Goal

Nenagh AFC Club Notes – 28/May/2014

Club AGM:

Nenagh AFC will hold our club AGM on Friday June 13th at 8pm in our clubhouse in Brickfields. Everyone is invited and please spread the word

World Cup Draw:

Nenagh AFC is running a Club Members World Cup Predictor where if you achieve maximum points (300) You are guaranteed to win €4,000. To achieve maximum points you must correctly predict all eight group winners and runners up IN THE CORRECT ORDER. Then you must go on to correctly predict each round of 16 winner, quarter final winner, semi-final winner and outright winner of the World Cup. In the event of maximum points not being achieved the top points scorer is guaranteed €300. Prize money on 2nd place is €200. Prize money on 3rd place is €100. In the event of a tie prize money will be shared. Full details can be found on www.nenaghafc.ie and by contacting Nenagh AFC Public Relations Officer John Delaney on 0868137700 or by email j.delaneynenaghafc@gmail.com

Club Dinner Dance:

Nenagh AFC will hold a Dinner Dance in the Abbey Court Hotel on Friday 27th of June. Tickets cost €30 each. There will be a live band and DJ and we ask that everyone comes and help celebrate one of the best ever seasons in the club history. Tickets can be got from any Committee members

Managerial Vacancies:

Nenagh AFC wishes to announce we are now accepting applications for all Juvenile & Junior Managerial and Coaching positions. Deadline for entries is Friday, June 6th and please send your applications please to Dearan O Gorman, 105 Springfort Meadows, Nenagh or email Dearan at dearano@yahoo.ie

FAI Summer Soccer Camps:

The FAI Summer Soccer Schools return to Nenagh AFC this summer and we will be holding two seperate camps and a goalkeeping camp also. Brickfields will hold it’s first camp from June 30th to July 4th and the second camp will be on August 11th to August 15th. There will also be a Goalkeepers camp on August 9th and 10th. Book online at www.summersoccerschools.ie or call 1890653653 Camps cost €65 and €50 for the Goalkeeping camps. You get a football, kit and backpack. Spaces fill up quick so book soon so not to be disappointed

Football For All:

The FAI are running a Football For All  only camp in Nenagh Brickfields this year from 18th August to 22nd August, Bookings on www.fai.ieNenagh AFC Football For Allcontinuesevery Tuesday at 7pm in Brickfields. It’s great to see the new members joining; anyone else interested please contact Aidan 0878224140, Sharon 0876529830 and Kevin 0866075954

Junior “A” Team:

Defence

Nenagh AFC played local rivals Nenagh Celtic last Sunday in the Tipperary Cup semi final and after a superb effort and never say die performance by our players we emerged victorious after a penalty shoot-out.We got off to the worst possible start when after justfive minutes Mark Walsh scored for Celtic to put them one up. It got worse for us four minutes later when our centreback Mark McKenna got sent off and now the odds were well and truly stacked against our boys.After thirty five minutes our boys somehow got back into the game when Thomas Sheppard scored a great goal from a tight angle and we were back in the contest,no more than our ten players huge efforts deserved.Neither team could get a second before halftime and we went in very happy at the break after a great spirited effort by our boys. Into the second half and our boys came out and continued to take the game to Celtic despite been down to ten men and on a couple of occasions we created good opportunities but our final pass or finished let us down.Celtic also had chances and with the game heading towards the end they could have won it when Mark Cahill made an excellent headed clearance of the line and then Gerry Treacy made an outstanding double save to deny Celtic the lead.With time almost up we could have won it when the lively Ben Banaghan raced clear with a Celtic defender to beat but to the Celtic lads credit he made a great tackle to deny us and so the game went to extra time,a great testament to our boys efforts and super attitude. Into extra time and our boys were playing good football and looking the most likely team to get that second goal but in 97th minute disaster struck when a cross from the left was met at the back post by Enrico Casey who knocked into the net to restore Celtics lead and put a huge dent into our teams outstanding efforts.We regrouped at the extra time break and came out again doing our best to try and get back into the game and in the 105th minute we got a deserved equaliser when great work by Archie Mitchell and then a super cross by him found the head of Thomas Sheppard who guided a great header past Aidan Herlihy in the Celtic goal and put us level with minutes to play. Both teams went for a winner and Gerry Treacy again made a good save with minutes left and then at the end we nearly snatched victory twice when Roy Creagh’s header across goal was inches away from Archie Mitchell but then with nearly the last kick of the game we came agonisingly close to a heroic win when Nathan Kelly’s rocket shot from outside the area smashed off the Celtic upright and the game ended shortly afterwards and so to the dreaded penalty shootout. Up stepped Nathan Kelly,Ben Banaghan,Mark Cahill and Thomas Sheppard to place perfect penalties to the Celtic net and Gerry Treacy made a fantastic save again to make it a win to remember and a magnificent achievement by our boys considering we played around 105minutes with ten players and all of our players dug very deep to put in a great spirited display on the day and never threw in the towel when things went against us. Our management and club are very proud of these boys efforts in such tough circumstances,on the day we had some great performers but overall you’d have to say it was a super team performance and yet again for the second week running the introduction of three very lively and energetic substitutes proved pivotal in our victory.We now play Cloughjordan in the final and are chasing a treble so we ask supporters to please turn up to cheer the boys on the day. On a final note we would just like to say hard luck to a gallant Nenagh Celtic side who will be bitterly disappointed they didn’t win the game and overall this season they’ve pushed us all the way in league and cups,as for us we couldn’t be any happier with our panels efforts and attitude with this huge win and we can now look forward to another tough game in the final against Cloughjordan

Under 12 Girls “A” Team:

U12 GirlsNenagh AFC under 12 girls ‘A’ team finished off the season by winning the U12 girls NTSFL Cup after a hard fought four nil victory over Cloughjordan last Saturday.The Nenagh girls dominated the majority of the first half playing some great football in the process. The Clough defence were very solid and kept the girls at bay until a brilliant pass from Leah McLoughney set Aine Slattery clear on goal and she finished to give the girls a one nil half time lead.The Clough girls started the second half strongly and the Nenagh had to work very hard to keep them at bay. Eventually the girls regained control of the match and after keeper Kiara Hearty got possession of the ball following a Clough attack she played a quick ball forward to Megan Dune who controlled the ball and surged through the Clough defence and finished to the net to give the girls a two nil lead. Five minutes later, after continuous Nenagh pressure, Fiona Kirwan scored to leave the score three nil. Soon after Aine Slattery got possession of the ball outside the box and hit an unstoppable long range shot to the net to make the score line four nil. There were great celebrations at the end when Captain Grace Fleming accepted the cup.Well done to the girls on a brilliant performance. Kiara Hearty in goals dominated her area and distributed the ball well. Orla Clarke was excellent in defence putting in some great tackles. Alongside her, Sine Morris was also brilliant in defence making some vital clearances and putting in some great tackles. Ellen Healy and Isle Lombard came into defence in the second half and were very reliable in their defending. Fiona Kirwan in centre midfield was as solid as a rock and dominated that part of the pitch. Her goal was a just reward for another outstanding performance. Leah McLoughney worked really hard and her through pass for the first goal was top class. Megan Dunne took her goal very well and was brilliant in possession. Emily Griffin played well in midfield when called upon. Her throw ins were always a threat to Clough. Aine Slattery saved her best performance of the season for this cup final and scored two great goals, the second strike was outstanding. Captain Grace Fleming led by example with an outstanding display on the right side of midfield. Well done girls on a great display!

Youths:

Youths

Nenagh’s youths capped a memorable season with a stunning last thirty minutes to win the NTDL youths league for the second successive year by defeating BT Harps away 4-1.Both teams played out a cagey first half with both keepers in fine form to keep the score sheet blank. BT Harps took an unexpected lead on 50 minutes when after a scramble in the visitors box the ball broke kindly to Eric Quinlan who finished well from 12 yards. The champions elect were stung into action and stepped up the pace and turned in a scintillating last thirty minutes. Cian Darcy equalized with a stunning left foot strike from his wide right position and Nenagh were soon in front  after a brilliant team move ended in Ryan Gilmartin and Ben Banaghan exchanging passes for Banaghan to slot past the excellent Eoin Brophy in the Templemore goals. Harps to their credit didn’t lie down with excellent performances from Emmet Moloney, Stevie Nolan and Jamie Bergin but in the end couldn’t live with the quick interplay much of which centered around the sometimes unplayable Alan “Mini” Sheehan. Twenty minutes left and two penalties in five minutes were to decide the destiny of the league with Ryan Gilmartin putting Nenagh 3-1 up and then Cillian Fitzpatrick Nenaghs custodian maintained that lead with a brilliant save from Nolan’s spot kick. The best was saved till last when Ben Banaghan turned on the style with an unbelievable piece of skill to wrong foot two harps defenders and slot home the fourth. Nenagh’s youths complete a clean sweep of all NTDL trophies for the second year running and add them to their famous All Ireland win. Finally all at Nenagh AFC would sincerely like to wish BT Harps the very best of luck in the Joe Delaney final next Sunday as they try to keep the cup up North

Under 13 “A” team:

Last Tuesday saw our under 13 “A” team take on Clodiagh Rangers in the cup final! The Nenagh side were comfortable winners when the sides met recently to claim the league for the third year in succession. However this was a far different Clodiagh Rangers team who, backed by a large home crowd, really put it up to the visiting Nenagh side especially in the first 10 minutes.Clodiagh should have scored on three different occasions in that period if it weren’t for the tremendous net minding by Nenagh’s in form Keeper Callan Scully. One shot in particular was bound for the top right hand corner of the Nenagh goals which keeper Scully not only managed to stop but, to the amazement of the large crowd, actually caught the ball. This save spurred the Nenagh side into action with the back four of Colm Hayden, Sean McInerney, Josh Glennon and Adam Ryan dominating from then on. Sean Phelan and Stephen Mulvihill grew into the game, linking defence to attack and it was a superb Sean Phelan corner headed home by captain Barry Coffey that opened up the scoring. To Clodiagh Rangers credit they struck back before half time after being awarded a penalty.In the second half Nenagh showed why they have dominated this age group in recent times with some outstanding performances from Gavin Dooley and fit again Craig Gleeson. Gavin was instrumental in Nenagh’s second goal when he rounded a couple of players and crossed in a delightful ball that striker supremo Daniel Mossi finished coolly into the net. Nenagh’s third goal came in a similar fashion but this time it was Matthew O Gorman, linking well with Michael Harold, crossed the ball to Barry Coffey who again headed the ball into the net. Nenagh topped  off a fine performance when the ever dependable Manus Heenan chipped a clever ball over the home keeper into the net from a short corner. Darragh Thinkler came very close on a couple of occasions to stretching Nenagh’s lead but the away side had to settle for a 4 – 1 victory to add the North Tipp Cup to their League title

Success continues for Nenagh AFC:

16s

Nenagh AFC has had enormous success on the playing field this season, particularly at underage levels. Our under 15,16 and 18 squads have all reached the semi-finals of the National Cups, an achievement that is unprecedented and testimony to the dedication of the coaches and trainers that work with them.The Football Association of Ireland rules dictate that from this stage of each competition, all playing pitches must be railed off for both security and safety reasons. If a club is unable to do so, it forfeits home advantage. To this end, we are endeavouring to rail off our main pitch and other associated works at a cost of €10,000. This includes the cost of 2” rounded piping and supports for 350metres of fencing, along with other materials, netting and labour. Since the late 1990’s, we have invested almost €2million at the Brickfields complex and have 75% of this sum cleared through various fundraising projects and grants. In the present financial climate, it is often difficult to finance an unexpected but very welcome expense, as this is. There are several other advantages to this work:Our club will be able to host many other prestigious soccer games including underage international matches when this work is completed.This has a knock-on effect in the local economy.Our grounds are used constantly as a venue for all of North Tipperary and Munster Soccer.There is continuous use of our facilities by many otherorganisations, including the local boxing and gymnastics clubs and by many other members of the local community for various purposes including education. We are asking for local companies to sponsor the fencing project.

Sponsorship for new Fencing in Brickfields:

Nenagh AFC is currently fencing its main pitch and as stated above it will draw even more big games to Brickfields. We ask that you or your company take up rental of some advertising space positioned on the new fencing being erected around our “Stadium” pitch. The initial rental fee covers the cost of the sign and rental for two full playing seasons starting July 2014. Take up the option now and your sign will be erected and in place for the upcoming National cup semis in April 2014. Nenagh AFC are also in the bidding for this years’ Munster Junior Cup Final. Although no decision has been made these are the sort of games we expect to be hosting in future years.Each sign will be 10 feet x 2 feet Diabond (aluminium composite) and can be positioned at any available space of your choosing. All signs and artworks are durable, fit for purpose and expected to last for years.Prime locations will be allocated on a first com first serve basis. The cost of Rental is €300 for initial two years rental. Should you wish to avail and take the advertising space please contact one the following immediately and we will arrange for artwork to be collected and sign to be manufactured: David Rooney0876998343, Greg Browne 0851708133 and Robert Tappenden 0868500230

Become a shareholder at Nenagh AFC

Nenagh Credit Union is delighted to be associated with Nenagh AFC Brickfields Ltd in facilitating loan finance towards the ongoing development of the Brickfields Complex. Loan facilities, under the normal terms and conditions, will be made available to existing members of the Credit Union and to anyone who wishes to become a member and who lodges a nominal amount to open their bank account. Details can be discussed in the strictest confidence by calling in to the office and discussing the same with any of our friendly staff. The repayment schedules in respect of a typical loan of €650/cost of share is as follows: one year with weekly repayments of €13.15 and monthly repayments €57.50 For a two year loan the weekly repayments are €6.90 and the monthly repayments are €30 For a three year loan the weekly repayments are €4.82 and the monthly repayments are €21. For new and existing customers the requirements are six months bank statements, and for the self employed we require pay slips or recent accounts. We really hope everyone with an interest in the club takes up this great offer from the Credit Union and become a share holder in Nenagh AFC Brickfields