Team Information 2008 U21 Football Management Team: Vincent Twomey, Dan O'Keeffe, Dermot O'Driscoll Competitions: East Cork U21 A Football Championship: 1st Round: A: Carraig na bhFear V Youghal B: Carrigtwohill V Glanmire Semi Finals: Winners of A V Winners of B Aghada V Glenbower Rovers

Aghada defeat Carraig in final 12/04/2008 Venue: Lisgoold Aghada 0-8 Carraig na bhFear 0-5 Huge disappointment for our Under 21 footballers as Aghada claimed their 7th East Cork Under 21 A Championship with a deserved 3 point victory in the final. Carraig entered the game as slight favourites having knocked out champions Glanmire in the previous round, but never really got going and the performance was a long way off what the team had produced in the previous rounds. Played in front of a good crowd, the early stages of the game were fraught with mistakes from both teams, but more so from Carraig. Only a great save by keeper Cian Dorgan prevented Aghada opening the scoring with a goal after a ball was lost coming out of defence. Despite this, Carraig struck first, the opening score came after good work by Aidan Hegarty earned a free for Carraig, Barrie Casey pointing from 47 yards out to give us an early lead. Carraig created more chances in the next few attacks, but these resulted in 2 wides from good positions. Aghada were growing in confidence and having survived the Carraig onslaught, leveled the scoring with a free from 21 yards on 9 minutes. Carraig attacked again, but passes were going astray and when the ball did get to the forward line, the Aghada defence were making life hard and winning most of the 50/50 balls. Paul O'Keeffe had a good point scoring chance blocked and the resulting 45 was just wide of the target. Aghada were beginning to take control though, finding their men with greater ease and looking dangerous whenever they attacked, Cork minor Cian Fleming in particular was causing problems. On 15 minutes another mistake in the defence allowed Aghada through for what seemed like a certain goal, but the shot cannoned down off the crossbar. The ball then found its way to another forward, but again Cian Dorgan made a good save to keep the ball out of the net. A let off for Carraig but a warning sign also. Soon after, Aghada took the lead when Carraig lost possession easily going forward and the resulting attack saw a fine point kicked from distance. Aghada were on top in key areas, supporting the man on the ball and playing the better football. Having opened the scoring in the 5th minute, Carraig had to wait until the 23rd minute for their second score of the match. Paul O'Keeffe won the ball deep in defence and started a good flowing move, freeing Martin Hickey who passed inside to Barrie Casey. Casey turned and converted off his left to level the match again. Coming up to half time, it looked like that was going to be the last score of the half, both sides finding it hard to create chances. But on 27 minutes Aghada intercepted a poor Carraig pass in attack and punished it with a point down the other end, to take the lead. From the kicked, Aghada won the ball and a few swift passes later, it was back over the bar. Aghada had 2 more chances to extend their lead coming up to half time but neither were converted. Half time 0-4 to 0-2 to Aghada. Carraig started the second half with more purpose about them, and won a free early on, which Casey pointed from close range to close the gap. At this stage the game was still too close to call. But Aghada were punishing any mistakes Carraig made, and between the 35th and 41st minutes, they picked off 3 points while Carraig could only muster 2 more wides. Casey was unlucky to miss a free which the wind carried just wide on 43 minutes, leaving the score 0-7 to 0-3 entering the closing quarter. Carraigs best move of the match soon after saw Paul O'Keeffe break through the Aghada defence and the ball found its way to Mark Crowley who pointed to close the gap to 3 points and plenty time remaining. Carraig needed to get the next few scores to get back into the game, and were now attacking with more purpose and direction, but Aghada could have finished the game there and then, when another goal chance was created after a long ball in found the full forward all alone in space, but Cian Dorgan once again was on hand to divert the ball wide for a 45, which was pointed, to leave the score 8-4. At this stage there was a long delay for an injury to an Aghada player, and this disrupted the flow of the game somewhat.With 4 minutes remaining, Carraig were now dominating the play as Aghada defended well. Martin Hickey was at the end of a Barrie Casey pass to point again, and the gap was down to 3 with time remaining. However, despite their best efforts, time did run out on Carraig as they searched for that equalising goal. The final whistle sounded and Aghada were deserving winners. East Cork Board Chairman Martin O'Brien, himself an Aghada man, presented the cup to winning captain Sean O'Donoghue. Carraig will be disappointed with their performance on the day but with only 3 of this team overage next year, they will have the chance to make amends and go one better. Hard luck lads, we have no doubt you will be back to challenge again. Team: Cian Dorgan, Richard Mullins, Diarmuid O'Driscoll (C), Daniel Coleman Tyrone Kennedy, Stephen Casey, Darren Noonan Martin Hickey, Michael Minihane Paul O'Keeffe, Aidan Hegarty, John O'Sullivan Ronan Spillane, Barrie Casey, Mark Crowley Subs: Daniel Foley, Eanna Clifford, Noel Mullins, Robert O'Driscoll, Brian Twomey, Jason Noonan, John Walsh Scorers: B Casey 0-3, M Hickey & M Crowley 0-1 each. Referee: Peter Hegarty (Cluain Uamha)

Carraig overcome Glanmire 05/04/2008 Venue: Cobh Carraig na bhFear 0-8 Glanmire 0-7 A last minute free from Barrie Casey sent Carraig na bhFear into the clubs first ever Under 21 A grade final. That was all that seperated the sides at the end of an exciting and extremely close match. The opening exchanges were tense and both sides took a while to settle. Glanmire won a free early on, but former Cork minor Daniel Molden was off target with his effort. Shortly afterwards, a long ball into the square caused chaos in the carraig box, and Glanmire looked odds on to open their account with a goal. The forwards shot was scuffed, but beat Cian Dorgan in the goal, however, Stephen Casey appeared from nowhere at the last moment to pick the ball and clear it off the line. With 5 minutes gone Carraig began to find some gaps in the Glanmire defence, and after some excellent defending high up the pitch by the Carraig attack, a free was awarded for a foul by Glanmire. Barrie Casey pointed from 40 yards out to give Carraig an early point and a lead. This was the beginning of a dominant spell for Carraig. Martin Hickey and Aidan Hegarty were covering large sections of the field, and the pair combined to force a foul on the ball by Glanmire in midfield. The quick free found its way inside to Mark Crowley, who sent a clever pass to Barrie Casey. Casey was hauled down by his marker when going to the ball, and a free resulted. Again, he converted the free for his, and Carraigs, second point of the match. On 10 minutes, Carraig attacked again with purpose, and won a sideline on the right side of the field, about 40 yards from goal. Casey, with the aid of a slight wind, split the posts with his effort, to extend the lead further. But if it looked like Carraig were beginning to pull away, then Glanmires response put any notions that this game would not be close to bed with their response. 3 unanswered points in the space of 5 minutes levelled the match. 2 of these scores came from frees, the other a fine long range effort that sailed over. They followed this up with another attack and split open the Carraig defence to create a goalscoring chance, which sailed just wide of the post, a let off. In the next attack, another goal chance presented itself, but Cian Dorgan was equal to the effort and pushed the ball wide for a 45, which resulted in another wide for Glanmire. This was a sustained period of pressure, but the Carraig defence to a man, was not to be found wanting. Even full forward Casey, found himself back inside his own half making key blocks as Glanmire pressed and pressed. Dee O'Driscoll was unbeatable at full back, ably assisted by Stephen Casey and Daniel Coleman around him. Each time Glanmire thought they had found a way through, the defence cut off the route. Carraig needed to get back up field, and whena  ball broke at midfield, Tyrone Kennedy reacted fastest to gather the ball. He passed to Hickey,  who placed an accurate pass which found wing forward John O'Sullivan in a good position and he confidently pointed to put Carraig back in the lead. On 25 minutes, Hickey sent in another great ball to the forwards, Casey and his marker both failed to gather cleanly, but the ball broke kindly to Aidan Hegarty, who found O'Sullivan in space and he swung over the point of the game from all of 45 yards to extend the lead. Right on the stroke of half time, O'Sullivan won a pass from Paul O'Keeffe and had a good effort on goal saved by the alert Glanmire keeper. Half time, 0-5 to 0-3. The second half again started with plenty of mistakes from both teams. Glanmire were first to score with a point on 33 minutes to close the margin. Carraig responded well to this, a long ball into attack by O'Sullivan found the inrushing Hickey, who appeared to be fouled while in possession. The referee awarded a throw ball, but indiscipline cost Glanmire this opportunity, and the free was awarded to Carraig for dissent. Casey stepped up to convert the point and the gap was back to 2. Carraig continued to attack during the opening 10 minutes, but some sloppy play lead to a free being conceded deep in defence, which was pointed to bring the gap back to a point again. More great pressure from Carraig saw a free awarded in a promising position, but Carraig opted to go short and lost the ball in the resulting play. After 45 minutes, the game was finely balanced. Glanmire were beginning to threaten more, but when attacks broke down, Carraig looked dangerous on the counter attack. Brian Twomey replaced Mark Crowley in the full forward line, and Twomey broke a long high ball in to Casey, who turned onto his left foot to point from 20 yards. 0-7 to 0-5 entering the closing stages. With 10 minutes to go, Glanmire forced an error in the Carraig defence, which resulted in a free being awarded. The free fell short and was well defended by Carraig, Darren Noonan making some great tackles. Glanmire then had a disputed wide, but the referee was in no doubt. From their next attack, they added a point from play and closed the gap once again. The opposition won another free but this sailed wide from 30 yards with 5 minutes remaining. The closing stages were tense, with both sides fighting for every ball. Then, with 2 minutes remaining, a long ball over the top found Barrie Casey inside the full back, Casey turned, and opted to round the keeper, in doing so he was grounded and the ball spilled away, but the referee did not see fit to award a penalty. So the scores remained as they were, and while there was only 1 point in it, there was always a chance for Glanmire to come back, and they did on 59 minutes. An attack down the right saw them find a gap in the Carraig defence, which resulted in a foul 20 yards from goal. The free was pointed, and having been lead the whole game through, Glanmire were now level and the game was anybodys for the taking. But Carraig were not to be denied, and with time running out, Carraig sent a ball deep into the Glanmire defence. Barrie Casey and Brian Twomey both looked 2nd and 3rd favourites to win possession, but they forced the defender to lose possession. They took the ball on and a foul resulted, from 25 yards out to the left of goal. Casey stroked the ball over and we were back in the lead. 3 minutes of added time followed, and Carraig were disciplined and controlled as they kept Glanmire at bay. The final whistle sounded and Carraig had a fully deserved victory. The team were never lead throughout and fought with great heart and determination for the win, especially in the closing stages. Up next, Carraig face Aghada in the clubs first ever appearance in the A grade final at Under 21 Level. It promises to be another excellent game. Team: Cian Dorgan Richard Mullins, Dee O'Driscoll, Daniel Coleman Tyrone Kennedy, Stephen Casey, Darren Noonan Martin Kickey, Michael Minihane Paul O'Keeffe, Aidan Hegarty, John O'Sullivan Ronan Spillane, Barrie Casey, Mark Crowley Subs: Brian Twomey for Mark Crowley (45 mins) Scorers: Barrie Casey 0-6 (0-4 frees, 0-1 sideline), John O'Sullivan 0-2

First half blitz sees Carraig past Youghal 24/03/08 Carraig na bhFear 3-09 Youghal 1-08 Carraig na bhFear qualified for the semi final of the East Cork U21 A Football Championship with a fully deserved triumph over Youghal on Easter Monday. The Ballynoe pitch was in good condition, and despite constant rain throughout the game, the pace was fast and the football free flowing throughout. Carraig began the game the brighter and had a point on their first attack, when full forward Barrie Casey reacted quickly to point a rolling ball from 25 yards out in front of goal. Youghal responded with a score of their own, coming from a close range free following a good attack. However, Carraig would go on to dominate the remaining 25 minutes of the first half, and would do so in style. Good work by Mark Crowley on the right wing, saw him put through Paul O'Keeffe who shot for a point, only to see his effort come down off the post. The ball fell straight to Ronan Spillane, who reacted quickly to get a shot on goal. However, he was fouled while doing so and the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Barrie Casey finished the penalty high into the top left corner of the net, and a good start by Carraig was rewarded with an early goal. Carraig now continued to pile on the pressure, midfielder Michael Minihane made a great run and found Barrie Casey with an excellent early pass. Barrie then split the defence with a perfect handpass into the path of the onrushing Aidan Hegarty, who finished the ball to the back of the net with a well place left foot shot. 2-1 to 0-1 up after 10 minutes, a dream start for the lads. Soon after, John O'Sullivan won a free and Casey converted, Martin Hickey chipped over a well taken point with the outside of his right boot and with the confidence now sky high, another clinical piece of team play, saw Mark Crowley convert probably the best score of the match. Aidan Hegarty was dominating at centre forward and when the ball broke to him 30 yards out from goal 5 minutes before the break, he pointed well to extend the lead further. On the stroke of half time, Paul O'Keeffe scored his first point of the game, leaving the half time scoreline 2-6 to 0-1 in Carraigs favour. The only worrying note was an injury to Aidan Hegarty, which saw him leave the field at half time. The rain continued to pour in the second half, and Youghal began to respond to the Carraig onslaught. With their first attack of the half, they scored a point, and soon after had a 45 which landed just wide of the goal. Carraig withstood the early pressure and on 5 minutes, had extended the lead. A long ball into the square caused mayhem in the Youghal defence, and John O'Sullivan was on hand to finish the ball to the back of the net for a crucial third goal. 3-6 to 0-2. O'Sullivan was causing problems for the Youghal defenders and he added another well taken point shortly afterwards, to extend the lead again. Credit must be given to Youghal for not throwing in the towel. They responded to the goal with 2 points of their own. Carraig upped the tempo and Martin Hickey kicked his second point of the afternoon midway through the half. Paul O'Keeffe did likewise soon after, converting the ball sweetly on the turn, following good play by substitute Brian Twomey. From here to the finish however, Youghal had the better of proceedings. They scored a goal following some sloppy Carraig defending and followed this up with 5 unanswered points in the last 10 minutes. 3-09 to 1-08 the score at the long whistle. Carraig used their full compliment of subs and will have learned alot about their squad from this game, particularly in the second half. Next up it's the winners of Glanmire & Carrigtwohill, who go up against each other this thursday night. Team: Cian Dorgan Richard Mullins, Dee O'Driscoll, Daniel Coleman Tyrone Kennedy, Stephen Casey, Darren Noonan Martin Hickey, Michael Minihane Paul O'Keeffe, Aidan Hegarty, John O'Sullivan Mark Crowley, Barrie Casey, Ronan Spillane Subs: Daniel Foley for Aidan Hegarty Brian Twomey for Mark Crowley Noel Mullins for Tyrone Kennedy Robert O'Driscoll for Daniel Coleman Jason Noonan for Darren Noonan Scorers: B Casey 1-02, A Hegarty 1-1, J O'Sullivan 1-1, M Hickey 0-2, Paul O'Keeffe 0-2, M Crowley 0-1

U21's warm up with win over Fermoy Carraig na bhFear 1-14 Fermoy 2-4 Date: 16/02/08 Venue: Fermoy Referee: J. Cummins (Kilworth) The U21's began their season with a comprehensive win over in this friendly game, played in excellent conditions in Fermoy. The team worked hard as a unit and played good flowing football throughout, subdueing the Fermoy challenge. The team are still awaiting the draw for the championship to be finalised, but they should know their opponents in the next few weeks. This game will be of great benefit to them when the first round comes around. Team: Cian Dorgan Richard Mullins, Diarmuid O'Driscoll, Daniel Coleman Tyrone Kennedy, Stephen Casey, Timmy Geaney Martin Hickey, Michael Minihane Paul O'Keeffe, Aidan Hegarty, John O'Sullivan Mark Crowley, Barry Casey, Ronan Spillane Subs: Robert O'Driscoll for Diarmuid O'Driscoll Eanna Clifford for Paul O'Keeffe Daniel Foley for Ronan Spillane Ronan Spillane for Barry Casey Diarmuid O'Driscoll for Timmy Geaney Paul O'Keeffe for Tyrone Kennedy Scorers: Barry Casey 1-05 Martin Hickey 0-02 Ronan Spillane,Aidan Hegarty, John O'Sullivan, Eanna Clifford, Paul O'Keeffe, Mark Crowley, Timmy Geaney 0-01 each