Portlaoise AFC under 16s qualify for last 32 of national SFAI cup
In near sub-zero conditions at the Portlaoise Leisure Centre on Saturday morning, Portlaoise AFC under 16s qualified for the last 32 of the U16 National SFAI Cup following a comprehensive victory over their near neighbours, Emo Celtic.
Portlaoise got the ideal start by scoring the opening goal in the 5th minute following some nice build-up play which resulted in Conor O’Callaghan scoring from close range. To the credit of the Portlaoise team, they didn’t rest on their laurels and immediately looked to extend their lead with some excellent combination play from the midfield pairing of Pete Culleton and Shane McCann who dominated the middle third and secured Portlaoise most of the possession. The 2nd goal arrived on the 15th minute when Johnson Lionde reacted first following a great save from the Emo goalkeeper who made several outstanding saves to keep his team in the game.
With Conor O’Callaghan, Aidan Byrne and Nathan Daly Murphy a constant threat on the attack, the third goal came on the 20th minute when Alex Danne scored direct from a free kick from 25 yards out. With the advantage of the early goals to settle the nerves, Portlaoise grew in confidence and dominated the possession during the remainder of the first half. With only a few minutes left in the first half, the pressure began to tell and Portlaoise extended their lead with a fourth goal when Aidan Byrne scored with a sublime finish following some build up play by Artiomn Travkin.
From the start of the second half, Portlaoise again started on the front foot and added a fifth goal when Johnson Lionde grabbed his second goal with a nice finish from close range. As the game continued, they continued to create several chances from excellent combination play on both flanks and went close several times. Despite the cold conditions and constant Portlaoise pressure, Emo to their credit stabilised things and can be proud of their fighting spirit and never say die attitude. With literally time nearly up, Portlaoise added a sixth goal when Artiomn Travkin rose above the defence and scored with a clever cushion header into the bottom corner of the net following a lovely cross from Pete Culleton.
On this occasion, best for Portlaoise were Alex Danne & Ryan Morrin who gave a towering defensive display, Shane Mc Cann and Pete Culleton for controlled and dominant midfield displays and Conor O’Callaghan and Aidan Byrne for being a constant attacking threat.
With a place in the last 32 of the National SFAI cup now secure, Portlaoise can now look forward to building on this victory over the remainder of the season in their pursuit for honours at a local and national level.
Portlaoise AFC Under-16 squad for the 2022/ 2023 season: Cian O’Neill, Daniel Sukhanov, Danny Rooney, Alex Danne, Ryan Morrin, Peter Ciarkowski, Sean Lalor, Conor O’Callaghan, Shane McCann, Pete Culleton, Nathan Daly Murphy, Aidan Byrne, Johnson Lionde, Artiomn Travkin, Dylan McCarthy, Dylan Daly, Jesse Murphy.