U16 'A' All County Football Championship Final
An Riocht 4-21 v Castlewellan 1-03

By Stephen McKenna, Newry Democrat

The weather in Hilltown may have been rather dull for the county under-16 championship final but the quality of football on show from a devastating Kingdom side more than made amends.

The quite simply tore Castlewellan to shreds with a brand of football their luckless opponents couldn't hope to match and tacked on scores almost at will.

Indeed, the match was over as any sort of contest after just 17 minutes, by which time An Riocht had raced into an unassailable lead of 1-0-8 to no score.

It was clear, even at that early stage, that Castlewellan were going to struggle to get anywhere near that modest total and so it proved.

This Kingdom side boasted many of the players who represented the county minors this year, a minor side that had disposed of county champions, Newry Bosco in the Championship.

As such, the rigours of an under-16 football final were unlikely to test the Kilkeel lads physically.

Stronger in the tackle, first to every loose ball and quick on the break, An Riocht weaved patterns through the Castlewellan defence for their scores, not content with hopeful long balls.

The spine of the Kingdom side was the foundation on which this rout was built. James Cuningham was commanding at centre half-back, James Colgan and Paul Sherry dominant at midfield while Martin Clarke and Pearse Cunningham obliterated all that stood in their path in attack.

It really was as comfortable as the scoreline suggests and the rest of the county will need to take notice if they want to deprive this side of future minor honours.

By the eighth minute of this game, both Clarke and Pearse Cunningham had helped themselves to a double, Clarke's first a terrific effort after an incisive one-two with Sherry.

A further eight minutes later and that score had been doubled, Sherry, Noel McArdle and Darren Cunningham all getting in on the act.

Castlewellan, not without some outstanding players of their own, just couldn't win quality possession and were left fighting for the few scraps that appeared as a result of all-too-rare An Riocht handling errors.

That they needed a score was blatantly obvious, but they had to wait until McArdle pounced on an unfortunate goalkeeping error to ram home the Kingdom's first goal before getting it.

'Wellan had managed to win a few kickouts and really should have been on the board much earlier but the relief was till obvious when Kevin Duffin planted over a fine 30-metre free. A fisted Pearse Cunningham effort kept An Riocht ticking over but Castlewellan were enjoying their best spell of the game and Luke Toner sent over a great effort from distance.

Yet the Castlewellan scores were still proving all too hard to come by, while An Riocht seemed to purr into gear at will.

Their second goal, four minutes before the break, ended any optimistic hopes 'Wellan may have had and it was a three-pointer worthy of winning any game.

Paul Sherry's measured ball found the superb Pearse Cunningham who instantly switched to the marauding Clarke. An easy point may have presented itself but Clarke had one thing on his mind and he shipped one tackle before unleashing a ripper into the roof of the net. Champagne football.

With 'Wellan dazed and confused, McArdle smacked a shot off the bar and Darren Cunningham pointed. A disappointing wide from a Luke Toner free summed up Castlewellan's half

Half-Time: An Riocht 2-10 Castlewellan 0-02

Two points within a minute dismissed any thoughts that the Kingdom were about to ease up a little, McArdle and Paddy Cordell the scorers.

With basic errors a feature of the Castlewellan game, however, a continual flow of points was perhaps to be expected.

The crossbar wasn't having it easy either as Colgan tested it after Clarke's great one-two with Darren Cunningham. Cordell made amends, pointing the rebound.

The Kingdom were playing with almost telepathic understanding by this stage, finding players in space at will, but dwindling resistance made it all to easy.

Another flowing move involving James Cunningham, Clarke, Colgan and Pearse Cunningham gave Sherry an easy score before James Cunningham pointed himself after a quick sideline.

Castlewellan were in disarray yet, amid the carnage, they scored a smart goal when Kevin Duffin's cross-shot was fisted home by substitute, Rory Brogan.

The celebrations would prove among the shortest in history, however, as An Riocht promptly went upfield and netted themselves, Clarke's final pass releasing sub Declan Ross, who rounded keeper Alan Savage to score.

The understandable frustration etched on the faces of the Castlewellan lads told its own story. A case of 'anything you can do, we can do better' from the Kingdom.

Pearse Cunningham rewarded Sean Clarke's great catch with a fine score while Colgan demonstrated his considerable defensive skills with a magnificent claim inside his own square.

The remainder of the game was a procession for the new county champions. Liam Harper came off the bench to smack home his side's fourth goal while Ross, James Cunningham, Clarke and Sherry all pointed.

Such was the comfort zone the Kingdom were now in, they had switched players all over the park and full-back Conor Walsh even raced forward to get his name on the scoresheet.

The final whistle came as a great relief to the Castlewellan faithful, yet comfort could be taken from the fact that An Riocht were nigh on unstoppable.

Their maturity and cohesion for a minor team were a credit to the management and coaching staff while the players themselves never lost their focus, even when matters were so heavily in their favour.

A joy to watch, many of these Kingdom lads are destined for much greater things. The rest of the county may start training now.