1 v 1 Samphires (Scorer: Sinead O’Mahoney)
A tremendous defensive display yielded a good point away to the Park last weekend. We did more defending than attacking but gave away very little against a good team, and when the chances presented themselves, our girls were very tigerish in trying to get a goal which we eventually did when Sinead was on hand to finish a very good attack. Well done girls.
Boys U12s: Mastergeeha C 0 v 1 Samphires B (Scorer: Aiden Diggin)
Our u12 B’s got back to winning ways today in a highly entertaining and competitive fixture at Mastergeeha. Relentless pressure from the Samphires boys paid off with 3 mins to go as Aiden Diggin fired home from the edge of the box. Our defence was regularly tested but under the stewardship of Sonny Walsh and captain Liam Ryle (GK) the clean sheet remained intact.
Every player contributed massively in this performance and they can all be very proud of this away win. Huge thanks to our hosts Mastergeeha for a brilliant contest, today’s referee and all of the travelling support. Another tough away fixture awaits the boys next week in Camp.
Boys U11s: Samphires C 0 v 4 Camp C
Tough game for the boys but early in the year. Defending not where it needs to be yet but this will improve as the season progresses, so listen to your coaches, boys.