Would you like to sponsor this team page? Contact secretary@westmanstowngaels.ie for more information.

Match Reports 2010

Westmanstown v Naomh Olafs 3rd July 2010

On Saturday 3rd July, Naomh Olafs travelled from Sandyford to the Garda GAA grounds to play this U13 fixture.  With both clubs' managers eager to take advantage of the good Summer weather it was agreed to play the game one week earlier than scheduled. A warm sunny afternoon meant that this game was likely to test the stamina and fitness of both teams but the Gaels had extra motivation knowing that a win would put them back top of the table, albeit possibly only temporarily with their nearest challengers playing the following week.  Family holidays and injuries meant that this Westmanstown starting-fifteen had a slightly different look than usual and many thanks to the Under 11 players who turned out to boost team numbers.

The game started well with the young Gaels enjoying plenty of possession and creating a number of scoring chances.  A two-point lead vanished however when a looping shot by Olafs somehow squeezed into the net by the junction of post and crossbar.  The Gaels weren't deterred and some excellent defensive play provided the ground-work for the equalizing point by the home side.  Quick as a flash and Olafs had the ball in the net again despite the best efforts of the Westmanstown defence.  However, Westmanstown players heads didn't drop and they continued to enjoy possession throughout the pitch, with a driving run and point a signal of their intent for the rest of the game.  Then a brilliant goal by the Gaels had their noses in front when corner forward Alan Egan evaded a few challenges and crashed the ball to the back of the net.  All credit to Olafs they responded with a point of their own to leave the scores tied at 1-4 to 2-1 at half time.

Westmanstown team management urged much greater effort from the team for the second half and encouraged players to give their all and not think about the missed chances of the first half.  What a start to the second half.  A great catch from the throw in and the Gaels were on the attack.  A driving run into the square saw the ball laid off to Stuart Boyd who hit a "bomber" past the visitors keeper.  However, Olafs responded a minute later finding the back of the net following a good exchange of passing.  But that was as good as it was going to get for the visitors as the Gaels assumed control in all areas of the pitch and began to dominate.  A second goal by Egan say daylight between the teams.  From then on, a combination of stout defence, strong running in midfield and good movement up front meant that chances were coming thick and fast.  Unfortunately someone must have been moving the posts as the normally reliable shooting of the Gales began to let them down more often than not.  However eventually the points started to come and but for the crossbar, Egan would have gone home with the match ball.  Westmanstown's strength, speed and fitness began to show as the match moved towards the final minutes and two fine points from Evan Weatherill near the end made the final score Westmanstown 3-11 to Naomh Olafs 3-1.  Well done lads and enjoy the Summer break.      

St Sylvesters  v Westmanstown Gaels 19^th June 2010

Westmanstown Gaels were once again on their travels ,  this time to St Sylvesters of Malahide in their beautiful grounds of Malahide Castle , the sun shone for the match which turned out to be cracker. Some positional changes were required as a few of the squad were unavailable for this fixture , we had beaten the home team earlier in the season but their position in the league had shown they had found their form of late and especially at home.

The Gaels started the scoring with a fine point from Conor Stinson and both teams traded scores for a while , but as the first half went on the home team were pushing forward all the time which put pressure on our backline. Then out of the blue Sylvesters got the ball from a misplaced kick out and buried it in the net , this was the start of some what a goal fest for the them with the ball getting lost in the sun to deceive our keeper on two occasions, heads dropped a little on the field so some changes were needed , this seemed to the trick as Paul Carroll got to a short kick out and hit the top of the net to make it 4-5 to 1-5 at Half Time.

The Story of a game with two halves never was more true than when the Gaels hit the pitch , they were first to every ball , they challenged every ball , they supported each other in every part of the pitch. An excellent example  of this was Daniel Duggan making a great run forward from full back to receive the ball from a quickly taken free. The score of the match was scored by Alan Egan from the most acute angle possible and this seemed to encourage them even more. With scores from the midfield , Half Forwards & Full Forward line we soon found we were back in the game , in fairness to St Sylvesters they never gave up and with some fine play from their half forward line they scored three points to go ahead again by one , Aaron Caffery who was playing out of his skin popped over two points to sneak ahead again. Conor Stinson finished as he started with long and well placed point to the give the Gaels a two point win. When the final whistle was blown each and every player was exhausted but delighted with the win , plenty of work has to be done to ensure that they put the same effort in both half’s .The Final score for the record was St Sylvesters 4 – 08 Westmanstown Gaels 4 -10 .

Squad. D Browne ( 1-0), E Devlin , C Storey , D Duggan , A Olearu , P Carroll ( 1-0) ,

G Wright , S Egan ( 0-2 ) , A Caffrey ( 1-03 ) , A Garrigan ( 0-1) , C Whelan , S Melia ,

S Boyd , C Stinson ( 0-3 ) , E Haran , E Weatherall , A Egan ( 1-1 )

Clan na Gael Fontenoy v Westmanstown 12th June 2010

On Saturday 12th June, the Westmanstown team made the long journey to Irishtown/Ringsend to play the Clan na Gael Fontenoy Under 13 team.  Westmanstown were keen to maintain their position at the top of the table but knew that they would have to be at their best to compete with a team who had a very good record on their own home-patch. The weather was beautifully sunny and extremely hot on the day and this was likely to see the ‘ball doing the work’.  A small pitch and small goals meant that the Gaels shooting would need to be very accurate.

The Gaels took charge from the throw-in and started dominating mid-field.  This provided a good platform for the forwards who had lots of possession and shots at goal.  However despite the Gaels early dominance the chances were not being converted into scores and while they took a three point lead the margin should have been much greater. Clan na Gael’s keeper was playing very well and stopped a number of goal bound efforts in the first half.  In truth, the young Gaels were not firing on all cylinders and while the defence was dealing with most attacks, in truth the team was not looking comfortable in the hot conditions.  At half-time the score was Clan na Gael 0-2 to Westmanstown’s 0-6. Westmanstown managers made some changes to the team at half time in an attempt to inject some energy and encouraged concentration against the home side that had a handy knack of scoring lots of gaols in previous games.

The home side was out of the blocks faster at the start of the second half and an early scrambled goal gave them a real lift.  Then a bizarre incident saw the referee award the home side a very dubious penalty and while the Gaels keeper reacted brilliantly to save the initial effort he was powerless to stop the follow up finding the back of the net.  The home side was really in charge now and a further goal and three points saw them open up a seven point lead.  To the young Gaels credit they didn’t drop their heads and a number of fine scores saw the margin between the teams narrow considerably.  The home defence was playing very well and the normally accurate Westmanstown forwards were very unlucky with a few efforts that just went by the post.  The last few minutes saw each team attacking well and being rewarded with two points each.  However when the final whistle was blown the young Gaels had just come up short.  Final score was Clan na Gael Fontenoy 3-7 Westmanstown 0-13.  Hard luck lads.

Squad: D Browne, A Egan, S Egan (0-1), A Garrigan (0-5), D McNicholl (0-3), G Wright, A Olaeru, S Phelan, A Caffrey (0-1), D Duggan, C Whelan, E Weatherill, E Devlin, S Boyd, C Power, S Melia (0-1), P Carroll (0-1), C Stinson (0-1), E Haran, P Faye. 

Daniel McNicholl selected to join Dublin Under 13 Development Squad

Westmanstown Gaels congratulates Daniel McNicholl on his selection to join the Dublin Under 13 Development Squad for 2010.  Daniel was part of a 10-man selection of players from Westmanstown's Under 13 squad who participated in a blitz at Ballyboden's Sancta Maria pitches on Sunday 30th June.  This blitz was overseen by Dublin County Board's development officer Stephen O'Shaughnessy and supported by former Dublin stars Collie Moran and Darren Homan. 

The Gaels squad played matches against Naomh Olaf's, Clanna Gael Fontenoy and Robert Emmet's and their exciting brand of football shone through with the Gaels winning each of their matches.  Afterwards, O'Shaughnessy was full of praise for all the Westmanstown players and particularly so for the 'Under 12' lads who while not being considered for 2010 will have the opportunity to be considered again in 2011.  The Dubs stars indicated that for players to stand-out at Under 13 level they need to be equally competent and confident on both sides left and right and need to 'self-train' themselves as well as take guidance from their coaches. 

The club wishes Daniel the best of luck in his involvement with the Dublin Under 13 squad and hopes that he will be able to share his skills and new training techniques with his team mates and club mentors so that Westmanstown Gaels can take further steps forward over the next 12 months.  The club looks forward to more of its players joining the Development Squads over the coming years and encourages all players to work hard individually and collectively on their skills and the necessary player attributes to succeed at that level. 

The squad for the blitz was as follows: 1. Craig Whelan, 2. Eoin Devlin, 3. Conor Storey, 4. Aaron Garrigan, 5. Paul Carroll, 6. Daniel McNicholl, 7. Sean Egan, 8. Aaron Caffrey, 9. Stuart Boyd, 10. Conor Stinson.

Westmanstown v Cu Chulainn 29th May 2010

On Saturday 29th May, the Cu Chulainn team made the long journey from Rush/Lusk to play the Westmanstown Gaels Under 13 team at the Garda GAA grounds.  Westmanstown were keen to get back to winning ways following their heavy defeat by St Brigid's the previous weekend.  Rain earlier in the day had the pitch in top condition for the match and the young Gaels couldn't wait for the throw-in.

The home side took charge from the start and started dominating mid-field.  This provided a good platform for the forwards who knocked over three early points.  Then a good move from keeper through the half-backs ended with one of the Gaels midfielders felled in the square - a clear penalty stroked home to give the home side a commanding lead.  In defence the Gales were anticipating most of the Cu Chulainn passing and not many chances were being afforded to the visitors.  Half-backs were making runs and setting up numerous chances for the Gaels attack with most of them finding their target.  Cu Chulainn players battled bravely and got their first point just before the break, but the young Gales finished strongly with four unanswered scores of their own.  At half-time the score was Westmanstown 1-14 to Cu Chulainn's 0-1.

A number of substitutions and positional changes took place at half time but that didn't seem to deter the Gaels who continued to work hard all over the pitch.  A fine reaction save by the Gaels keeper stopped a certain goal for the visitors but soon after they got their second point.  As the second half wore on, the young Gaels work rate continued up and down the pitch and as the match moved into the last quarter the Gaels found the back of the net with two very well worked goals. To their credit the Cu Chulainn lads continued to work hard and got the reward their efforts deserved when they found the back of the net despite the best efforts of the home defence.  Immediately afterwards, this goal was followed up with a fine point to bring some cheer to the visiting supporters. The Gaels however, finished the half strongly with a further three unanswered points to leave the final score as Westmanstown 3-22 to Cu Chulainn's 1-3.

Squad: D Browne (1-0), A Egan (0-3), S Egan (0-4), A Garrigan (0-1), D McNicholl (0-1), G Wright, S Phelan, A Caffrey (1-3), D Duggan, C Whelan, E Weatherill, E Devlin, S Boyd (0-1), C Power, S Melia (0-5), P Carroll (1-2), C Stinson (0-2), E Haran, P Faye, C Yonet. 

Westmanstown v St Brigids 22nd May 2010

Westmanstown Gaels suffered its first competitive defeat in over a year against a very strong St Brigid's side at the Garda GAA Grounds on 22nd May 2010.  The brilliant summer weather had temperatures touching 25°C and this was always going to be an energy sapping encounter.  Early exchanges between both sides were even enough but the Gaels were really having to battle hard against the physically taller visitors.  An early goal by the visitors seemed to settle them and they began to demonstrate some excellent high-fielding and inter-passing skills.  To the Gaels credit they continued to work very hard in the first half, with the defence and goal-keeper in excellent form to stop many of the St Brigid's attacks.  The 'water-carriers' were doing a fine job trying to keep the players cool and hydrated in the extremely hot and humid conditions. The Westmanstown forwards were not having it easy but battled gamely and drew a number of scorable frees from the opposition.  At half-time the score was Westmanstown 0-5 to St Brigid's 1-6.

Westmanstown made a very good start to the second half and an excellent team goal had them right back in contention.  Gradually though, the hot conditions and superior physical fitness and strength of the visitors began to tell as they picked off a number a long distance scores. The Gaels did excite the home support by momentarily taking the lead ten minutes into the second half through two rather fortuitous goals, but this was to be as good as it got for the home side.  A number of strong introductions from the St Brigid's bench gave the visitors a further boost and they ended the second half always in control and scoring 4-5 to run out comfortable winners by a final score of Westmanstown 3-5 to St Brigid's 6-13.

To the Gaels credit they battled well throughout with some excellent performances, particularly in goal and in defence, but overall they were simply beaten by a better team on the day.  The management team were quick to point out the positives from the match and to stress the importance of a good recovery in the following week's match.

Squad: S Egan (0-1), A Garrigan, D McNicholl (1-4), G Wright (1-0), A Olaeru, S Phelan, A Caffrey, C Storey, C Whelan, E Weatherill (1-0), E Devlin, S Boyd, C Power, P Carroll, C Stinson, E Haran, P Faye, C Yonet.

Fingal Ravens v Westmanstown Gaels 4^th May 2010

On Tuesday 4^th May, Westmanstown Gaels Under 13 squad headed cross-country to Rolestown for the top of the table clash against Fingal Ravens.  The Ravens sat at the top of the league courtesy of three straight victories before that, including a very high scoring win over Naomh Olafs, which gave them a more impressive overall score difference than the Gaels.  The young Gaels knew that each and every one of them would have to perform to their maximum to take anything from this match.

Opening exchanges were hard but fair with the home side’s early attacks being well defended.  However a momentary lapse of concentration in defence saw Ravens steal their first goal of the game.  Westmanstown were playing some beautiful football and carving through the midfield zone.  Unfortunately early shots didn’t find their target.  Eventually though after some great teamwork the length of the field, the Gaels scored a great long distance point.  This settled the lads who began to enjoy some fine possession and a free kick brought the margin back to a single point.  Tackles, blocks and great defending by both teams kept scoring chances to a minimum but midway through the half a fine goal by the Gaels saw them take the lead only for the home side to reply immediately with another scrambled effort.  Ravens scored their third goal very soon thereafter but the Gaels responded magnificently with three unanswered points.  A marvellous first half display of attacking skill and great team-work meant that the half time score was very close 3-0 to 1-5 in favour of the home side.

The second half started at full-pace.  An excellent opportunist goal by the Gaels lifted their desire and work rate even higher.  However, with home pride to play for Ravens raised their game and retook the lead with a fine goal and an excellent long distance point.  Once again, the Westmanstown lads responded and a perfect passage of play from keeper to half-back to midfield to the full-forward line saw the ball blasted to the back of the net again – the Gaels had their noses in front. A brilliant period of play then from both teams saw seven points exchanged bringing the margin down to a solitary point in favour of the home side.  Then, the move of the match – a well directed kick-out by the Gaels keeper saw the ball fielded near midfield by Daniel McNicholl.  A quick exchange of passes saw him drive through the Fingal defence and lash an unstoppable shot to the net despite the best efforts of the Ravens keeper.  The Gaels held a two-point lead with only a few minutes left on the clock. 

Management called for concentration and a final push from the Gaels but Ravens were determined to get something from this game.  Despite some heroic efforts from the Gaels defence two excellent long distance points in the final minutes meant that when the referee blew his whistle the result was a very fair draw 4-8 to 4-8.  The young Gaels were disappointed not to have held out for victory but the whole squad can take great pride from what was this team’s finest performance, full off skill, determination, heart and fire.  Roll on the next match.

Squad: D Browne (1-0), A Egan, S Egan (0-1), A Garrigan, D McNicholl (1-2), G Wright, A Olaeru, S Phelan, A Caffrey, C Storey, D Duggan, C Whelan, E Devlin, S Boyd (1-1), C Power, S Melia, P Carroll (0-2), C Stinson (0-2), E Haran, C McGilvarry (1-0), C Yonet, P Faye.

 Westmanstown v Ballyboden “C” 17^th April 2010

Westmanstown Gaels Under 13 players continued their impressive start to Division 5 with a comfortable win over Ballyboden “C” at the Garda GAA Grounds on Sat 17^th April.  A beautifully sunny day and hard ground was always going to make this a fast moving match and so it proved, particularly in the first half.  The young Gaels were very fast out of the blocks and took a two-goal lead through their first two attacks.  Ballyboden were finding it hard to get to the pace of the game and the Gaels were enjoying plenty of early possession, albeit some wayward shooting was keeping the score down.  Gradually the home side began to find its shooting form, perhaps spurred on following Ballyboden scoring a fine individual goal.  By half-time the Gaels had notched up another two goals and six points as against another solitary point from the visitors.  At half time the Gaels held a commanding 4-6 to 1-1 lead.

Unfortunately the hard ground was causing some difficulties for the home side with three of its players requiring to be substituted due to injury in the second half.  To Ballyboden’s credit, its players raised their game considerably in the second half and but for some fine goal-keeping by the Gaels’ net-minder the visitors could have almost eliminated the half-time deficit.  As it was, the Gaels finished the second half strongly and maintained a reasonable scoring margin between both teams.  For the record, the final score was Westmanstown Gaels 5-11 to Ballyboden’s 3-5.

Squad: D Browne (0-1), A Egan (1-1), S Egan (0-3), A Garrigan, D McNicholl (1-3), S Phelan, C Storey, D Duggan, C Whelan, E Weatherill, E Devlin, S Boyd (1-0), C Power, S Melia (1-2), P Carroll, C Stinson, E Haran, C McGilvarry (1-1), P Faye.

Naomh Olafs v Westmanstown 27th March 2010

Westmanstown Gaels Under 13s continued their bright start to Division 5 with a very hard fought victory away to Naomh Olafs on Saturday 27th March.  This was a very tough game and both sides put in a tremendous effort throughout. The Gaels took the lead early in the game but with the slight wind advantage, the home side gradually got on top.  Neither side pulled out of the challenges and both defences worked very hard throughout the first half.  At half-time Olafs had the advantage by four points 3-1 to 1-3.

The home side started the second half very brightly but a combination of great goal-keeping and pressure from midfielders and backs saw many of the scoring chances not being taken.  Gradually the Gaels began to impose their superiority through the half-back, midfield and half-forward diamond and scoring chances were created.  Unfortunately many of these just missed the target but gradually Westmanstown drew level in the match.  Credit to Olafs, they raised their game and scored an excellent goal at the other end which could have demoralised the Gaels.  However some positional chances by team management breathed new life into the lads and a final push in the last few minutes saw Westmanstown score a fantastic goal and two points to leave the home side shattered and delight the travelling supporters.

This game while not being a spectacle in terms of points-kicking showed that the young Gaels have what it takes when the going gets tough.  The final score was Naomh Olafs 4-2, Westmanstown 3-7. 

Squad: A Egan, S Egan, A Garrigan, D Mc Nicholl (0-4), G Wright (0-1), A Olaeru (0-1), S Phelan, A Caffrey (1-0), C Storey, D Duggan, C Whelan, E Weatherill, E Devlin, S Boyd, C Power, S Melia (1-1), P Carroll, C Stinson (1-0), C McGilvarry, P Faye. 

Westmanstown v St Sylvesters 13th March 2010

The Westmanstown Gaels Under 13 team got their Division 5 campaign off to the perfect start in their home match against St Sylvesters on Saturday 13th March.  The Gaels completely dominated the first half and were first to the ball in all areas of the field.  Tough tacking in defence coupled with excellent running from the half-backs and midfielders set the platform for the forwards to test their shooting skills.  By half-time the Gaels had built up an unassailable lead of 6-13 to 0-0.  The second half was a tighter affair with the visitors committing more players to the attack and Westmanstown introducing their substitutes.  The home side lost a little of their discipline as the game progressed and allowed Sylvesters in for a few well taken scores towards the end.  Team management was very pleased with the overall performance and commitment put in by players throughout the match.  The final score was Westmanstown 6-21, Sylvesters 2-3.

Squad: D Browne (0-1), A Egan (2-0), S Egan (1-4), A Garrigan, D Mc Nicholl (0-3), G Wright (0-1), A Olaeru, S Phelan, A Caffrey (0-3), C Storey, D Duggan, E Devlin (0-1), S Boyd (1-2), C Power, S Melia (0-3), P Carroll (1-0), C Stinson (1-2), E Haran (0-1), C Yonet.

Westmanstown Gaels - Under 13 Grading League Report

Following on from their successful season at Under-12 level, the Under 13 team was placed in Division 8 of the Grading League with Clontarf, Na Dubhghall, St Patricks Donabate, Ballyboden "D" and St Patricks Palmerstown.  Matches were scheduled for 5 consecutive weekends after which the Dublin Co Board were to decide official gradings for the Under 13 League for the remainder of 2010.  Under 13 matches are played on full-size pitches to standard GAA football rules.

On 30th January Clontarf travelled to the Garda GAA Grounds to play the Gaels.  This was a game that Westmanstown dominated from the start and the home side ran out convincing winners by a score line of 7-13 to 1-1.  Next up was an away match against Na Dubhghall, but unfortunately Na Dubhghall couldn't fulfil that fixture so the match was conceded to the Gaels.  On 13th February Westmanstown travelled to Ballyboden to take on its "D" team.  Again the Gaels proved much too strong and won by a score of 7-17 to 0-3.  The following Saturday 20th February, St Patricks Donabate travelled to Westmanstown for the grading fixture.  This was a significant challenge for the Gaels as the St Patricks team were considerably bigger, physically.  However, after the first quarter the young Gaels began to dominate and took a stranglehold on the game.  In the end the home side emerged victorious by a score line of 6-15 to 3-5.  The final grading match was scheduled as an away fixture versus St Patricks Palmerstown however, bad weather meant that this games was switched to the Garda GAA grounds.  As Westmanstown had enjoyed considerable success against the visitors on a number of occasions during 2009, team management made some significant changes to the team but nonetheless the Gaels enjoyed a comfortable victory by 6-11 to 0-1.

At the end of the grading league, the Gaels had topped their table.  Their performances were noted by the County Board who placed them in Division 5 for the remainder of 2010.  The teams that they will face in the forthcoming league matches will be: Ballyboden St Enda's "C", Fingal Ravens, St Brigid's, Cu Chullain, St Sylvesters, Clanna Gael and Naomh Olaf.

Best of luck to the Under 13's for the remainder of the 2010 season.  The challenges for the remainder of the year will be more difficult than those experienced to date, but that should help with the team and the players' development.