Bosco Notes 17th June

The Bosco senior game against Drumaness, which was due to take place on Friday night was postponed due to a water logged pitch but will take place tonight Monday 18th in Drumaness with a 7.45 throw in. All support welcome.

U14 Girls

U 14 girls salvage victory.

On Sunday, 17 June the U14 girls faced Ballymartin .

With no points from either of their two games Ballymartin were perhaps expecting to be on the receiving end of another fine display of football by the league leaders. However this was not to be the case. The free flowing football and high scoring  performances of the Bosco girls in recent matches did not materialise as they struggle to get to grips with a determined Ballymartin team . 

After a few days of prolonged rain, pitch conditions were not conducive to pretty football. This proved to be the case from the off set .Scores were slow to come by from either side , coupled with a host of squandered chances in front of goal,  by half time the Bosco narrowly lead 0.03 to 0.02.

Throughout the first half the Bosco defence were able to soak up a lot of needless pressure as the Ballymartin girls seemed to be free to attack with ease. Good performances in defence were noted by A Shortall , the Doherty sisters, N Hughes N McCullough and S O Hare.R Kelly in goals had a solid game , displaying fine fielding and kicking skills. A young goal keeper with a promising future.

The second half started as the first ended with score after score being wasted by the Bosco girls . They slowly showed glimpses of their potential but it was not enough to put daylight between the teams. The squad was bolstered with a number of very talented U12 girls who demonstrated that they could compete at this level and with their introduction the team held firm to a lead of a single point.

With the result of the game in the balance Ballymartin stunned the Bosco with a late goal. The character of the team was to be put to the test in the dying minutes of the match as the first defeat of the season seemed enviable.

In the last few minutes of the  game the Bosco girls dug deep and with two late points from D Quinn, the Bosco girls snatched the win . Great endeavour was also shown by M Gilbert, V Gratton, N Osbourne, A Quinn and L Cunninghan.

All things considered, the Bosco girls earned another 3 valuable points despite not playing up to their usual standard and proudly remain top of the league.

Final score Bosco 0.08  Ballymartin  1.04 

U 14’s


The last match report ended “There’s a great buzz about this unit and next up is a ‘friendly’ against Burren reserves on the 7th June followed by that crucial meeting with Longstone on the 11th. Watch this space…”

On Monday June 11th Longstone visited Jack Mackin Park with a much improved team who have significantly lifted their game since our last meeting having won every contest since. So with both teams on equal points this was going to be a grizzly wrestle for 2 vital points and a top league berth.

An intense thunderstorm from about 4:30pm left the pitch in a very poor state with water pooling in areas and both teams struggled to get any life into the ball which was hard to control. The bounce was dead and the referee did his best to allow play to flow but tackles looked worse than intended and Bosco were to see two yellow cards flashed, one in each half.

The Bosco started out well with a first score from Devin Quigley who was in excellent form and was to leave a big impression on this game. Martin Keenan made his debut in midfield and notched over an excellent point in the first quarter. Bosco midfield and backs were strong and pretty much snuffed out Longstone attacks however overzealous challenges saw Martin receive a yellow card and stern warning from the ref who was in no mood for a parliamentary debate!

The first half was a difficult see-saw battle and was grim enough football at times with some in the Bosco forward line unwilling to pick the ball up preferring to try impossible shots from the turf. Devin Quigley skilfully found the net twice before half-time leaving the score 2:2 to 2 points, a margin that was going to require serious defence.

The Longstone boys restarted brighter and with much more passion and conviction and were also more economical in their shooting. Micheal Dillon received a yellow for a push and there was a feeling that the screw was really being turned on the Bosco. Martin Keenan was moved up to the half forward line with Devin Quigley falling back to mid-field. This move saw Martin securing Bosco’s 3rd goal which was a welcome relief after a period where they were frustratingly dropping the ball to the keeper or blasting wide.

Paul Hadden has been delivering an assured performance in the free-taking stakes and again tonight he was reassuring as Longstone entered a purple patch in the last quarter. The ‘stone had some excellent scores from play and were particularly menacing in and around the square. Sometimes frantic defending saw the Bosco conceding scores in the danger zone and the subsequent frees kept Longstone in the hunt for honours. 

With Jack Quinn injured the stand in keeper for this critical game was U12’s man Kane Rossiter who was excellent throughout this contest. Not only did this young lad keep a clean sheet, but his distribution and calm under pressure was simply wonderful. He made a last gasp save in the dying moments of this game and showed great courage against some pretty fearsome attacks.

Ciaran Byrne also deserves special mention as a saviour who frustrated Longstone with his ability to be in the right place at just the right time including a spectacular block that denied the ‘stone a certain score. Other mention should go to Rory McParland who worked diligently and honestly throughout. 

Final score St. John Bosco 3:4 Longstone 0:9

Nest scheduled competitive fixture is away to Attical Monday 18th June.

U 12 Girls

Bosco U12 girls to play at Ulster Final 

With no match this week the table topping under 12 girls continued preparation for the their exhibition match at the Ulster Ladies Championship Final next Saturday 23rd June in the Athletics Grounds in Armagh. The match will be between Armagh and Cavan with the Bosco Girls taking to the pitch at half time for a nine aside match. This will be a very special occasion for the girls and their parents.

The numbers continue to grow at this age group with 27 players attending training on Wednesday night and 35 players in total available.