Castleknock Celtic under 9 soccer team

New Site for a New Year

2007-09-04T15:23:00.000+01:00

Most of this team are returning to soccer for the next season by joining the 10C team. Rather than clutter up this blog site we have decided to move to a new one. Check out our new site at http://briangavin.blogspot.com for news about the 2007/2008 season.

Trial night next Thursday (7th/June)

2007-06-04T10:21:00.001+01:00

Trial night for next years under 10 teams (i.e. children born in 1997) will be held in Porterstown at 7pm next Thursday 7th of June. The purpose of this evening is a chance to view the skills of new players wanting to join the club as well as to assess if any existing players should be transferred between squads.

It is not mandatory for existing players to attend the trial night. But if anyone does not intend attending the trial, we would appreciate if you could confirm whether or not they plan to play with the club next year.

A narrow defeat in our final match of the season

2007-05-30T16:56:00.001+01:00

Our final match of the season was against Dunshaughlin on Monday evening.

It was a lovely sunny evening and all the team played very well. Niamh, Dylan and Zhudi all had plenty of good shots in the first half, but the Dunshaughlin goalie was on top form to keep a clean sheet. At the other end of the pitch Dunshaughin managed to get a lucky ball lobbed over the head of Omar who was our goalie for the night.

In the second half our strong defence team of Frank and Andy was made even stronger by a brilliant performance from Colin which earned him the title of man-of-the-match. However, Dunshaughlin managed to score another goal in the second half to leave the final score at 2-0.

Overall the tam can be proud of a great performance on Monday night and all though the season. We ended up in sixth place in the league which is a great result for our first season together. I am looking forward to next season already.

Rivervalley prove too strong

2007-05-26T20:14:00.000+01:00

Zhudi played a brilliant match in goal, to be a very deserving man-of-the-match. Unfortunately he saw too much action in the first half and we were lucky to be only 2-0 down at half time.

The second half was barely started when Rivervalley stretched their lead to 3-0. Castleknock fought back bravely and it looked like they might even get back into the game, but Rivervalley scored again in the final minute to leave the final score at 4-0.

We can only hope that Dunshaughlin prove to be easier opposition on Monday next.

Two home matches at the weekend

2007-05-21T20:23:00.000+01:00

We have two home matches this weekend.

On Saturday May 26th we host Rivervalley. Kick-off is at 10:45, so we should meet up at Porterstown at 10:30am.

On Monday May 28th we host Dunshaughlin. Kick-off is at 8pm, so we should meet up at Porterstown at 7:45pm.

AGM Notice

2007-05-16T22:48:00.000+01:00

The club AGM will be held in the Castleknock Hotel at 8:30pm on Monday 28th of May in the Castleknock Hotel. This will discuss plans for the new club house. All parents are encouraged to attend.

We have no match this Saturday 19th of May.

Some bad luck leads to defeat in a high scoring game

2007-05-12T20:21:00.000+01:00

We started out for our Maynooth match with great hope, but things started to go wrong early on. The group of cars travelling to the match got separated and we almost lost a few players. Luckily things got sorted out and we were all at the pitch in time for the kick-off.

We started off the match strongly and has several good chances early in the game. However, the referee awarded a penalty against us in a very harsh hand-ball decision. Maynooth slotted the ball into the corner of the net to go in front.

Castleknock continued to dominate the exchanges and it seemed like it would only be a short time before we got an equaliser. However, our luck turned even worse when twice in a row Maynooth shots were deflected off defenders to slip past Andy to give Maynooth a three goal lead. This run of bad luck seemed to knock our confidence and Castleknock lost concentration. Maynooth took advantage of that to score two more well deserved goals before half time.

Gavin gave a inspiring half time speech so the team came out much stronger after half time. Nado, Niamh and Niamh strung some great passes together and then Omar scored a great goal to leave the score at 5-1. Maynooth were quick on the counter attack and managed to stretch their lead to 6-1. However, Castleknock did not let this lead distract them and they continued to attack strongly. Omar managed to get a further 2 goals to complete his hat-trick.

All the team played well, and I was especially pleased to see that the passing is getting much better. The man-of-the-match award goes to Frank who had a great game in defence.

Away match against Maynooth

2007-05-07T16:20:00.000+01:00

Our next match will be an away match against Maynooth United on Saturday next the 12th of May. The kick-off will be at 11:30 am in Maynooth's Dublin Road pitch. We should meet up at 10:30am beside the all weather pitch.

We have no mid-week match next week.

Walk over against Malahide

2007-05-04T23:03:00.000+01:00

Malahide were unable to field a team for the match this weekend, so the match is off and we will be awarded a walk-over. Perhaps they were scared by our excellent form?

Dunshaulghlin prove to be tough opposition

2007-05-02T12:46:00.000+01:00

We were literally facing an uphill struggle during our match against Dunshaughlin. The home team made good use of the slope in the pitch to take an early lead by slipping the ball past Dylan our goalie for the night who had no chance of saving the ball. The score stayed at 1-0 for the rest of the first half.

We thought that the change of direction in the second half would give us a chance to get back on level terms, but instead it was Dunshaughlin who took the initiative and scored two more goals to lead 3-0 going into the final minutes of the game.

I am glad to see that the team kept on trying to the end of the game despite being behind. We were awarded a penalty in the last minute of the game and Omar stepped up to coolly slip it into the corner of the net (I think José Mourinho will be in touch judging by the relatively poor penalty taking by the Chelsea team). This left the final score at 3-1 to Dunshaughlin.

It was hard to pick out who was most deserving of the man-of-the-match award, but after careful deliberation we decided to give it to Jean who was in surprisingly good form considering her long lay-off.

Home match against Malahide on Saturday

2007-05-02T12:43:00.000+01:00

Our next match will be a home match against Malahide United on Saturday next 5/May. Kick-off will be at 11:30am so we should all try to be at Porterstown before 11:15am.

In future training will be at 7:15pm on Wednesdays in Laurel Lodge Green. The extra 15 minutes shoudl make it easier for people to be there on time and thankfully the good longer evenings means we shoudl have plenty of light.

Today's match is later than we thought

2007-04-30T09:57:00.000+01:00

The kick-off time for our match today (Monday 30/April) against Dunshaughlin has been moved back from 7pm to 7:45pm. This means that we should meet up beside the all weather pitch at 6:45pm rather than 6pm. The pitch is in Dunshaughlin Industrial Estate which his on the right before you enter Dunshaughlin itself when you are coming from Dublin.

I think many of you will be happy with this news because I know the earlier time was going to be a bit of a rush for some of you.

Defeat by Priorswood

2007-04-28T14:59:00.000+01:00

It was a lovely sunny morning as we travelled to the away match against Priorswood. However, things started to go wrong before the match even started when Andy cut his head while playing in the playground beside the pitch.

Our captain Zhudi won the toss and decided to play with the strong wind. Both teams had many attacking chances early on, but it was Priorswood who managed to score the first goal. The home team were still celebrating this goal when Omar managed to get us back on level terms. Both Niamh and Zhudi had several good shots with balls that were passed up from mid-field by Dylan, Robert and David, but the score was still 1-1 at half time.

As the second half got under way, Priorswood managed to get into the lead after two of their players were left unmarked in the penalty box leaving Nado with no chance to keep the ball out. Castleknock threw everything into attack to try and get level, but this left them exposed at the back and Priorswood managed to sneak in two late goals to leave the score at 4-1.

Our man-of-the-match was Frank who had a great match in defense with Cathal. This was a much closer match than the result would seem to indicate. I am confident that we can get back into winning form for our match against Dunshaughlin on Monday. Hopefully Andy will be fully recovered by then.

Arrangements for Priorswood game

2007-04-26T20:31:00.000+01:00

We should meet up at 9am beside the all weather pitch for our match against Priorswood on Saturday morning.

I got the following directions to the Priorswoord Pitch:

Go north to the end of the M50.
At the end of the motorway there is a roundabout. You should go straight through the roundabout onto the N32.
About 150 meters along you will come to a roundabout which you go straight through. Immediately after the roundabout you turn right onto a small lane.
Take the first left off the lane followed by another left turn. Ths will bring you straight to the pitch.

Away matches against Priorswood and Dunshaughlin

2007-04-25T16:24:00.000+01:00

We have an away match against Priorswood on Saturday (28/April) morning with 10:00 kick off. I will announce the meeting time when I check how long it will take to get there.

We also have a match at 7:00 away to Dunshaughlin on Monday (30/April) evening with kick-off at 7pm. Again we will need to check the driving time to decide when to meet.

Narrow victory against Ratoath

2007-04-22T08:51:00.000+01:00

It was a tightly fought match when Ratoath came to Porterstown for our latest League match. Castleknock had many chances during the first half but seemed unable to put the ball in the net. Our best chance came when Zhudi hit the cross-bar with a brilliant shot.

The wind was with us in the second half and Robert managed to put us in the lead. A short while afterwards Zhudi managed to stretch our lead by scoring on his third attempt after having two shots saved and rebound off the Ratoath Keeper.

All our team played well, but in particular David O'Connor was declared man-of-the-match for his great performance at mid-field.

Castleknock began to feel confident at this stage and threw all their efforts into attack. This was a mistake because Ratoath counter attacked and managed to get the ball to three unmarked players in the box. Our goalie Nado had no chance of stopping this attack and our lead was pulled back to a single goal The final few minutes of the game were very tense as Ratoath tried valiantly for an equaliser.

Luckily we were able to hold off for a narrow 2-1 victory. This result keeps us in 4th position in the league, but level on points with Maynooth in third place and only 2 points behind the leaders Howth.

Here are some clips of the action curtsey of YouTube:

Victory against Clonee

2007-04-16T21:31:00.000+01:00

It looked like we were going to have a poor turn out for our first mid-week match. When I arrived the only player there was Frank Collins. However, the team gradually began to arrive and by kick-off time we had just enough to field a team of seven.

The players seemed to be tired after the cup match at the weekend and it initially looked like Clonee would take the lead. Luckily Andy was in top form clearing any dangerous balls and Frank was alert in the goal for the few balls which passed him.

Colin arrived late in his dad's shiny new Saab just as Dylan got injured. Colin joined the game straight away and so we were not left short. David and Robert played a great partnership in mid-field pumping several good balls up into Cathal who was playing forward for a change. Nado was helping out all over the pitch as usual.

When the second half was already started, Omar and Zhudi arrived to help out. Castleknock began to get into their stride and both Robert and Zhudi forced the Clonee keeper to make a number of dramatic saves. It was only a matter of time before the pressure paid off when one of Zhudi's shots slipped in off the post.

It was another great team performance, but overall Robert was a deserving winner of the man-of-the-match award for sustained effort over the whole match. Well done everyone, we are going from strength to strength as the season progresses.

Home match against Ratoath

2007-04-16T21:27:00.000+01:00

Our next league match is against Ratoath on Saturday next 21st of April. Kick -off is at 11:30am in Porterstown. We should all meet up at 11:15am.

There will be no mid-week match for us next week.

Portrane put an end to our cup campaign

2007-04-14T17:49:00.000+01:00

It was a beautiful sunny day when we travelled out to Portrane for our semi-final match against St Ita's AFC. However the day began to turn bad as soon as the match got started. The home team started very strongly and they managed to score two goals early in the match. Andy our goalkeeper for the day had no chance to get near either shot.

I am glad to see that we did not let this setback dent our confidence. We continued to put pressure on in the attack and both Zhudi and Niamh forced the home keeper to make a few dramatic saves. In the second half our pressure finally paid off when Nado scored a brilliant goal to bring the score back to 2-1.

We continued to press strongly for an equaliser, but St Ita's were always dangerous in the counter attack. Andy pulled off a very dramatic save with his hip before they finally managed to slip one in to stretch their lead to 3-1. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to narrow the gap before the end of the game.

Nado was running non-stop for the whole game helping out in attack, defence and midfield. In addition he never argued with the referee. Therefore he was declared man-of-the-match. While this spells the end of our cup campaign, all the team can be very proud of their performance today and through the whole campaign.

The start of mid-week football

2007-04-11T20:59:00.000+01:00

Starting from next week, there will be mid-week evening matches as well as the usual weekend matches. This will help relieve the fixture backlog which was caused by so many piched being decalerd unplayable during the winter.

Our first "mid-week match" will be on Monday next (16th of April). It is a home match against Clonee. Kick-off is at 6:30pm, so we should all meet up at Porterstown at 6:15pm.

Saint Ita's Portrane are our opposition for the semi-final

2007-04-09T19:19:00.000+01:00

We have been drawn to play an away match against St. Ita's in Portrane for the semi-final of the Shield. The kick-off will be at 10:45am on Saturday next (14/April) in Saint Ita's Hospital grounds in Portrane.

Since the pitch is quite a distance away, we should meet up at the all-weather pitches at 9:30am.

Change of day for training this week

2007-04-09T19:10:00.000+01:00

This week training will be moved from Wednesday (11/April) at 7pm to Thursday (12/April) at the same time. Brian and Gavin will be attending a training session with the visiting coaches from Manchester United on Wednesday evening so hopefully we will pick up some tips that will help in our semi-final at the weekend.

Training will revert to the usual day next week.

Change of day and time for training

2007-04-02T10:04:00.000+01:00

Now that the days are beginning to get longer, the day and time of our training will change. From this week onwards, training will be from 7-8pm on Wednesday in Laurel Lodge Green (starting Wednesday 4th of April).

Narrow victory over Howth in semi-final of shield

2007-03-31T22:37:00.000+01:00

There was great tension for our quarter final match against Howth. We knew the match would be tight because we had been level until the final 5 minutes in our previous match. The sun was shining brightly when we arrived in Porterstown. The Howth team were late turning up, so it looked for a while that we might even get a walk over.

However, once the match got under way it was clear that this was going to be no easy match. Howth started to attack early and were awarded a penalty for a dubious hand-ball in the area. Lucky for us they kicked the ball over the bar, although Cathal was well lined up to save it anyway.

Shortly afterwards, Howth managed to score a goal and take the lead. Our captain Nado was ably assisted by Omar, David and Robert to dominate the mid-field and kept a strong supply of balls into Niamh and Zhudi in the attack. However, we were unable to break through and the score remained 1-0 at half time.

In the second half we kept the pressure up and their goalie was barely able to control a header and follow up shot from Niamh. Shortly afterwards Zhhudi leveled the scores.

Despite several attacks from Howth, they were unable to break through the rock-solid defense of Frank and Andy. Our goalie Cathal was more than able for any ball that came through so the match ended level 1-1.

We started the extra-time strongly. The fact that all our players had a chance to rest while being subbed out, gave us an advantage because we had fresher legs. As we got near to the end of the first half of extra-time our man-of-the-match Dylan scored the winning goal with a brilliant shot from outside the penalty area.

Howth did everything they could to try and level the score, but our defence was too strong and we held out until the final whistle. We now are all looking forward to the semi-final.

Home draw for shield qaurter final next Saturday

2007-03-26T23:12:00.000+01:00

We will be playing at home for our shield quarter final match next Saturday 31/March. Kick-off will be at 10:45am in Porterstown Park so we should meet there by 10:30am. We will play the winner of the Howth v Malahide match (this result is not in yet).

4-3 victory in a cliffhanger of a match

2007-03-24T15:18:00.000Z

The sun was shining brightly as Priorswood came to Porterstown for our first round match in the shield.

Proirswood took us by surprise with a strong start. The match was barely started when they took the lead. We were just recovering from that shock when they slipped in a second goal. Our defence was a little loose with their marking and goalie Zhudi had no chance to save either goal.

I was delighted to see that we did not get disheartened by this early set back. Andy and Cathal sorted out their marking and there was no more easy shots given away. Robert, Omar and Nado began to dominate the mid-field and sent several good balls in to Niamh in the forwards.

The pressure eventually paid off when Nado opened the scoring for us. Niamh forced the Priorswood goalie to make a few excellent saves, before Nado managed to get in for a second goal to level the scores. Castleknock continued to attack strongly for the rest of the first half. During one attack several players had shots saved, before Nado finally managed to get a dramatic header into the upper corner of the net to complete his hat trick and give us the lead at half time.

In the second half, today's captain Cathal took over the goal keeping duties which gave Zhhudi a chance to join David in attack, while Frank and Colin came in to take over the defending duties. For most of the second half it looked likely that our one goal lead might be enough to see us through, but Priorswood had other ideas and scored an equaliser with about 5 minutes to go.

Most of the spectators were expecting the match to go into extra time, but Nado our hat trick hero was not happy to give in and he kept attacking and managed to score a fourth goal in the last minute of the game, to set a new scoring record for our team.

This was a great team effort overall with every one of the players doing their bit. It was difficult to decide who would get the man-of-the-match award, but eventually we decided that Robert deserved credit for a hugely improved display.

Change from indoor to outdoor training

2007-03-19T19:51:00.000Z

Next Thursday 22nd of March will be out last date for indoor training in Diswellstown. The following Thursday 29th of March we will have our first outdoor training session at 6:30pm on Laurel lodge green (the earlier start time will be required to ensure we have enough light).

Priorswood in the shield

2007-03-19T19:47:00.000Z

Our next match will be a home match against Priorswood in the first round of the shield. Kick-off will be at 11:30am on Saturday next 24th of March. Since it will be a home match we should meet up at 11:15 at Porterstown.

A winner will be required from this match, so if the score is level at the end of normal time, we will play 5 minutes a side of extra time. If it is level at the end of extra time, we will go for penalties.

Dunshaughlin match cancelled

2007-03-18T20:55:00.000Z

The match against Dunshaughlin on Bank Holiday Monday has been called off due to the weather.

Home match against Dunshaughlin on Bank Holiday Monday

2007-03-12T18:53:00.000Z

Our next match is a home match against Dunshaughlin. The kick-off is at 1pm on Monday the 19th of March. We should meet up at 12:45 at Porterstown. PLease let us know if you are not available.

Hat-trick hero helps us to 5-2 victory in Ratoath

2007-03-11T09:59:00.000Z

There was a strong gale blowing when we arrived for the game against Ratoath Harps. We were playing into the wind in the first half, so it was no surprise when we went a goal down. In fact if it was not for some great defending by Cathal, Frank, Andy and Dylan and a few great saves from Nado we probably would have gone a few more goals behind. In a rare attack into the wind, Zhudi managed to slip the ball into the net to level the score at 1-1 going into the break.

The second half was started before Omar arrived. He ran from the car park to the pitch and joined the match straight away. A few seconds later the ball came to him and he dribbled around the defender and coolly scored a goal to put us into a 2-1 lead about eight seconds after he came onto the pitch.

From that point onwards Castleknock used the advantage of the wind to dominate the game. Omar scored another goal and his brother Zhudi scored 2 more goals to complete his hat-trick and earn him the man-of-the-match award.

We were 5-1 up as the match neared an end and Nado decided to give cheek to the referee. This resulted in a Ratoath penalty which they scored with the last kick of the game to leave the score at 5-2.

Well done team !!!

Click here to see some pictures.

We are going to Ratoath next

2007-03-06T07:37:00.000Z

Our next match will be an away match against Ratoath Harps. The kick-off will be at 11:30 on Saturday 11th of March in their Skryne Road grounds. We should meet up at 10:30am beside the all weather pitch.

A friendly against Athenry

2007-02-26T21:10:00.000Z

We will have no league match this Saturday 3rd/March. Instead we will host a visiting team from Athenry who are coming up to play us in a friendly match. The kick-off will be at 12:30 in Porterstown, but we have offered to give them some sandwiches before the match so if any parents could help out by bringing along a plate of sandwiches at 11:30 I am sure they would be much appreciated by our visitors after their long drive from Galway.

3-0 defeat at Howth does not reflect the way the match went

2007-02-25T09:10:00.000Z

The rain was threatening as we drove to Howth. We were a few players short, but nevertheless we were determined to avenge our previous defeat. The rain held off for the duration of the match, and although the pitch was very muddy this did not spoil an exciting match.

This was a cracker of a match with both sides throwing everything into attack for the full 40 minutes. Omar and Nedim dominated mid-field and kept our forwards well supplied with possession. Castleknock seemed to have the edge overall with Zhudi having two shots go narrowly wide and Niamh forcing the Howth keeper to make a few dramatic saves.

Howth made many attempts at attacking but our defenders Cathal, Dylan, Robert and Andy made sure that very few shots got through to David who had a great game in goal as usual. However, man-of-the-match goes to Andy Merriman for the great way he cleared up any loose ball.

Despite numerous chances for both sides the score was still 0-0 with 5 minutes left on the clock. Howth had a free kick on the edge of the box. They hit a strong shot which rebounded off the crossbar and the Howth team were quick to pounce on the rebound to slip the ball past David's outstretched foot to open the scoring.

Castleknock threw everything into attack, but Howth managed to slip in for a great goal with a rocket of a shot into the corner of the net. Castleknock continued to push forward in the dying minutes of the game. Unfortunately this left us exposed at the back and allowed Howth to slip in another goal just as the final whistle was blowing.

The final score 3-0 was a little disappointing, but we can be very proud of our performance.

Our trip to Howth

2007-02-19T19:03:00.000Z

Our next match will be an away match against Howth on Saturday 24th of February. Kick-off will be at 12:15pm in Grace O'Malley Park. This is quite a long trip so we should meet up beside the all weather pitch at 11am.

An dramatic match ends in a 3-3 draw

2007-02-19T10:19:00.000Z

Rivervalley were very confident coming into the match, because they were top of the league table with three wins out of three games so far. They also had home advantage.

Castleknock were not scared by their opponents reputation and got off to a storming start. Captain Nado scored a great goal in the second minutes. A few minutes later Castleknock extended their lead when Nado slotted a free kick into the upper corner of the net.

Castleknock continued to dominate the match and Omar seemed to score another goal. However as the Rivervalley goalie retrieved the ball from the net we were all surprised to hear the referee say that the ball had not crossed the line and tell the goalie to kick out the ball.

Rivervalley then got a goal back before half time so that the score was 2-1 at the break.

As the second half got started Zhudi got a goal to stretch our lead to 3-1. Rivervalley put everything into their attempts to get back level, but Andy, Frank, Cathal and Colin played a rock solid game in defence and David O'Connor saved the few shots which managed to get through.

Rivervalley got two goals to pull back to level score. With only 10 minutes played in the second half, the referee surprisingly blew for full time. But after some consultations with the Rivervalley coach the match was restarted.

Castleknock continued to put pressure on to get a score back. Zhudi and Niamh took turns to head up the attack and were ably assisted by Nado, Omar and Robert who in midfield.

At one stage Dylan and Nado were clean through with the goalie beaten and a score seeming inevitable. However, the referee intervened again to call play back for an infringement which nobody could explain. The match then ended level at 3-3. All in all, we did great to break Rivervalley's 100% record.

Overall it was a team effort - for example Jean played a great game at mid-field and her little sister Ellen did her bit too by taking the pictures. After much discussion, the judges finally awarded the man-of-the-match title to Omar Emara.

Pub Quiz

2007-02-19T05:52:00.000Z

The annual Eve-of-Lent (Pancake Tuesday) Quiz will be held in Kavanaghs Lounge, Laurel Lodge, 9.15pm, 20th Feb. Parents should organise themselves into teams of 4. All support is very welcome.

Venue moved for Man Utd. Soccer School

2007-02-19T05:50:00.000Z

The venue for the Man United soccer school during the Easter Holidays has been moved to Verona Sport and Leisure Club. Further details will be sent out soon to people who registered.

Away match against Rivervalley Rangers

2007-02-12T23:45:00.000Z

This weekend we have an away match against Rivervalley Rangers. The match will be at Rivervalley Park, in Swords with kick-off at 10:45am. We should meet up beside the all weather pitch at 9:45.

The Rivervalley secretary said that there is a chance that the pitch will be declared unplayable. If this happens we will send out a text message on Friday evening.

Match is off

2007-02-09T17:57:00.000Z

The match against Priorswood has been cancelled due to the pitch being unplayable again :-(.

Priorswood at home

2007-02-06T06:48:00.000Z

Our next leage match will be at home match against Priorswood. Kick-off will be at 12:15 next Saturday (10/Feb). All players should be at Porterestown by 12noon at the latest.

An early exit from the cup

2007-02-03T11:29:00.000Z

Unfortunately we were forced to field an understrength team for our first cup match. Due to illness and other reasons a few players were missing. We only just about managed to field seven players - indeed it seemed right up until the last minute we might be short of players.

Woodlawn started strong and we made a few errors in defence. As a result they were in the lead from early in the game. The game continued to go their way for the rest of the first half and we were 5 - nil down at half time.

Nado was forced to retire with a sore stomach and so were were forced to start the second half with only 6 players. It was looking bleak, but Andy went back into defence to help out Cathal and Frank. Colin was more than able to deal with any shots that got though. In fact Niamh and Zhudi made several strong attacks on the Woodlawn goal, so it looked like we might get back into the game. But the fact that they had an extra player meant that we could never get through and score.

Colin McGuinness our substitute goalie played a great match to keep a clean sheet in the second half. He was the clear choice for the man-of-the-match award.

Our cup campaign gets underway at last

2007-01-30T11:59:00.000Z

Our next match will be in the first round of the future print cup. We are hosting Woodlawn FC at home. Kick -off will be at 10am next Saturday (3/Feb) at 10am in Porterstown. We should all meet up at 9:45am.

If we can maintain our form from last weeks match I think we have a great chance.

Unlucky to be held to a 2-2 draw by Clonee United

2007-01-27T16:48:00.000Z

The team were keen to get back in action following the long spell without matches due to weather. Luckily the rain held off an the match was able to go ahead. We had to travel to the match without three of our key players. David and Robert O'Connor were laid low by the flu and Jean slept it out. Omar was forced to fill in as goalie and played a great game.

When we arrived it was a bitterly cold day and many of the team were delighted to be wearing their new woolly hats with the club logo. The team warmed up quickly and got off to a storming start. The Clonee keeper was forced to pull off a dramatic save in the first minute of the match. This was followed up by a series of attacks and in one move the goalie had to save three strong shots in a row from Zhudi, Niamh and Dylan. Eventually our pressure paid off when Nado opened the scoring with a rasper of a shot into the upper corner of the net.

We continued attacking and we spent the remainder of the first half camped in the Clonee half of the pitch. Whenever Clonee did attack they were very effectively kept out by Frank, Cathal and Andy at the back and Omar who kept a clean sheet in goals. However, the ball never seemed to bounce in our favour and the score remained 1-nil at half time.

We had the wind with us in the second half and as we continued our attacking it seemed like only a matter of time before we would stretch our lead. However, Clonee managed to score a goal against the run of play to level the scores.

The team were not disheartened and about mid way into the second half Nado scored a second goal to put us back into the lead. Much to our surprise Clonee managed to get yet another lucky goal in the final minute of the game to tie the game 2-2.

All the team played great today, but the coaches decided to declare Cathal Gaynor the man-of-the-match for his solid performance in defence.

Well done everyone, another point always comes in handy. Hopefully the O'Connor boys will be back in action again soon.

Our match against Clonee has been rescheduled for next Saturday

2007-01-23T11:53:00.000Z

Our next match will be an away match against Clonee. The match will be at 11:30am on Saturday 27th/January/2007. The match will be at LittlePace Park, so we should all meet up at the usual spot beside the all weather pitches at 10:45am. If it suits you better to go straight to Littlepace park, please let us know in advance so that we don't waste time waiting for you.

Click here for driving directions to Littlepace Park.

Our match is called off yet again

2007-01-19T14:07:00.000Z

According to Aertel almost all of the pitches in Dublin have been declared unplayable due to the recent rain. It has been a while since our last match and I know this is frustrating, but there is nothing we can do.

Match against Dunshaughlin

2007-01-15T22:25:00.000Z

We are due to play Dunshaughlin next Saturday 20th of January. It is a home match and kick-off is at 12:15 so we should all try to meet up at the Porterstown pitches before 12 noon.

I hope the rain will stay away and the match goes ahead. It has been a while since our last match.

A victim of rain (again)

2007-01-12T16:59:00.000Z

Our match against Clonee has been called off due to yet another waterlogged pitch :-(

Details of Man Utd Soccer Schools (MUSS) camp during Easter Holidays

2007-01-09T17:09:00.000Z

As I told you before, last Easter the club hosted a very successful Man United Soccer Schools (MUSS) camp and have therefore decided to do so again this year. Details are as follows:

Dates: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 10/11/12 April 2007
Venue: Castleknock College
Cost: €99.95
Time: 9.30 - 3.45 daliy
Places: 80

A big interest in these places is expected so it is advisable to register as soon as possible. Places will be allocated on a first come first served basis and will be open until 30th of January 2007 or until all places have been taken, which ever comes first. Completed application forms and the correct fee should be returned to Philip Zambra at 24 Luttrellstown Heights. To avoid any confusion with registering for the course parents should deal directly with Philip (087 2697005).

Please note that cheques should be made payable to Castleknock Celtic and not MUML as stated on the form. If you need any more forms or details please log on to http://www.manutdsoccerschools.com/ and click on "Club Visits".

Away match against Clonee

2007-01-09T10:31:00.000Z

Our first match of the new year will be an away match against Clonee. The match will be at 11:30am on Saturday 13th of January. The match will be held in Littlepace Park and so we should meet up beside the all weather pitches at 10:30am and travel together to the match. I am not sure exactly where the pitch is located, so if someone could send me directions this would be much appreciated.

Registration for Man United Soccer Camp

2006-12-16T17:20:00.000Z

Registration will be taking place in the new year for a 3 day Manchester United Soccer Camp which will take place in Castleknock College on April 10th, 11th & 12th 2007. The total cost of the soccer camp will be €99.95.

Christmas Break

2006-12-15T21:33:00.000Z

Training is now suspended for the Christmas break. It will resume on Thursday 11th of January. I hope you all have a great break.

Cup match postponed again

2006-12-08T19:38:00.000Z

Unfortunately our cup match against Woodlawn which was rescheduled for tomorrow (Saturday 9/Dec) has been called off again due to the poor state of the pitch following the recent heavy rain.

Club calendars now available

2006-12-07T23:22:00.000Z

The 2007 club calendars are now available for 5 Euro each from any of the trainers. Our picture is on the December page.

Christmas Party

2006-12-06T17:59:00.000Z

The club Christmas party will be held on the All-weather pitch on Saturday 16th from 1.30pm to 3.15pm. We are having a joint party with under under 9 and under 10 teams from the club. The party will involve a short 5 a side league competition where matches last 5 minutes a half. This will be followed by lots of goodies to eat. You need to let us know if you plan to be there. If you are coming you have to be at the Community Centre before 1.30pm so you can be assigned to a team for the competition.

Our cup campaign gets underway finally

2006-12-04T19:49:00.000Z

Our first match in the Future Print Cup will be against Woodlawn at 10am on Saturday next 9th of December. This is the match which was cancelled the week before last due to an unplayable pitch. I will be a home game, so we will meet at 9:45 at Porterstown pitches.

Remeber to wear your shin-guards. The rule is that you will not be allowed to play unless you wear your shin-guards (as Colin found out the hard way last week).

A cliff hanger of a match ends in a scoreless draw.

2006-12-02T12:08:00.000Z

Maynooth were very confident coming to Castleknock because they were at the top of the table. However, I was glad to see that the things we have been practising in training were really paying off. Maynooth got a surprise to see how much we had improved.

There was a strong wind helping Maynooth in the first half which meant we had a lot of defending to do. But Andy Merriman and Frank Collins cleared everything that came their way. Even our team mascot Lily wanted to help out before the referee intervened.

Nedim Frvrcic played a great game at midfield and passed plenty of good ball into our attackers where Niamh O'Donovan, Omar Emara and Zhudi Emara put very strong pressure on the Maynooth goal. Nedim hit a rasper of a shot and the Maynooth was unable to keep a hold of it and Zhudi pounced on the rebound and grazed the post with a shot. Zhudi had two more shots that nearly went in before half time, but the ball refused to go into the goal.

Although Castleknock continued to put pressure on to score a goal, Maynooth made a few counter attacks. In one of the counter attacks our star goalie David O'Connor pulled off such a dramatic save that the referee came to us afterwards to check that we had not listed Shay Given as our goalie.

Our teamwork was very strong today which made if very hard to pick the man-of-the-match but after much consideration the judges gave it to Niamh O'Donovan. Well done everyone, it was a display that you can all be proud of.

Match against Maynooth this weekend

2006-11-27T21:46:00.000Z

We are due to play a home match against Maynooth Town F.C. this weekend. The kick-off will be at 10:45am on Saturday the 2nd of December. Since it is a home match we will meet at Porterstown Piches before 10:30am.

The pitch has been confirmed as playable so the match will go ahead.

Match cancelled

2006-11-24T19:12:00.001Z

Our match against Cloughertown United on 25/November has been called off due to the poor state of the picth.

We are going to Cloughertown this weekend

2006-11-20T19:42:00.000Z

Our next match will be an away match against Cloughertown United. The match will kick-off at 10:45 on Saturday 25th of November in Clonalvey Park. I am not sure exactly where the pitch is located, but it is quite a distance away so we will need to meet up beside the all weather pitch before 9:15am and travel in convoy to the match.

Pitch Unplayable - cup match cancelled

2006-11-17T19:21:00.001Z

Our cup match tomorrow has been cancelled due to the pitch being unplayable.

Our cup campaign opens

2006-11-13T18:42:00.000Z

Our first match in the Future Print Cup will be against Woodlawn at 12:15 on Saturday Next 18th of November. This will be a home game, so we will meet at 12 noon at Porterstown pitches.

A narrow defeat by Howth

2006-11-11T14:59:00.000Z

Howth were all charged up for their visit to Castleknock, determined to see if they could knock us from our spot at the top of the league.

It was not looking like a lucky day when Jean Bergin got injured before the game even started. However, Tony Jordan was there with his fancy camera to take our picture for the calendar and the match started slightly late.

This was a cracker of a match. Both sides were attacking all out from the start. Omar Emara hit the post with a scorcher of a shot. Shortly afterwards our man-of-the-match Nedim Frvrcic hit the crossbar with another fine shot.

However, this was not to be our lucky day. The ball simply refused to go into the Howth goal despite all of our attacking. At the other end of the pitch a Howth cross took a lucky deflection and went into the net over the head of our goalie. This left the score at 1-0 at half time.

As the second half got started Howth continued their pressure. They were kept out for a while by strong defending by Dylan Turner, but eventually they managed to slip in a goal to stretch their lead to 2-0.

Castleknock did not give up at this stage, and Niamh O'Donovan continued to put pressure on the Howth goal. This pressure eventually paid of when Nedim Frvrcic managed to score a goal in the dying minutes of the match.

At this stage the score was 2-1 and Castleknock threw everything into attack to try and draw level. Unfortunately this left them exposed at the back and Howth managed to slip in a goal in injury time to seal the victory at 3-1.

This was a disappointing result, but a great performance that we can be very proud of. Well done everyone and I hope Jean's knee is better soon.

Howth are next

2006-11-06T23:35:00.000Z

Our next match is a home game against Howth. The match will kick off at 12:15 on Saturday next (12/Nov). We will meet up at the Porterstown Pitches before 12 noon.

Hopefully we will be able to stretch our lead at the top of the table.

Castleknock put 6 past Malahide United

2006-11-05T10:53:00.000Z

Castleknock took a trip to Malahide with hopes of topping the newly revised league table against an old rival.

Castleknock in their new strip burst into action and supplied Zuhdi Emara with great passes which he put into the back of the net to earn his hat trick in the first half.

The pressure was on Malahide, who were lucky not to concede a 4th goal when Nedim Frvrcic's shot, which appeared to have crossed the line, was cleared and no goal given by the referee.

The 2nd half was just as eventful with Malahide resorting to fielding an extra player. This was quickly spotted by the sharp Castleknock supporters and the referee was quick to respond and stop the game.

Dylan Turner restarted the game, winning a drop ball in the Malahide half and passing the ball into Robert O'Connor who made it 4-0.

Malahide made a couple of breaks in the Castleknock half but got no further than man of the match Andy Merriman, who was quick to take the ball and clear it to safety.

Nedim Frvrcic made it 5-0 to Castleknock before Malahide got one back from a corner, making it 5-1. Omar Emara sealed the victory minutes before the final whistle. 6-1 was the final score, and Castleknock Celtic top the league after the week one. Well done to all the players and keep up the great work.

Away match against Malahide United

2006-11-01T15:21:00.000Z

On Saturday 4th of November we have an away match against Malahide United. Kick off is at 12:45. We will meet beside the all-weather pitches at 11:30am. This is the first match of the re-organised league, so we have a chance to take a clear lead.

Change of Jersey

2006-10-26T21:31:00.000+01:00

We will be exchanging our stripped jersey for hooped jerseys to be more compatible with the Castleknock Celtic normal colours. You should bring your existing jersey to training next Thursday (2nd of November) so that we can exchange it for onr of the new designs.

The league has been reorganised and all teams have been reverted to 0 points and we all start with a clean sheet. This means we are joint top of the league :-). We have no match this weekend due to the bank holiday weekend.

A great victory

2006-10-21T13:40:00.000+01:00

I knew we were due a change of luck and it finally came today.

Our star striker Dylan Turner opened the scoring for Castleknock with a sorcher of a shot from the edge of the penalty box. Cloughertown came back strongly and tried to level the score before half time, but some great defending by man of the match Frank Collins and some brilliant saves by our star goalie David O'Connor kept the half time score at 1-0.

Cloughertown continued the pressure after half time and they even hit the post on a number of times, but Castleknock continued to defend strongly. Then Omar Emara scored to increase our lead to 2-0.

As the match neared the end, Nedin Hivacic scored another goal to stretch the lead even further to 3-0.

Well done everyone! I hope you can keep up the winning streak!.

Cloughertown this week

2006-10-16T18:59:00.000+01:00

Our next match will be against Cloughertown at 10:45 on Saturday morning (21st of October). This will be a home match so we will meet at Porterstown Pitches at 10:15.

Race night on 27th of October

2006-10-10T10:55:00.000+01:00

Some of the parents might be interested to attend the fund raising race night being organised in Kavanagh's pub on Friday the 27th of October.

No match this weekend

2006-10-10T08:43:00.000+01:00

We have no match this Saturday (14th of October) and so we will have an extra training session at 10:30am on Saturday morning on Laurel Lodge Green.

Our best performance so far

2006-10-07T16:48:00.000+01:00

After starting out strongly against Ashbourne we were unfortunate to go a goal behind when Ashbourne lobbed the ball over the head of our keeper. However, instead of giving up, we came back strongly and exerted lots of pressure. Omar and Niamh had many chances of leveling the score, but their goalkeeper played a brilliant game to help them hold on to their slender lead.

In the second half Dylan Turner joined the attack in an excellent display which earned him the title of man of the match. Castleknock were camped in the Ashbourne half of the pitch for most of the match, but the ball still refused to go into the net. In one of Ashbourne's rare counter attacks they scored a lucky goal which left the score at 2-0 which was not a fair reflection of how the match went.

Keep up the good work guys!! It was our best display yet and our luck is bound to turn soon.

Hoping for a change of luck against Ashbourne

2006-10-03T22:01:00.000+01:00

Ashbourne will be our next opponents. The match will be held at Porterstown Pitches at 10:45 on Saturday next 7th of October. We will meet up at 10am.

Defeat in the battle of Clontarf

2006-09-30T15:17:00.000+01:00

The day was cold and wet as we headed to Clontarf, so we should have realised that it was going to be a tough day. The Clontarf team attacked very strongly from the start and they were soon in the lead. Frank Collins and Cathal Gaynor played a brilliant game in defense, but they were still unable to stop Clontarf from scoring 6 goals.

Nedin Hivacic played a great game at mid-field in the first half before coming back to help out in defense in the second half. However, man of the match was David O'Connor. He was very busy in goals all through the match and pulled of many fine saves. He was forced to go off briefly due to an injury he sustained while making a series of three brave saves. But after a short rest he came back on again and helped keep the score under control.

Clontarf are next

2006-09-28T15:56:00.000+01:00

Our next match will be against Clontarf at 11am on Saturday 30th of September. The match will be held in St Anne's Park which is quite a distance away, so we will need to meet up at 9am beside the all weather pitch. Let us know if you can't make it so that we don't waste time waiting for latecomers.

Next match against Ratoath

2006-09-20T21:56:00.000+01:00

Our next match will be away to Ratoath Harps on Saturday 23rd of September. Since it will take some time to travel to Ratoath, we should meet at 9am beside the all weather pitch.

Training moves indoors

2006-09-20T20:54:00.001+01:00

Due to the fact that the nights are getting darker and the weather is getting worse we have decided to move the training indoors. From next week onwards, the training will be held in St. Patrick's National School in Diswellstown. The date and time will also be changing, training will in future be held at 8-9pm on Thursdays (starting Thursday 28th of September).

If you don't know where this is click here for directions.

An unlucky defeat to Malahide United

2006-09-16T13:48:00.000+01:00

Saturday morning started out cool, but the weather got quickly warmer and the day turned into a scorcher. Our match against Malahide trurned out to be just as much of a scorcher. Malahide were first to settle down and managed to sneak in four lucky goals in quick succession. The Castleknock team managed to regroup and came back strongly, but despite our pressure we went into half time trailing 4-0.

In the second half our man of the match Omar Emara managed to score a goal to bring the score back to 4-1. Castleknock continued to attack strongly, but were unlucky to concede a late goal so that the match ended in a 5-1 defeat. Click here to see more pictures.

Training Time

2006-09-14T21:04:00.000+01:00

Our regular training time will be 7-8pm every Wednesday night on Laurel Lodge Green. Later on as the nights get darker this will be changed for a time on an indoor pitch.

Our First Match

2006-09-13T21:30:00.000+01:00

Our first match will be against Malahide United at 11am on Saturday the 16th of September. The match will be held at Porterstown pitch. Be sure to be there at 10:45 at the latest.