St Ita’s afc

Match Report: Glin Rovers F.C. B v
St Ita’s

St Ita’s produced a strong second-half display to secure a deserved victory over Glin Rovers B after an evenly balanced opening period.

The first half was tightly contested, with neither side creating many clear-cut chances. Glin struggled to threaten, while St Ita’s had a few promising opportunities but couldn’t find the finish. The breakthrough arrived on 27 minutes when Jack Long was fouled inside the penalty area. TJ stepped up and confidently placed the penalty low to the goalkeeper’s right, giving St Ita’s a 1–0 lead at the interval.

St Ita’s came out for the second half with greater urgency and raised the tempo from the restart. Paul went close early on with a one-on-one chance, but the Glin goalkeeper made an excellent save to keep his side in the contest.

The pressure paid off in the 65th minute when a cross from the left bounced kindly for Jack Long, who reacted quickest to tap home from six yards and double St Ita’s advantage.

A key moment arrived in the 71st minute when Paul Fitzmaurice was replaced by Tony McCarthy — a substitution that proved inspired. McCarthy made an immediate impact. In the 84th minute, he capitalised after the Glin defence failed to clear their lines, tapping in from close range. Deep into stoppage time, in the 94th minute, McCarthy capped the performance with a superb individual effort, showing great footwork on the edge of the box before firing a powerful shot into the top of the net.

While the first half was cagey and lacked fluency, St Ita’s second-half performance was energetic, clinical, and ultimately decisive in sealing an emphatic win.

U14 Girls Match Report
Dromore vs St Ita’s

St Ita’s travelled to Dromore with just 10 players but produced an excellent first-half performance full of determination and teamwork. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the girls matched their opponents in every area and went into the break at 0–0 — and, on another day, could easily have been two goals ahead after creating the better chances.

Unfortunately, an injury just before half-time meant St Ita’s started the second half with only nine players, making an already tough task even harder. The extra space began to tell as Dromore took control and went on to score four goals.

Despite the 4–0 scoreline, the effort, spirit, and attitude shown by every St Ita’s player was outstanding. A massive well done to the girls who turned up, worked tirelessly for each other, and represented their club with pride.

More photos from a fantastic day! A huge thank you to all our volunteers and sponsors — and a special shoutout to Pat White and Anne Dullea for keeping all the kids and parents well fed.

A sincere thank you to everyone who helped make our Ball Run Fundraiser a success.

We’re grateful to the volunteers who gave their time, the sponsors who supported the event, and everyone who took part and showed their encouragement. Your support and teamwork made a real difference on the day.

We truly appreciate everyone who was involved. Thank you for being part of it.

🎉✨ Today’s Prize Winners – Congratulations Everyone! ✨🎉

🥇 1st Prize – €1000
Marty Stokes — Ball 1018

🥈 2nd Prize – €300
Emily Doran — Ball 598

🥉 3rd Prize – €100
Mya Cunningham — Ball 529

4️⃣ €50 – Cara McEnery — Ball 582
5️⃣ €50 – Richard Long — Ball 1091
6️⃣ €50 – Peter King — Ball 675
7️⃣ Dawns Dry Cleaners Voucher – Turlough Murphy — Ball 143
8️⃣ Wine Pack – Catherine Lynch — Ball 204
9️⃣ Whiskey – Colman Deely — Ball 611
🔟 Whiskey – Ger O’Riordan — Ball 886

⸻

⭐ Spot Prizes – Treaty Match Tickets (x2) ⭐

Jake Sarovoncenko — Ball 1058
Mark Kennedy — Ball 769
Eddie Carmody — Ball 854

👏 Well done to all our winners, and thanks to everyone for your support!

Match Report: St Ita’s 1–0 Shannonside

The Saints welcomed Shannonside to Ashford on a bright Monday evening. Despite being without six regular starters, the home side would have felt confident facing a team still searching for their first points of the league campaign and travelling with just the bare eleven. In reality, the contest proved far tighter than many might have expected, with the final scoreline accurately reflecting a closely fought encounter.

Shannonside registered the first effort of note in the third minute when David McDaid fired wide from the edge of the area. Minutes later, Robbie O’Donnell had two opportunities in quick succession, but Darren Fitzgibbon’s block denied his first attempt before his follow-up was comfortably gathered by Saints goalkeeper Sean Richards.

The Saints gradually grew into the half. Paul Fitzmaurice was unlucky not to latch onto a long delivery as Aiden Fogarty reacted sharply off his line. However, Fitzmaurice made no mistake with his next opportunity. A well-delivered corner from Peter Mulcahy was met by a thunderous header, leaving Fogarty with no chance and giving the Saints a deserved lead.

On 16 minutes, the visitors came closest to an equaliser. A long throw was only partially cleared, and O’Donnell’s half-volley from just inside the area took a deflection on its way goalward. Richards reacted superbly, clawing the ball onto the inside of the post before it trickled across the face of goal and was eventually cleared to safety.

The remainder of the half followed a familiar pattern: the Saints enjoyed spells of controlled build-up play but were frustrated by resolute defending and some poor shot selection, while Shannonside posed a threat through direct long balls to the lively O’Donnell and from set-piece situations. Richards commanded his area confidently, dealing well with deliveries through a combination of assured handling and decisive clearances.

Half-time: Saints 1–0 Shannonside

The second half continued in a similar vein, with neither side able to gain sustained control but both creating half-chances. Efforts from Ciarán, Tony, and Jack McAuliffe were either saved or quickly closed down by the ever-alert Fogarty.

As the game edged into stoppage time, Shannonside had what would prove to be their final opportunity. A low cross found a visiting player in space, but his rushed effort was struck straight at Richards. A yard either side might have earned the visitors their first points of the season, but it was not to be.

The final whistle confirmed a hard-earned victory for the Saints, securing Division 1 football for next season. Attention now turns to the upcoming Reidy Cup semi-final against Glin B in a fortnight’s time.

Full-time: Saints 1–0 Shannonside

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Match report U13 Boys
Askeaton/Kilcornan 2–1 St Ita’s

St Ita’s were left to rue missed chances after a hard-fought encounter away to Askeaton/Kilcornan, eventually falling to a narrow 2–1 defeat despite a spirited performance with the bare 11 players.

The home side struck first to put St Ita’s on the back foot, but the response was immediate and full of character. Iarlaith Murphy found the net to draw St Ita’s level, and by the interval the visitors were on top, pressing hard and creating problems all over the pitch.

Half-time brought an enforced reshuffle. With Jamie Dore picking up an injury, James was forced out of goal to allow Dore take his place between the posts, leaving St Ita’s with no options on the bench and only 11 fit players to see out the contest.

Askeaton/Kilcornan regained the lead with 20 minutes remaining, but St Ita’s refused to wilt. Wave after wave of pressure followed as they pushed for an equaliser, carving out several excellent chances and going agonisingly close to salvaging a point — and even snatching a win in the closing stages.

In the end, luck was not on St Ita’s side, who can feel very unfortunate not to come away with at least a share of the spoils after a brave and determined display.

Midweek Win for the A’s

The A’s made the trip to Corbally Estate on Wednesday evening to take on Glin B in a crucial clash, with both sides eager to secure three points and move clear of the relegation zone.

It was a cagey start from both teams, but as the half wore on, the Saints began to take control. Their pressure paid off on 20 minutes when a perfectly weighted through ball found Paul Fitzmaurice in stride, and he calmly slotted home to give the visitors the lead. The Saints continued to create chances for the remainder of the half but were unable to add to their advantage before the break.

Half-time: Glin B 0–1 St Ita’s A

The second half resumed in much the same fashion, with the A’s carrying their momentum forward. On the hour mark, Fitzmaurice struck again, doubling both his tally and the Saints’ lead with a well-taken finish.

Ten minutes later, second-half substitute Eamon Carmody capitalised on some slack play in the Glin defence to tap home from close range and put daylight between the sides. Glin pulled one back through Donnadh Daly with fifteen minutes remaining, but it proved to be little more than a consolation.

Full-time: Glin B 1–3 St Ita’s A

A strong all-round performance from the team sees the A’s claim a valuable three points. The sides will meet again in two weeks’ time in the Reidy Cup semi-final.