Under 21 final latest

**Colm** · 02/12/2003, 8:33 PM

City are 2-1 up, ten minutes to go.
Behan scored a free kick, Roddis got the other with a shot from outside the box.
Pats have had a man sent off.
City under a lot of pressure now in the closing minutes.

C'mon lads lets hang on...

thecorner · 02/12/2003, 8:45 PM

great news. wouldnt be too surprised to see a few promoted next season

**A face** · 02/12/2003, 8:59 PM

Delighted !!

**Counting Crow** · 02/12/2003, 9:21 PM

Brilliant
Brilliant
Brilliant.

This is really laying an outstanding foundation for the future. If we got 4-5 players from the last 2 U-21 Teams we would be doing superb............and saving the Club a fortune.

Look at Manure and what happened to them with their famous Youths team........Beckham, the Neville sisters, Butt, Scholes, Sharpe ......... even Savage came through that team.

There is no doubt but a good youths policy brings success.

Well done Stuart Ashton and his Colts.

What a pity we couldn't have seen it.

**Peadar** · 02/12/2003, 9:56 PM

Great result on a very cold night in front of a reasonable crowd.
In the first half Pats couldn't live with us and we deserved our 0-2 lead. We had some good chances and reduced Pats to a few half chances from set-peices and long range efforts.
The game was broken up a lot by the ref who blew up for everything. The sending off was justified and Pats were lucky that many of their two-footed lunges went unpunished.
We didn't really make the extra man count though.
The second half was a different story however.
Pats came out fighting and we rarely got our passing going. They harried well and we gave away possession too cheaply. We had a few good counter attacks but often took the wrong option in front of goal. We were trying to waste time with 30 minutes left and were trying to hold up the ball around the midfield.
This could easily have been our downfall.
The fullback got caught in possession and Pats broke forward when McNulty was deemed to have fowled the attacking player. This was a poor decision in my opinion but the penalty was given and was well taken. Pats raised their game again and we looked like the team who was a man down.
The got some fortunate free kicks around the area and gave us a few scares. We had our chance to seal the victory late on when Mulconry struck after a strong run but the ball hit the inside of the post, travelled along the face of the goal but somehow stayed out. McNulty got down well to save a low shot to his right from inside the box.
Sorry if I'm a bit vague but at times the fog was so thick we couldn't see past the centre of the pitch.
Murray was awarded Man of the Match. (I think I saw Eric cheering

)

Starting line up:
Mark McNulty
Richie Aherne
Kevin Murray
Cillian Lordan
Michael Buckley
David O'Sullivan
Michael Mulconry
Damien Roddis
Jamie Nolan
Colin P O'Brien
Denis Behan

Subs:
Ian Fraher for CP
Bryan McCarthy for Nolan

**S�C** · 02/12/2003, 10:32 PM

To be honest I though it was a clear peno.

Pats were very lucky to finish with 10 men on the field. A very very dirty team. Number 7 in particular for them should have walked too. Their manager then had a right go off the Ref at half time, he had to be half heartedly held back by Chuck Norris.

We should have had four or five goals took the wrong option a fair bit in front of the goal in the second half.

Ref was very poor. He was blowing for every little bit of contact. At one stage it seemed that being Denis Behan was an offence.

Buckley and Murray did well at the back other than Buckleys slip up to allow the Pats player through on goal.

Was impressed with Behan tonight, he fought for every ball, won every header, laid the ball off very well and had to contend with a poor ref blowing every minute. The look of terror in the poor Pats players who had to stand in the wall when Behan took his frees was great

Fraher showed some nice touches when he came on.

McNulty made a wonder save toward the end.

Poor old who are ya was on the pitch at end looking gutted. Also on the pitch was a local junkie on his bike cycling across it while the Pats PA guy went mental at him, Chuck and his merry band of men stood by as the PA guy begged them to get off their arses. Oh the fun.

**joe** · 03/12/2003, 3:29 AM

some pics

**shedite** · 03/12/2003, 8:01 AM

Who's the old lady in the background when they're lifting the cup?

**razor** · 03/12/2003, 8:19 AM

Saw the goals on TV3 last night.
Well, tried to make them out through the fog.

Great strike from Denis.
The 2nd goal was a shot from Roddis, savage deflection, but sure any luck we get in the Pale is usually swiftly counteracted by the referee. but the lads held on for the win.

Well done to the young fellas, great performance.

**NorthoftheLee** · 03/12/2003, 8:32 AM

well done to the lads.....great to retain the trohpy!!!!

is there any celebration thingy going on tonite for the lads???

**Dodge** · 03/12/2003, 8:42 AM

Originally posted by S�Ccfc
To be honest I though it was a clear peno.

Pats were very lucky to finish with 10 men on the field. A very very dirty team.

The fog probably meant that you could only see half the game BUT both teams were dirty. Definite red card and for a couple of minutes afterwards it went a bit mental and a couple of ours were stupid. One very lucky he missed with an atrocious tackle.

Ref blew for everything (against both sides) The free kick that led to your first wasn't a free. the ref actually let it go but the linesman waved... On the penalty Ado knocked it round the keeper and the keeper tripped him. Ado was looking for it but it was still fouled.

**Bernie** · 03/12/2003, 8:51 AM

I believe the lady in the photo is Dr. Tony O'Neills mother, who officially presented the trophy to Cillian.

There is a get together in the Evergreen tonight for the team at around 9pm.

As for a reported attendance of 1,400........I must have been at the wrong venue.

**James** · 03/12/2003, 8:53 AM

Originally posted by Bernie
....I must have been at the wrong venue.

thats a pity bernie

at least we won though .. right
( i ask you !!)

**tiktok** · 03/12/2003, 9:36 AM

I thought there was less than 1000 there, but it was a bigger crowd than i was expecting. Two thirds of the stand were fairly full but the remaining third was empty apart from about twenty city heads (there were more city fans huiddled together for warmth in with the masses).

City shaded it but shouldn't have been hanging on as they were against ten men, credit to Pats for the way they came out in the second half. Ref lost control of the game early on, it turned bad tempered early, lots of silly tackles flying in, loads of shoving and 'handbags'.

The sending off was spot on, idiotic challenge.
The penalty was cast iron, Buckley was daft trying to play it out of defence.
Sorry Dodge, but the free that led to the first goal was a foul, the linesman did give it, but it was a foul.
Highlights of the game:
Nults save late on
Mucka late effort staying out, anyone know how that happened

**Dodge** · 03/12/2003, 9:44 AM

Originally posted by tiktok
Sorry Dodge, but the free that led to the first goal was a foul, the linesman did give it, but it was a foul.

with that fog there's no way you could tell. It happened directly in front of where I was standing, your centre forward tried to bustle past our centre half. Both of them tugging at each other. Could have been easily given the other way. (In fairness you did deserve to be in front at that stage)

Mucka late effort staying out, anyone know how that happened

Our guess was that in the fog someone had dressed in green and lay on the goal line to stop things like this....

**patsh** · 03/12/2003, 10:57 AM

Originally posted by Dodge
....with that fog there's no way you could tell. It happened directly in front of where I was standing, .......

Surprise, surprise....

No one else can know, but Mr. All Seeing, All Knowing is always in the correct position ALL the time.....

Great result, its some achievement to retain anything in soccer in Ireland. We have a few excellent prospects for the future, from a team that knows how to win, it can only be good news for City.

**Peadar** · 03/12/2003, 12:37 PM

Originally posted by razor
The 2nd goal was a shot from Roddis, savage deflection,

I honestly think that if were weren't 0-2 up with an extra man we'd have pressed Pats harder in the second half and would have made some of our chances pay. We got a little complacent and they took advantage of our inability to hold up the ball. If we were playing the attacking football witnessed in the first half, Pats wouldn't have had so much possession.
We were deserving of our victory.
The free for the first goal was as valid as any other.
Shame the ref was so fond of the whistle and cards.

**joe** · 03/12/2003, 5:37 PM

Originally posted by Dodge
with that fog there's no way you could tell. It happened directly in front of where I was standing, your centre forward tried to bustle past our centre half. Both of them tugging at each other. Could have been easily given the other way. (In fairness you did deserve to be in front at that stage)

They may have been tussling with each other but O'Shea clearly pulled O'Brien's shirt which is a free. I don't know how the ref missed it but thank god the lino didn't