Eight-man Coill Dubh make things difficult for league champions
Coill Dubh's Nathan Jones cuts inside Conor Curry (Kilcullen)
In what will likely be remembered as one of the gutsiest displays of the KDFL U20 Division 1 season, an embattled Coill Dubh AFC fell 2-0 to reigning champions Kilcullen AFC.
While the scoreline reflects a Kilcullen victory, it fails to capture the extraordinary circumstances of a match where the “Brave Eight” of Coill Dubh nearly defied the odds.
Coill Dubh entered the fixture hoping to build on a solid away point and repeat their previous victory over the champions. However, a with a number of players missing to a variety of reasons they were forced into taking to the field with just eight players, and yet, made things extremely difficult for a team who have already been crowned champions.
After frustrating Kilcullen in the early stages, Coill Dubh grew in confidence and in the lead up to the half time, they were the team looking more likely to break the deadlock.
That goal didn’t arrive though and perhaps Coill Dubh began to feel the impact of their efforts at the game approached the hour mark.
Kilcullen finally broke the deadlock in the 57th minute, when a long ball from goalkeeper Fionn Coyle Connolly found Conor Curry, who finished to make it 1-0. The visitors doubled their lead in the 68th minute through Daniel Collins, assisted by Josh Kelly. Despite being two goals down and severely outnumbered, Coill Dubh fought to the final whistle, refusing to let the scoreline spiral and maintaining their shape until the bitter end.
Standout Performers The home side’s performance was anchored by three massive shifts:
Man of the Match: Will Carroll, whose work rate and leadership epitomized the team’s spirit.
Liam Murphy: The stand-in goalkeeper who pulled off several key saves to keep the side in the hunt, also getting a mention from the referee for his exploits.
Nathan Jones: A tireless engine in the middle of the park who refused to be overrun.
Man of the match for Kilcullen was Daniel Collins Kilcullen AFC leave with the three points to rubber stamp their championship credentials, but Coill Dubh leaves with their heads held high.
To hold the champions to a 2-0 result with only eight players is a testament to the character within the squad.
Management will now look toward the return of their missing personnel, knowing that if they can match this level of heart with a full XI, they will be a force to be reckoned with.
