After last week’s disappointing defeat away to Dingle in the league we faced Listowel Celtic in the Kerry Area Final of Munster Youths Cup in Tralee last Saturday. Our opponents knocked us out at the semi final stage of last year’s league so we had to be at our best to have a chance. The result will show we won on a score of 4-0 but the result didn’t reflect the game as it was a keenly contested match with no quarter being given. We had a whirlwind start with Sean Donnellan putting Conor Lowe through on the right in the first attack of the match with a beautiful weighted pass. He squared to Christopher Murphy who finished into the roof of the net. We continued at a good pace and dominated during this period and made it tell through Cormac O’Brien and Christopher again. Listowel pushed us back for the last 10 minutes of the half and Brian O’Regan in goals made 2 excellent saves to keep the gap at 3. In the second half Listowel pushed bodies forward and we played on the counter for the most part. Our defenders Ciaran Carmody, Austin Clifford, Alan McElligott, Dean Meehan and David Lenihan kept a good shape about them and both tackling and communication were good. In front of them at various times we had (including subs) Eoghan McElligott, Jack Lynch, Sean Donnellan, Sean Collins, Ed Moynihan and Christopher all breaking up attacks and playing cleverly out from the back. Up front Conor Lowe ploughed a lone furrow in the second half and got his reward after Ed was fouled in the box and Conor dispatched the resultant penalty into the net for a deserved goal. We soaked up a huge amount of pressure in the last 15 minutes and defended for our lives to keep them out. So well done to all the lads on winning a trophy so early in the year. We go on now to represent the county in the next round after Christmas.