Klub Kildare kick off eighth League of Ireland season with difficult fixtures against Shamrock Rovers
Khaleid Meslouhi outnumbered in the box in the Under 17 match played in FBD Hotels and Resorts Park
Klub Kildare’s Under 14 side opened their Phase One campaign with a 5-2 defeat away to Shamrock Rovers at Roadstone. Despite the final scoreline, there were plenty of positives for Kildare, who began the game brightly and were rewarded when they took an early 1-0 lead through a Shamrock Rovers own goal after good pressure in the final third.
Rovers equalised in the second period from a set play, converting from a corner kick to level the game. That goal shifted momentum, and the home side began to assert greater control. Two further goals followed as Rovers moved 4-1 ahead, including a long-range strike and a well-worked finish inside the box that punished Kildare at key moments.
Klub Kildare continued to battle and were rewarded when Calvin Kelly-Smith reduced the deficit to 4-2. Good work down the right-hand side created the opportunity, with a quality cross into the area allowing Calvin to take the ball well and finish confidently. Shamrock Rovers added a fifth in the closing minutes to seal the result. Stand out performances from Filip Majdak, Zak Clarke and captain Joe O’Connor.
Under 14 manager Ruairi Daly said afterwards: “There’s a lot for the players to take from that. We did some things well, but we need to improve in key moments. That’s what this level is about — learning and getting better each week.”
Klub Kildare now turn their attention to next week’s away fixture against Waterford United.
Jack Fitzsimons , Sean Doherty, Josh Brogan, Nathan Clarke, Joshua Curtis, Philip Ilea-Sabo, Joshua Holmes, Hayden O’Brien, Joseph Alabi, Patrick McCrory, Rian Byrne. Subs: Tobi Adeboye, Reece O’Connor, Charlie Murphy, Frederick Collins, Alex Carroll, Jason Emmanuel, Yeka Baba, Fawaz Ojewale.
Filip Majdak, Ryan Breslin, Jack Birchall, Zachary Clarke , Joe O’Connor CP Rory Mc Carrick, Nichita Salari, Luigi Valente, Charlie McGann, Calvin Kelly Smyth, Daniel Wright. Subs: Eric Doherty, Daniel Dalton, Adam Murtagh Walsh, Cillian Sullivan, Alfie Daly, Ryan Jamison, Patrick Luttrell, Scott Byrne, Jake Norman.
Klub Kildare U17’s faced Shamrock Rovers in FBD Hotels and Resorts Park on Sunday. This game was a difficult task for manager Mark Perth’s team but despite the final scoreline, for large parts the team showed that they will be competitive against any team in the league.
Klub Kildare won the toss and played with the strong wind in the first half. They more than match their illustrious opponents and were lucky not to go in front early in the game. A soft goal scored by Alan Satell settled Rovers and a second goal scored late in the game gave Rovers the three points.
Manager Mark Perth was upbeat after the game.
“We did not take our chances and against a team of the calibre of Shamrock Rovers you cannot afford to do that . We will train hard this week and look forward our game against Waterford next week.”
Nathan Powell , Jayden Bradley, Carlsen Sadilua, Oisin Earley ,Rhys Jones CP ,Ethan Deegan, Khalid Meslouhi, Fionn Kirby, Jayden Parsons, Luca Smith, Zain Ali. Subs: Jake Leonard, Padraig Gleeson, Cian Reily, Beau Byrne, Lorcan Cronin, Adam Maher, Cian Downey, Paul Abankwah, Aaron Mooney.
Alex Curtis, Alan Sattell, Stephen Kelly, Rian Ennis,Thomas Barrett CP Charlie Nolan, Bobby Zeller, Johnny Collins, Corey Fay, Josh O’Dwyer, Jayden Marshall Subs: Alex Byrne ,Glory Noble Tetteh, Charlie Morrissey, Hugo Fitzgerald, Harry Rehill.
Shamrock Rovers 8 Klub Kildare 0
Klub Kildare 0 Shamrock Rovers 5
Shamrock Rovers 5 Klub Kildare 0
