WCSL 2007-08 U16 League Review

Riverside Athletic made it two U16 League title wins on the trot following the most dramatic of conclusions to the 2007-08 SuperValu West Cork Schoolboys U16 League season. The Balineen based club came back from the dead to snatch the league crown from the grasp of Togher Celtic in a pulsating finale on the final day of the SuperValu U16 Play-Offs.

National Cups
The early stages of the SuperValu WCSL U16 season began with 6 West Cork clubs entering the SFAI National Cup tournament. Four teams fell at the first hurdle with Cobh Ramblers proving too strong for Skibbereen (7-1), Leeds accounting for Bay Rovers (3-0) and Castleview receiving a walkover from Clonakilty AFC. The only two West Cork clubs to progress from the Preliminary Round were Drinagh Rangers who overcame the challenge of Buttevant 4-1 thanks to goals from Jamie Walsh, Daniel Hayes, Paul Crowley and Shane Connolly. Bunratty United defeated Togher Celtic in a West Cork derby following a pulsating encounter and a penalty shoot-out to progress to the first round proper. Sean Deasy and Dan O’Sullivan scored for Togher and Jack Twomey and Ger O’Callaghan netted for Bunratty. At 7-7 in the shootout Daniel Hickey saved for United before Michael Bailey made sure of the win with the decisive spot kick. Disappointingly neither Drinagh nor Bunratty were able to field teams in the first round, handing Ballincollig and Cobh Ramblers walkovers and an automatic passage into the second round.

SuperValu U16 League
Togher Celtic topped the SuperValu U16 League table at the end of the regular season, remaining unbeaten with 7 wins and 2 draws from their campaign. Togher’s Cian O’Mahony and Declan Coughlan proved a lethal strike-force combining to score over 15 goals. Drinagh Rangers finished second (also remaining undefeated) with Gavin Connolly topping their goal-scoring charts. Reigning Champions Riverside Athletic finished third with Bunratty United securing the fourth and final play-off spot. There was disappointment for Skibbereen who just missed out on a place in the play-offs by a mere 2 points. Lyre Rovers enjoyed an indifferent League campaign but still managed to secure the U16 Shield trophy before the end of the season. Clonakilty AFC, Bay Rovers, Leeside and Harbour United rarely challenged the front-runners and will hope to improve on their lowly league positions for the upcoming 2008-09 campaign.

The Play-Offs
The first round of the SuperValu U16 Play-Offs exploded into life on April the 19th with an amazing 11 goals in the opening games. Cian O'Mahony grabbed a last minute winner for Togher Celtic after an absolutely pulsating game with Bunratty United in Town Park, Schull. Togher came back from 2-0 down to score twice in the final 5 minutes and win a dramatic encounter 3-2. Gavin McEntaggart broke the deadlock in the 17th minute to put Bunratty 1-0 ahead. Declan Coughlan curled in a terrific effort to tie the scores until Bunratty retook the lead in the 45th minute when Simian Lipitch pounced from 6 yards. Cian O’Mahony made no mistake with a super strike from the edge of the box following a mix-up in the Bunratty defence to level the game. O’Mahony then raced clear of a static defence and sent an unstoppable shot into the net to win a pulsating encounter. On the same afternoon it finished honours even between Riverside Athletic and Drinagh Rangers following a 6-goal thriller in the West End Balineen. Michael Dineen opened the scoring only for Riverside to equalise early in the second half with Michael O'Driscoll netting. Athletic went 3-1 ahead thanks to a fine Brian McCarthy effort and then a second from the in-form O'Driscoll. The home side looked to have the points wrapped up until Drinagh dramatically fought back to score twice in the last 5 minutes. Derek Crowley netted with a tremendous long range free kick and Gavin Connolly stabbed home in injury time to steal a precious point. Round 2 of the SuperValu Play-Offs saw Bunratty United and Riverside Athletic each record crucial home victories. Bunratty emerged with a hard fought 2-0 victory after a tough encounter with Drinagh Rangers thanks to efforts from Gavin MacEntaggart and Sean Evans. Riverside were made to work even harder for their 3-1 home win over Togher Celtic with John Daly, Rory Baggott and Neville Maybury each finding the net in an exciting match. Cian O’Mahony replied for Celtic

Final Day Drama
The final day of a remarkable SuperValu U16 League season took place on Saturday the 10th of May. Riverside entertained Bunratty United while Togher welcomed Drinagh Rangers. Athletic knew that a victory over fellow title-rivals Bunratty would secure a second consecutive Championship. Anything less would allow Togher back into the equation provided they defeated Drinagh in their final match. Things seemed to be going Togher’s way as they easily accounted for out of sorts Drinagh Rangers 5-1. A commanding performance from the home side culminated in a superb Cian O'Mahony hat-trick along with further efforts from David Collins and Dan O'Sullivan. Daniel Hayes was Rangers solitary scorer. In Balineen Athletic found themselves 3-0 down with only 25 minutes remaining having been played off the park by a quite superb Bunratty United performance. What followed next was by far the most remarkable comeback in the 2007-08 Schoolboys League season. The hosts pulled a goal back through a Rory Baggott penalty but the drama wasn't finished there and when Jason Collins bundled the ball over the line 5 minutes later there was only a solitary goal between the sides. Bunratty were under constant pressure now as Riverside pushed everyone forward. Unbelievably Rory Baggott levelled the game at 3-3 with a thundering volley right on full time. Deep into injury time Baggott stepped forward to curl a marvellous effort into the net to complete his hat trick and win the SuperValu U16 League title for an ecstatic Riverside Athletic. It proved to be a final day full of heartbreak for both Bunratty and Togher but for the second season in a row Riverside Athletic stand proudly at the summit of the SuperValu U16 League.