Castleknock Celtic Girls Soccer Teams

End of Season party

2010-06-13T19:47:00.001+01:00

Everyone had great fun at our end of season party, even if some people ended up wetter than they expected. Here are a few pictures from the trophy presentation ceremony.

Narrow defeat in tightly fought cup final

2010-06-01T22:44:00.000+01:00

This years cup final we a repeat of last years where we faced WFTA. The venue was St Joseph's in Salynoggin and we the girls were delighted to see their dressing room and pitch allocation displayed on the closed circuit television system in the club house.

WFTA started the match strongly and had several header which would have put them in the lead if it was not for some great saves from Dani. WFTA finally opened the scoring in the 14th minute, but Ellie equalised 2 minutes later (16th). It stayed that way til half time.

The second half was only 2 minutes young when WFTA took the lead again. Castleknock fought bravely and Ciara brought the sides level again in the 43rd minute. There was a penalty awarded 3 minutes later with only 4 minutes left to play when a WFTA player handled the ball. Our player-of-the-match Emma hit a perfect shot into the
bottom right hand corner, but the WFTA keeper managed to get a hand to
the ball and tap it wide. This seemed to give WFTA the encouragement
they needed and with us pressing forward for the winner WFTA broke away and scored with less than a minute left on the clock.

I know that some of the the girls were disappointed to lose, but they can be very proud of an excellent first season in the DWSL.We can celebrate on Wednesday evening when we will have our end of season party. I know that the voting for the player of the season is almost as close as the scoreing in the final.

End of season party scheduled for next Wednesday 2nd of June

2010-05-28T17:07:00.001+01:00

Because of the under 12 girls being in the final this weekend we have decided to postpone the end of season party to Wednesday next (2nd/June). This will be at the normal training time. Hopefully we will have a lovely trophy to add to the celebrations.

We need to get the player of the year votes and the €10 contributions in advance of the party. Hopefully everyone can bring them along to the cup final tomorrow.

Arrangements for the cup final

2010-05-28T08:04:00.001+01:00

As reported on the club web site we qualified for the cup final again this year by beating Mount Merrion 2-0. Like last year our opponents will be WFTA. Kick off is at 11am on Saturday (not Sunday as originally announced). The final will be held in Pearse Park in Salynoggin, this is quite a distance away so we will meet up at 9:45 beside the all-weather pitches.

I am quietly confident that we can win the title this year. Hopefully we will have a full turn out of players and supporters.

Playing Mount Merrion in the Semi-Final of the cup

2010-05-21T12:00:00.000+01:00

I just found out that we will be playing Mount Merrion in the semi-final of the cup. It will be a home match for us with kick-off at 6:45pm on Wednesday 26th of May. This will be a very tough match since Mount Merrion had a 100% record in the league (they were the only team to beat us). I hope we can have a great turn out for this match since we will need to have a full strength team for this vital match.

Castleknock edge past Dundalk in tightly fought cup quarter final.

2010-05-20T12:00:00.000+01:00

We knew from our experience in the league that Dundalk FC would be tough opponents for our cup quarter final match. Dundalk started very strongly and managed to get into an early lead with a goal after 10 minutes. Castleknock fought back strongly and our player-of-the-match Aoibheann Lynch levelled the scores after 15 minutes. Unfortunately Dundalk hit back again with another goal shortly before half-time to leave the score at 2-1 going into the half-time.

Both sides had several chances in the second half, but when 22 minutes had passed without any more scores it looked like the match was going to end with a 2-1 victory for Dundalk. Then Leah Byrne brought the game back to life when she tapped home a cross from Aoibheann to level the scores at 2-2. The last few minutes of the match were very exciting with both sides attacking very strongly. Everyone was assuming that the match would go into extra time when Ciara Brady managed to connect with a corner and tap the ball into the Dundalk net.

It must have been a very sad bunch of players on the bus back to Dundalk, but at least they can be proud of the way they played in this very exciting match.

Decisive victory in match against Lucan United.

2010-05-13T16:07:00.001+01:00

There was a lot at stake as we lined out against Lucan United since this match was counting as both a league and a cup match at the same time. Lucan turned up without a full team and so we agreed to play 7-a-side. Castleknock started very strongly when Ciara Brady scored a hat-trick within the first 10 minutes. Laura and Emma got the scoresheet shortly afterwards and then Aoibheann added 2 more goals to make the score 7-0 at half time.

Lucan were not disheartened by being behind and came out much stronger for the second half. In the first half Ellie had a very quiet time in goals, but Hayley who replaced her for teh second half was much busier and had to make some very dramatic saves. Nevertheless our forwards were also very busy attacking. Ellie made up for her quiet first half by scoring two goals before coming off with an injured hand. Laura stretched the lead to 10-0 and Lucan scored an own-goal before Lucy Hanlon closed off the scoring at 12-0.

This now completes our league fixtures. I don't know where we came yet because many of the other teams have not yet completed all their games. However, with such great results we are certain to be near the top. Our next cup match will be against Dundalk FC who beat Ratoath last night in their first round match.

Final League match and start of cup campaign

2010-05-10T10:58:00.001+01:00

On Wednesday evening we will play host to Lucan United. This match will kick off at the slightly earlier time than usual of 6:15pm which means that we will need to meet up at Porterstown at 6pm to get ready. This will be the last match of our league campaign (where it looks likely that we will be in second place) and the match will also count as the first round of our cup campaign.

Decisive 5-1 victory over WFTA

2010-05-06T10:03:00.001+01:00

It was a lovely summer evening when our old rivals WFTA came to Porterstown for a DWSL league match. Initially the match started off very level, with both Castleknock and WFTA having several scoring chances. However, after 24 minutes Ciara dribbled most of the length of the pitch before launching a rocket of a shot. The WFTA keeper saved the initial shot, but she wasn't able to hold onto the ball and Laura was on hand to slot the ball into the back of the net to give Castleknock a narrow lead. Shortly afterwards Laura had another narrow miss, but the score stayed at 1-0 at half time.

Castleknock came out much more strongly for the second half. Our goalie Dani kicked a long ball to Aoibheann who dribbled the ball into the box and unleashed a great shot. The WFTA keeper was not able to hold onto the ball and once again Laura was on hand to stretch out lead to 2-0. About 2 minutes later Laura scored again to earn her a hat trick and the title of player-of-the-match.

WFTA did their best to get back into the game, but Dani was in top form in the Castleknock goal and they only managed to score a single goal to bring the socre back to 3-1. Towards the end of the match, Leah and Ciara got a goal each to stretch the lead to 5-1 to put the result beyond doubt.

DWSL Cup Draw announced

2010-05-05T11:50:00.001+01:00

I have just received notification of the draw for the DWSL under 12 shield. In the first round we are drawn against Lucan United at home. Kick-off is at 6:45pm on Wednesday next 12th of May. Click here to see the full draw.

Castleknock under 12 girls are runners-up in the Enniskerry "Belles in the Meadow" Blitz

2010-04-29T18:51:00.000+01:00

It was a beautiful sunny day when we travelled to Enniskerry for the Belles in the Meadow blitz competition. Due to the early start the girls were still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes as we lined out against Valeview in our first match. However, Emma proved that she was fully awake when she opened the scoring after only 2 minutes. After 6 minutes Aoibheann stretched the lead to 2-0 and then Emma scored again to give us a 3-0 lead at half time. Immediately after the restart Aoibheann socred again to make it 4-0. As the match was ending Laura polished off a great result with a goal that took the score to 5-0.

Our second match was against Firhouse Carmel. Ciara gave us the lead after 7 minutes and then Aoibheann made it 2-0 a minute later. In the second half Aoibheann put her name on the score-sheet again and stretched the lead to 3-0.

Our final match in the group stages was against St Catherines who proved to be the strongest opposition. Emma gave us an early lead, but St Catherines replied straight away to level the score to 1-1. A few minutes later Ciara hit a great shot which rebounded off the keeper and then Ellie put it in the back of the net. Both Ellie and Aoibheann has several near misses but the score was still 2-1 at half time. St Catherines attacked strongly in the second half, but Lucy and Catherine were very strong in defence. Our goalkeeper Dani was also very busy , but luckily for us she was in top form. It was very tight in second half until Aoibheann dribbled the length of the pitch and scoeed a gaol to put the score at 3-1 and seal the top of the table position for us.

In the semi-final we were drawn against the host team Enniskerry. Castleknock dominated the possession in the first half, but the ball didn't seem to want to go into the net and hence the score was still 0-0 at half time. When the second hald started Castleknock seemed to hit their stride. Ellie put us into the lead straight from the kick-off and Ciara followed up with another goal to make the score 2-0. Aoibheann was in flying form and scored a hat-trick to give us a 5 goal lead. Catherine was keen to get in on the act and added a final goal to make the score 6-0.

We had only a few minutes break before we had to come out to face Mount Merrion in the Final. Our tired legs began to show and after 4 minutes Mount Merrion went into the lead. Castleknock attacked strongly for the rest of the match and Emma hit the post several times, but the Mount Merrion defence held firm and the match ended with a 1-0 victory to Mount Merrion.

Overall I think it was a great day out and everyone enjoyed the sunshine and the disco music that was playing all day long. We can be very proud of this result and I think we will definitely be back again when this competition is held next year.

Gaynor Cup Trials

2010-04-26T22:32:00.000+01:00

The following notice was placed on the NDSL web site about the start of trials for the Gaynor cup. It seems that training has already commenced, but I am sure Carlie will allow late entry if anyone is interested:

Trials for the girls North Dublin Gaynor Cup will commence on Sunday 18^thApril on the All Weather pitch at the Oscar Traynor Centre Coolock. U/14 Girls (1996-1997) will start at 3.30pm.Girls born in 1998 or 1999 are not eligible to participate. U/16 Girls (1994-1995) will commence at 5.30pm. All attending must have a full Soccer kit including boots and shinguards. All clubs who wish to send players forward for the trials are requested to submit players and managers details no later than Wednesday 14^th April to carliefitz@eircom.net

Narrow defeat in top of the table clash

2010-04-23T18:55:00.001+01:00

It was a top of the table clash when we travelled to Stillorgan for our match against Mount Merrion FC. Prior to the game we were at the top of the table and Mount Merrion were in second place. The pitch was very small so it was clear that this was going to be a tight match in more ways than one.

After 9 minutes Aoibheann scored a great goal to give Castleknock an early lead. However, Mount Merrion scored two lucky goals on 10 and 13 minutes to give them a 2-1 lead which they managed to hold until half-time

The second half had barely started when a Mount Merrion cross was diverted into the goals to stretch their lead to 3-1. But, Castleknock were not willing to concede defeat. After 9 minutes Emma hit a rocket of a shot into the Mount Merrion goal. The goalie was not able to hold onto the ball and Aoibheann was on hand to slot the ball into the net and to pull the score back to 3-2. For the rest of the match Castleknock attacked strongly, but despite our best efforts the ball would not go into the net and the match ended with a Mount Merrion victory.

Weekend Blitz in Enniskerry

2010-04-21T17:05:00.001+01:00

We will be taking part in the "Belles in the Meadow" soccer tournament. This is an all female soccer blitz which is held in the Bog Meadow pitch in Enniskerry and is normally great fun. There are tournaments for several age groups. Castleknock will be entering teams into the under 12 competition on Saturday (24th of April) and the under 14 competition on Sunday (25th of April).

We need to register our team in Enniskerry at 9:15am. Since this is a long trip we will meet up beside the all weather pitches at 8:45am. If you are going to be travelling directly to Enniskerry please let us know so that we don't waste valuable time in the morning waiting for players who are not going to come. Players should wear their full paying gear including shin guards, but should also bring a track suit to change into for the gaps between matches.

The Blitz and the prize giving ceremony will be over by 6pm. It is a long day, so girls should bring a packed lunch and/or bring money to purchase refreshments from the stalls which will be set up at the Blitz.

Mount Merrion Match postponed from Wednesday to Thursday

2010-04-20T15:59:00.001+01:00

The match against Mount Merrion which was originally scheduled for Wednesday evening has been postponed to Thursday evening because many of our players were involved in the confirmation ceremony of light on Wednesday. The kick-off will be at the same time (7:30pm) in St. Raphaels secondary school on Stillorgan Heath, just off the Upper Kilmacud Road. We will meet at 6:30pmbeside the all weather pitch.

The under 15 girls will be training at 7pm on Wednesday evening in Porterstown. If any of the under 12 players who are not involved in the confirmation event they are more than welcome to come along and join the training.

Lots of activity

2010-04-19T16:15:00.001+01:00

We have an under 12 away match against Mount Merrion on Wednesday (21st of April). Kick-off is at 7:30pm in the St Raphael's school on Stillorgan Heath. This is quite a long drive so we will need to meet up beside the all weather pitches at 6:30pm. Many of our players will be involved in the confirmation "Ceremony of Light" so we will need a full turn out of all other players.

At the weekend we will be taking part in the "Belles of the Meadow" blitz tournament in Enniskerry. Apparently this is a great fun tournament, hopefully the good weather will last until then. The under 12s will be playing on Saturday and the under 14s will play on Sunday. The tournament will go on all day and we will send you more information later in the week.. In order to help prepare for this we are arranging an additional training session on Tuesday night between 7pm and 8:30pm in Porterstown.

Training on All Weather pitch tonight

2010-04-07T14:36:00.001+01:00

Last week we announced that we were going to switch to training on grass this week. However, the recent rain has caused the Laurel Lodge Green to become waterlogged and too muddy for training. As a result we will train on the All-weather pitches tonight (but at the earlier time of 7-8pm).

I know that many of you will still be on Easter holidays, but hopefully we can get a decent turnout.

Lucan match off

2010-03-28T08:26:00.001+01:00

Lucan called to say that they are unable to field a team because some of their players are on a club trip to watch Manchester v Bolton.

It is a pity that we have matches called off two weekends in a row with good weather. :-(

Away match against Lucan United on Sunday next

2010-03-25T10:52:00.000Z

Our next match is an away match against Lucan United next Sunday (28th of March). The match will take place at their pitch at Airlie Heights, Dodsboro, Lucan. Kick-off is at 1pm and we will meet up at 12:15pm besdie the all weather pitches to give us a chance to get there in good time. Since we are now top of the league table all the other teams will be keen to beat us so we will need to ensure we hang on to the top position.

Our training next Wednesday (31st of March) will be our last one on the All-Weather pitch On the following Wednesday (7th of April) we will switch to training on grass because the longer evenings mean we will no longer need to use the All-weather pitch. Our training will be held at the earlier time 7-8pm to make the most of the available light.

Cabinteely are unable to field a team

2010-03-20T13:13:00.002Z

The Cabinteely trainer contacted me to say that they are unable to field a team and so they are giving us a walk over.

Match v Cabinteely on Sunday

2010-03-18T12:42:00.001Z

I hope everyone had a nice day yesterday. For a change the St Patrick's day parade was held in bright sunshine.

This weekend we have a home game against Cabinteeley. Kick-off is at 12:15pm on Sunday (not Saturday as I accidentally sent notifications about). We should meet up in the club house in Porterstown by 11:45am at the latest.

Narrow 2-1 vistory against Peamount

2010-03-06T16:29:00.001Z

I was a lovely spring day as the girls traveled to Newcastle to take on Peamount United. The first half was very tight. Although Castleknock had many chances it was Peamount who went into the half-time break with a slender 1-0 lead. In the second half Castleknock fought back bravely, but the Peamount goalkeeper played a great game. Eventually Emma Boyle and Catherine Leahy scored goals to give Castleknock a 2-1 victory.

This was a great team performance and so it was hard to pick a player-of-the-match. Eventually it was decided that Ellie Widle was most deserving of this honour for her tireless efforts up front.

Match against Peamount and Spring Sports Prediction competition

2010-03-04T14:50:00.000Z

Our under 12 match against Peamount has been scheduled for a 1pm kick-off on Saturday (6th of March). This is an away match and will be held in the Greenogue Ind. Est., Newcastle, Co. Dublin - this is a long drive so we will need to meet up at 12 noon beside the all weather pitch. I know that this time might not suit everyone, but there is limited times when the pitch is available.

The parents may be interested to know that the club is holding a Spring Sports Prediction competition. Click here for an entry form which gives more details of what is involved.

WFTA match called off

2010-02-26T12:18:00.001Z

Our match against WFTA this weekend has been called off because the pitch is unplayable.

Away match against WFTA on Saturday morning

2010-02-24T21:44:00.001Z

Our next u12 match in DWSL is an away match against our old rivals WFTA in Kildonan Road. Kick-off is scheduled for 11am on Saturday morning. We should all meet up at 10:15am beside the all weather picth.

A decisive 6-1 victory over understrength St Catherines team

2010-02-20T18:12:00.001Z

St Catherines lined out 2 players short for their match against Castleknock. However, the St Catherines players who did show up gave a great performance and it was clear why they were top of the league from the fixtures before Christmas.

Casteknock played with the wind in the first half and they started strongly. The match was only one minute old when Emma opened the scoring with a well taken score. Both Ellie and Holly came close to scoring before Aoibheann stretched the lead to 2-0 after 10 minutes. Two minutes later player-of-the-match Emma crossed the ball into Ellie who made the score 3-0.

Castleknock continued to attack strongly for the rest of the half, but the St Catherine's pulled off a number of dramatic saves and the score stayed at 3-0 when the half-time whistle blew. However, the 2nd half was only a few minutes underway when Aoibheann dribbled the length of the picth and scored a beautiful goal to stretch the lead to 4-0.

St Catherines tried hard to narrow the lead, but Niamh made a number of good saves and after 16 minutes it was Ellie who scored her second goal to strecth the Castleknock lead to 5-0. As the match was nearly over, St Catherines finally scored a goal. The match was not yet over however and Leah got a goal just before the final whistle to leave the score at 6-1.

Exciting match against Dundalk ends in a draw

2010-02-15T07:19:00.001Z

We were forced to travel to Dundalk without many of our players due to clashes with GAA fixtures. We knew that this was going to be a tough fixture because Dundalk had a very strong record in the league.The girls were excited to be playing in the Oriel Park stadium and some of them tried out the view from the stands before the match. However, as soon as the match started the girls lost all inhibitions and Castleknock started very strongly.

We were unlucky when Dundalk managed to open the scoring after only 5 minutes. However, Castleknock attacked strongly and Aoibheann leveled the score 5 minutes later with a cracker of a shot. Both teams attacked strongly for the rest of the half and although they both had many scoring chances, half time came with the score still level at 1-1.

Shortly after the second half got underway, Hayleigh was forced to come off for a few minutes due to injury. Dundalk began to attack strongly and after 5 minutes they managed to go back into the lead 2-1. Dundalk continued to put huge pressure on the Castleknock goal, but our goalie Fiona Fitzgerald played a brilliant game to deny them any more scores and earn the player-of-the-match title.

In the dying minutes of the match, Aoibheann gave an excellent cross and Leah Byrne put the ball in the back of the net to level the score at 2-2. Neither side was willing to relax and both sides tried very hard to get a goal that would seal the result. The Dundalk keeper pulled off a brilliant save to push Aiobheann's shot over the bar in injury time. Shortly afterwards Ciara had a cracker of a shot that scrapped the paint off the outside of the post.

The score remained 2-2 at full time and this was a fair result for a very exciting match. Afterwards, Dundalk FC treated us to a lovely meal in their boardroom which capped off a great day out.

Fund raising quiz night on Monday 15th of February

2010-02-12T09:25:00.001Z

The club are holding a fund raising quiz night at 9:15pm on Monday 15th of February in Kavanagh's pub in Laurel Lodge. The club badly needs the funds so we would appreciate a good turn out from the parents. If anyone is in a position to donate a spot prize that woudl also be much appreciated.

Dundalk match postponed and moved

2010-02-05T17:52:00.001Z

The match against Dundalk has been postponed because Porterstown has been declared unplayable this weekend. We agreed to postpone it until next Sunday (14th of Feb). To avoid the chances of being foiled by the weather we decided to move the game to Dundalk (they have a very hight tech pitch which is always playable). Kick-off will be at 1pm, but Dundalk is quite a long drive so we will need to assemble promptly at 11am beside the all weather pitches. It should be fund for the girls to play in Oriel Park stadium which has been recently refurbished at great expense. Full directions to Oriel Park are available at http://www.dundalkfc.com/club.asp

12 noon Kick-off for match against Dundalk FC

2010-02-04T20:33:00.001Z

The kick-off for our match against Dundalk FC next Sunday (7th/Feb) will be at 12 noon. This is a home match so we will meet up at the club house in Porterstown at 11:30am. This will be our first match in the 12B division and the opposition club are in the premier division of the FAI senior league, so I think we may face stiff opposition.

Brian will be away for this match, so Hugo will look after the team.

Hugo will distribute jerseys on the match day. If you have club shorts and socks, you should wear them - but if not any colour gear will do. We will try to get more shorts and socks for those players who don't have them yet. Be sure to wear shin-guards.

Update on DWSL

2010-02-02T14:46:00.001Z

I have just found out that we have been assigned to the B division of the DWSL under 12 league. This should provide us with stiffer competition than the 12C division we were in before Christmas.

Our first match will be a home match against Dundalk on Sunday next (7th of February). I will let you know the kick-off date once it is confirmed.

Under 12 Friendly against Mount Merrion on Sunday

2010-01-28T22:53:00.000Z

We have arranged a friendly match against Mount Merrion for next Sunday (31/January). This is a home match so it will be our first chance to enjoy the full benefits of the new clubhouse. Players should assemble in Porterstown at 10:30am. Brian won't be available so Hugo will take chanrge of the team.

Lost Property and Parent Consent Forms

2010-01-28T07:36:00.002Z

At training last night a number of things were left behind. Someone left a white hair band (Brian has this) and someone left behind a black and white Nokia jacket (Tony has this). These can be collected at the next training session or else contact us if you need them more urgently.

We now have the league registration forms almost complete. However, we are still missing a few signatures from parents/guardians. Can someone sign the form for the following players at our next training session.

Fiona Fitzgerald
Áine Waters
Ellie Wilde
Dearbhla Monaghan
Holly Larkin

We should know how the leagues are re-arranged this weekend and the matches should restart the weekend after that (i.e. Sunday 7th of February)

Extra trainning session

2010-01-22T19:43:00.001Z

We have just found out that Porterstown pitches have been declared playable tomorrow. Since we have no match arranged it seemed like a shame to waste one of the rare opportunities to get out on a real grass pitch.

Therefore we will hold an additional trainings session tomorrow (Saturday 23/Jan) from 10:30am to 12 noon. We apprciate that this is very short notice so don't worry if you can't make it. If you are coming down, don't forget to wear your boots.

Update on DWSL plans for 2010

2010-01-20T15:30:00.001Z

I just spoke to the organizers of the DWSL league. It seems that the executive committee meeting which is going to decide the assignment of teams to new divisions has been delayed until Thursday 28th of January. This delay means that matches in the new divisions won't start until Sunday 7th of February. Of course the recent bad weather means that it was unlikely that pitches would have been playable before then anyway.

First Training Session of the new Year this evening

2010-01-13T14:45:00.001Z

After viewing the condition of the all weather pitch and checking the weather forecast for this evening, we have decided to go ahead with training this evening. Please dress warmly because the weather is not likely to be very pleasant (although not quite as bad as the day of the Blitz).

As I told you at the Blitz, I will be collecting the under 12 jerseys and in future giving them out on the day of the match - swapping jerseys mid-match is causing us problems. If anyone does not have club shorts and socks let me know and I will get them for you.

The club calendars are now available and are a bargain at 5 euro each.

Delayed return to training

2010-01-04T13:20:00.001Z

It appears that there is quite a bit of snow and ice on the All-Weather pitch at the moment and so I think it would not make sense to return to training this Wednesday (6th/January). Instead we hope to restart training on Wednesday 13th of January. I hope you all enjoy the additional week's rest - it will be especially needed by the girls who took part in the abortive Blitz in the Blizzard.

By the way, the club calendars are now available. They look great and are great value at only €5 each.

Bltiz abandoned due to bad weather

2009-12-31T08:26:00.001Z

The weather was dreadful as we gathered for the blitz. It was freezing cold, raining heavily and very windy. Nevertheless the determined players still turned up for the blitz.

Our first match was against Swords Manor. The match was just getting underway when Ellie opened the scoring. We were playing against a strong wind in the first half and so Swords scored two goals and we were 2-1 down at half time. In the second half Aoibheann and Áine scored goals to give us a narrow 3-2 victory.

Our second match was against out old rivals WFTA. Niamh scored a goal in the first half. However, WFTA took advantage of the wind to score 2 goals and we were 2-1 down at half time. Ellie equalised in the second half, but WFTA got another goal in the dying minutes to make it 3-2.

The third round of matches was likely to be decisive because there were three teams in three points each. However, during the break the weather got even worse (although we didn't think tat was possible). All of the goals were knocked over in the wind and the shelters for the subs began to be blown around the pitches. As a result the blitz was abandoned and will be played again sometime early next year.

Thanks to all the players for a great performance at the blitz and all year in 2009. I hope you have a happy new year's celebration and I look forward to 2010.

NDSL Blitz on Wednesday 30th

2009-12-27T15:31:00.003Z

I hope all of you had a pleasant Christmas. Now that you have all eaten lots of goodies it probably is a good idea to take some exercise to work it off. Luckily we have the NDSL Blitz coming up on Wednesday 30th. This competition will be held on the All-Weather pitches at the NDSL headquarters in Coolock which means it should be able to go ahead in almost any weather.

This is a competition between 5-a-side teams. We hope to field two teams in the under 13 division and one in the under 15 division. Please let Brian or Peter know as soon as possible whether or not you are available to play so that we can sort out teams.

Teams must be at the venue by 12:15pm. We will meet up bedside the all-weather pitches in Laurel Lodge at 11:30am so that we can travel out in convoy. If any player wants to go directly to Coolock themselves, this is fine but please make sure you let us know in advance so that we won't waste time waiting for you.

Players should wear full match gear (if they have it) except that runners should be worn instead of boots. There will be periods of waiting around between matches, so players should bring a tracksuit or something warm to wear over their match gear.

No bag packing in Tesco this weekend

2009-12-17T16:19:00.001Z

Contrary to what you might have heard, there is no bag pack this weekend in Tesco.

There has been so much activity in the past 3 months or so - official clubhouse opening, penalty shootout, Christmas raffle and quiz - that we've decided to give teams a break with our sincere thanks to you all for all the hard work you have already done for the cause up to now.

Of course the work never stops and we will now be looking to maximise sales of the 2010 club calender, and we WILL arrange for a bag pack before the season ends, so we can meet the yearly fund-raising target we've set ourselves. More about that in the new year.

In the meantime let me, on behalf of the fund-raising and executive committees, thank you once again and wish you all and your families a very Happy Christmas and New Year.

Time for Christmas Party Changed Again

2009-12-15T10:09:00.006Z

The date for the under 12 girsl Christmas party has been changed again to next Saturday 19th of December. The party will involve a blitz competition and will take place on the all weather pitch from 11:30am to 1:30pm. Unfortunately, only under 12s are involved since under 15s are assumed to be too old for Christmas parties.

We plan to enter 2 teams into each age group for the NDSL 5-a-side Blitz which is scheduled for Wednesday the 30th of December. The blitz will start at 12:45 and should be over by 5pm. Can all players let us know whether of not they are available so we can confirm numbers. Under 12s should contact Brian and under 15s should contact Peter.

Christmas Party/Blitz Postponed

2009-12-09T15:27:00.003Z

The Club Christmas Party/Blitz which was planned for next Saturday has now been postponed until 2nd of January. It will probably be a good idea for players to get out an exercise after all the junk that will be beaten over the Christmas period.

We are also hoping to send one or more teams to the NDSL 5-a-side Blitz which is being held on Wednesday 30th of January. We will give you details at training this evening and try to get a count of how many players will be available.

We are trying to arrange a friendly match for the weekend, bu we have not been able to confirm anything yet.

U12 girls start their DWSL campaign with a decisive 13-1 victory over Ratoath

2009-12-06T13:41:00.008Z

After a long series of pitches being declared unplayable, we were delighted to find that we would finally get to play our first official DWSL match against Ratoath. Some people were not pleased by the fact that we had to get up so early on a Sunday morning, but there was a great turnout of players and parents nevertheless.

The day was quite cold, but the Castleknock girls did not waste much time warming things up. Dearbhla scored from Emma's corner after only 2 minutes of play. A few minutes later, Catherine dribbled half the length of the pitch and then scored a peach of a goal, After 11 minutes Áine's shot was narrowly wide, but Catherine got possession from the kick out and scored her second goal to make the score 3-0.

Our girls took total command of the match from this point onwards. After 14 minutes
Emma stretched our lead to 4-0 and with 22 minutes on the clock Ellie connected with a rebounded shot to make it 5-0. Just before half time, Catherine got another goal to secure her hat trick and this made her a deserving winner of the player-of-the-match title.

As the second half got under way, it was clear that Castleknock were not going to rest on their 6 goal lead. Leah opened the scoring with an excellent shot as the 2nd half was just beginning. After 5 minutes Aoibheann dribbled length of the pitch and scored. Shortly afterwards she scored 3 more goals to put the score at 11-0 and her personal tally of 4 is probably a club record.

As the match progressed, Sarah scored a goal to stretch the lead to 12-0. I was delighted to see that the Ratoath team did not give up and they scored an excellent goal in the 22nd minute. However, the Castleknock team did not relax and Dearbhla scored another goal in the dying minutes to leave the score at 13-1.

I am very proud of this performance and I hope that their parents can pull off a similar result in the table quiz on Thursday night!!

Change in kick-off time for Ratoath Match

2009-12-05T15:29:00.003Z

Due to a clash of fixtures, Ratoath have asked to bring forward the kick-off for our match tomorrow (Sunday) to 10am. I agreed. This means we will have to meet up at 9:15am beside the all weather pitches. I hope this suits everyone.

Match against Ratoath on Sunday going ahead

2009-12-04T16:32:00.002Z

I spoke to the Ratoath coach this afternoon (Friday) and much to my surprise they have decided that their pitch is playable so our match on Sunday will go ahead. They requested to move the kick-off forward to 12noon. I think this probably suits most people so I agreed.

There is bad weather forecast for the weekend so the pitch will be inspected again tomorrow (Saturday), but unless the rain is very heavy will finally be able to play a match.

Away match against ratoath

2009-12-02T11:12:00.003Z

Our under 12 girls are scheduled to play an away match against Ratoath this Sunday (6^th of December). We have agreed a 12:30 kick-off so we will meet at 11:30 beside the all-weather pitch. I have been speaking to the Ratoath coach and he tells me that their pitch is not in great shape, so there is a significant chance the match will be cancelled. I will let you know once I find out for certain if the match is going ahead or not.

The club Christmas party is planned for Saturday week (12^th of December). The under 12 girls have been tentatively scheduled for 1-3pm, but the venue is not yet certain because it could be either Porterstown or the All-Weather pitch. It is assumed that the under 15 girls are not interested - this is one of the problems with growing old :-(

Club Table Quiz on Thursday 10th of December

2009-12-01T15:23:00.002Z

Castleknock Celtic are holding a Table Quiz in the Castleknock Hotel on Thursday 10th of December. Based upon previous experience this is guaranteed to be a great night out and should help raise much needed funds for our recently opened club house in Porterstown. The winners of the raffle will be drawn out on the night.

All parents and friends of the team are encouraged to enter a team for the Quiz.

Pitches declared unplayable again

2009-11-27T13:30:00.004Z

The Porterstown pitches have been declared unplayable this weekend. So our match against Mount Merrion on Sunday is off.

Cancellation of all weekend matches

2009-11-20T22:15:00.004Z

Unfortunately all matches are cancelled again this weekend due to the bad weather. We had hoped that we would be able to arrange a training session instead, but it was not possible to get a usable green area.

We will be taking a team photo at our training on Wednesday so be sure to come along looking your best and wearing team colours if you have them.

Cancellation of Trainning tonight

2009-11-18T07:27:00.001Z

We have decided to cancel training tonight due to the fact that it clashes with the Ireland v France world cup play-off match.

Under 12s schedule of fixtures

2009-11-17T07:56:00.004Z

Out under 12 girls are scheduled to play WFTA away next Sunday 22/November. Kick-off will be at 11am at their Kildonan Road (weather permitting). We will meet up beside the all-weather pitches at 10:15am.

The following Sunday we are scheduled to play Mount Merrion at home followed by an away match against Ratoath. I hope the weather improves and we will be able play some of these fixtures.

Our trip to Croke Park

2009-11-15T11:14:00.004Z

The girls who were lucky enough to get a ticket to the Ireland v France game in Croke Park had a great time, despite the unfortunate result. Here are a few photographs.

Sunday's match called off

2009-11-14T10:13:00.001Z

Our match against Eniskerry on Sunday has been called off due to the bad weather conditions. NDSLL has cancelled all matches so the under 15 match is off also.

Weekend plans

2009-11-12T13:45:00.004Z

Congratulations to the lucky winners of the draw for tickets to the Ireland v France game on Saturday night and commiserations to those who did not win. Due to the limited number of tickets we were given it was inevitable that some would be disappointed.

The following under 12 players won tickets:

Aine Waters
Ciara Brady
Dearbhla Monaghan
Emma Boyle
Leah Byrne
Lucy Hanlon
Niamh O'Donovan
Sarah Brady

The following under 15 players won tickets:

Aisling Hoey
Eadaoin Feeney
Edwina Naughton
Hannah Hanlon
Joy Guinane
Orlaith Higgins
Lauren McEnroe.
Megan Naughton

All players going to the match should wear their Castleknock Celtic Jersey over their normal clothes. This will help us identify the group in case anyone gets lost in the crowd - luckily this is also the Ireland colours.

All players should meet up at the Coolmine train station at 6pm sharp. If anybody can't come they should let us know as soon as possible. If you can't come it is not up to you to choose your replacement, we will have a fresh draw to choose the player replacing anybody who can't come.

Our weekend match is a home match against Eniskerry. Kick-off will be at 11:30. All players should meet up at Porterstown at 11am. I hope nobody will have problems getting up so early after the excitement of the match the night before.

Match against Sallynoggin called off

2009-11-08T07:27:00.003Z

The macth against Sallynoggin has been called off due to a waterlogged pitch. Porterstown is also unplayable so we can't switch to a home match. I hope we won't have a repeat of last year where a large number of the matches had to be called off.

Under 12 Fixture for next Sunday

2009-11-05T13:46:00.003Z

The under 12 team will play their first match of the DWSL league on Sunday next 8th of November. It is an away match against St. Joseph's Sallynoggin. Kick-off is at 1pm, but since it is a considerable journey we will need to meet up at 12 noon beside the All-Weather picthes

I would like to applogise because I might have confused as few of you by telling you the match was on Saturday. All DWSL matches are played on Sundays, which probably suits many people better anyway.

Weekend fixtures

2009-10-28T16:14:00.003Z

Our under 12 girls have no match this weekend due to the DWSL taking a break for he mid-term.

Our under 15 girls play host to their old rivals St Josephs East Wall in Porterstown on Saturday. Kick-off is scheduled for 11am so all players should assemble in Porterstown by 10:30am.

Note: the kick-off has been moved earlier than the time in the paper (1pm)

I hope that playing a match on Halloween won't prove too scary for either team :-).

Volunteers needed for completion of clubhouse

2009-10-23T09:40:00.002+01:00

I think you all saw at the clubhouse opening that there are a few remaining jobs to be done before the clubhouse can be fully useful. It would be a shame to leave the clubhouse half finished. Volunteers are now being sought to help fit out the clubhouse, just 24 hrs from each individual will get us across the line with completion. All trades wanted. Contact Tony Jordan 087-6535354 if you can help.

Volunteers are also wanted for Coffee Dock, just a couple of hours is all that would be asked of a person helping out on any day you make yourself available. Again Tony Jordan is the preson for volunteers to contact.

Neither of our girls team have a match this weekend. The under 12 girls are in transition between the NDSL and DWSL and the under 15 girls had to cancel their planned match against Shelbourne due to having too many players missing.

Under 12 girls moving from NDSL to DWSL

2009-10-19T13:42:00.003+01:00

As some of you may know the NDSL under 12 girls league is now down to 3 teams because Maynooth defected to the North Kildare and Carlie was not successful in recruiting any new clubs. I don't think it makes sense for us to stay in a league with so few teams and so I have started the process of registering with the DWSL league instead.

The DWSL league has two divisions of under 12 girls teams and has enough teams that they are seriously splitting into 3 divisions. The travelling times to the away matches might be slightly longer (mostly the teams are South Dublin). However, I think the improved selection of opposition will more than make up for this inconvenience.

Our under 15 girls will remain with the NDSL.

2009-10-11T17:32:00.001+01:00

We had a great day at the opening of the clubhouse. To top it off, the under 15 girls won the exhibition match. Here are some pictures.

Ellie scores a hat trick in 5-1 victory over arch-rivals WFTA

2009-10-10T15:59:00.011+01:00

We opened our cup campaign with a home match against WFTA. This was a high pressure game since it featured the two top teams in both the cup and league last year.

Castleknock opened strongly and put pressure on the WFTA goal from the start. However, the WFTA defence was strong and their goalkeeper made a few dramatic saves. Our pressure finally paid off when Ellie Wilde put the ball in the net after 9 minutes. Ellie was in great form today and stretched the lead further after 15 minutes. She then completed her hat trick with 19 minutes on the clock and was a deserving winner of the player-of-the-match award this week.

Castleknock continued to pile on the pressure and the ball scrapped over the top of the WFTA crossbar. We continued with our pressure up until the half-time with Emma Boyle forcing the WFTA keeper to s deflect a shot over the bar just before half time.

WFTA rearranged their team at half time and came out much stronger for the second half. However, Luck and Catherine we in top form leading the Castleknock defence and Fiona was playing a great game in goal whenever she was needed.

Rebecca Stephens was determined not to let Ellie have all the glory and so she scored her first league goal for Castleknock to stretch the lead to 4-0. Shortly afterwards Emma blasted in a shot from the edge of the box to stretch the lead to 5-0

WFTA did not give up despite the score and continued to battle for the rest of the match. They were finally rewarded with a goal in the dying minutes of the game to make the socre 5-1.

All our players played very well today and we can be very proud. It is very early in the season yet, but we must be considered to be favourites to win the league this season.

A busy weekend for both teams

2009-10-08T12:16:00.008+01:00

The NDSL girls league is kicking off this weekend and since this is combined with the official opening of our club house, both of our teams will have busy weekends.

The under 12 girls have a home game against WFTA on Saturday (10/Oct). Kick-off is at 1pm so we will meet up at 12:30pm in Porterstown. On Sunday our penalty competition will start at 10:50am, all players should be in Porterstown 20 minutes earlier at 10:30am.

The under 15 girls have an away game against Malahide on Saturday (10/Oct). Kick-off is at 12 noon so we will meet up at 11am beside the all weather pitches. We will need plenty of lifts, so make sure to ask your parents. On Sunday the under 15 penalty competition will start at 10am, all players should be in Porterstown 20 minutes earlier at 9:40am.

All players should wear their full Castleknock Celtic kit to the opening event on Sunday. I know that some players don't have a kit yet, if so you should wear something that fits in with the colour scheme. We expect that there will be plenty of photographers from the media there and I am sure you would all want to look your best.

Clubhouse Opening Ceremony on Sunday 11th of October

2009-10-05T09:06:00.002+01:00

As you know, after 22 years of much endeavour, Castleknock Celtic FC has realised one of its main targets, a clubhouse to be proud of in Porterstown, complementing its marvellous pitch facilities. This custom built clubhouse has been 4 years in planning and 8 months in construction. It will provide a permanent base for our members, with dressing room facilities for home and away teams, bathroom facilities for players and supporters, and light refreshments for all.

The clubhouse has been used by teams since September. It will be formally opened on Sunday, 11th October, 2pm, by Minister for Finance, Mr Brian Lenihan TD.

Joining us also on the day will be FAI Chief Executive, Mr. John Delaney, and the FAI Technical Director and Italia-90 hero, Packie Bonner.

There will be activities throughout the day on the pitches with the annual Penalty Shoot-out taking place from 10am, and exhibition matches from our 7-a -side and 11-a-side teams in the afternoon.

There will be light refreshments (tea, sandwiches) served after the official opening. However, in these straitened times, we are asking team members/parents to help us with this. We are appealing for something that is non-perishable, no matter how small, e.g. packs of bars, pre-packed biscuits, popcorn, cartons of juice, pre-packed buns/cakes. All goods may be given to team manager on or before Fri 9th October (ideally bringing them to the training session this week) or we can arrange collection. We need VOLUNTEERS to help with hospitality on the day, so if you can assist in any way, please contact any of the Social Committee listed below.

We hope you will join us to celebrate this great day in the history of the club, and if possible help us to make it successful.

A resounding 4-1 victory in friendly in Ratoath

2009-10-03T21:04:00.005+01:00

The wind was blowing a gale when our under 12 team arrived in Ratoath for our first match of the season, Our captain Emma won the toss and chose to play with the wind. Two minutes later she took advantage of the wind to open the scoring with a brilliant shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Shortly afterward Dani who was playing her first match ever for Castleknock Celtic stretched the lead to 2-0.

Castleknock made full use of the gale and the opening half was played in the Ratoath half of the pitch. Ellie made it 3-0 with another fine goal with 12 minutes of the first half gone.

The Castleknock was stretched to 4-0 when Catherine's long distance shot was deflected into the goal by Rataoth defender after 17 minutes.

The rain came down heavily in the dying minutes of the half and I think everyone was delighted when the ref blew the whistle for half-time and we could rush in for shelter.

We were expecting Ratoath to dominate the second half due to the wind, but it was Castleknock who opened strongly. Straight from the kick-off Catherine was denied another score by the crossbar. After 7 minutes Emma was narrowly wide with a long kick.

Rataoth did not give up and began to put huge pressure on. Luckily Lucy and Fiona had a great game in defence. Goalie Sarah also had more chances to show off her skills than we wanted. After 20 minutes a Ratoath corner curled into the Castleknock goal to make it 4-1.

Ratoath struggled strongly for the rest of the match to reduce our lead, but it was Leah and Holly had several chances to stretch the lead further in the Castleknock attack.

We had several brilliant performances today, but player of the match award goes to Dani for a great debut.

First under 12 match of the season

2009-09-28T22:12:00.002+01:00

Our under 12 girls will have our first match of the season next Saturday (3/Oct). It is a friendly match against Ratoath. Kick-off is at 10 o'clock in Rataoth so we should meet up beside the all weather pitches at 9:15am.

We don't want to waste time waiting for people we will not be coming so can you let us know in advance if you can't be there.

Change of time for training

2009-09-21T22:22:00.000+01:00

This Wednesday 23/Sept training will start at the earlier time of 6:30pm due to the fact that it is now getting dark shortly after 7:30pm.

We will move training on the all weather pitch from next wednesday 30/Sept. Our time for training on the all weather pitch is 8-9pm on Wednesday.

New season underway

2009-09-09T16:00:00.002+01:00

As all of you should be aware training for the new 2009/20010 season has now restarted and is held at 7pm each Wednesday on Laurel Lodge green (weather permitting).

The dedicated players have been training for the last few weeks and I am delighted to see that we have some new players joining our team. Over the last few weeks many players (and indeed coaches) have been missing training due to holidays, but now that school is back I expect we will have a better turnout.

We are trying to clarify exactly how many players we have within each age group so we will know which leagues to enter teams into. If you don't intend to continue playing this season can you let us know so that we can remove you from our team lists.

On the other hand, if you want to join the team feel free to come to our training any Wednesday evening.

Medal presentation ceremony

2009-06-30T08:52:00.002+01:00

Here are some photographs from the medal presentation ceremony last Sunday.

Well done to everyone on a great season! I hope to see you all at the start of next season. If we get enough new players we might even have three teams next year.

Arrangements for prize-giving ceremony in Oscar Traynor Centre

2009-06-24T15:25:00.002+01:00

As you all know we will be presented with out league medals (u-14 winners and u-12 runners-up) at a special ceremony at the Oscar Traynor Centre in Coolock next Sunday morning 28th of June.

We should all be at the centre for 9:30am. I imagine that most players will go directly to the centre, but if anyone needs a lift they should be beside the all-weather pitch at 9am.

Since there will be some photographs taken, all players should wear their team Jerseys, however there is no need to wear shorts or boots since no games will be played. We hope to collect the team gear from all players after the ceremony for safe keeping during the summer months. Therefore make sure you bring something to change into afterwards.

Award winners announced

2009-06-22T15:39:00.015+01:00

At the end of season party we announced the following awards:

U12 Top Goalscorer	Ciara Brady
U12 Manager's Player of the Year	Lucy Hanlon
U12 Player's Player of the Year	Emma Boyle
U12 Most Improved Player	Fiona Fitzgerald

U14 Top Goalscorer	Orlaith Higgins
U14 Manager's Player of the Year	Megan Naughton
U14 Player's Player of the Year	Aisling Hoey
U14 Most Improved Player	Joy Guinane
Special Golden Gloves Award	Nicole McAuley

Congratulations to all players, you can be very proud of what you achieved this year.

End of Seaon Party

2009-06-20T14:49:00.003+01:00

Great fun was had by all at the end of season party in Porterstown and afterwards in Kavanagh's. The parents narrowly beat the players in a penalty shoot out, but everyone was a winner on a lovely day.

If anyone else has pictures from the event, can they email them to bodonovan.football@picasaweb.com and I will add them to the web album.

Open day for new players next Wednesday 17th of June

2009-06-11T14:53:00.002+01:00

A you know by now, Ratoath have given us a walkover in the league play-off. This means that we have a very impressive tally of trophies for our first season in the Girls leagues. The under 14s have won their league, while the under 12s are runners up in both the league and cup.

The presentation of prizes for the league will be held on the weekend of 27/28th of June (details will be posted here when available). In the meantime we will hold an open-day for new players next Wednesday. If any girls born in 1994, 95 or 96 are interested in joining us they should come to Laurel Lodge open space next Wednesday, 17th June, at 7pm. No previous playing experience is necessary.

If any interested player cannot attend they should contact Peter Hoey at 087-2545612.

Play-off postponed

2009-06-09T12:41:00.000+01:00

Carlie told me yesterday that our u12 play-off match against Rataoth will not be going a head tomorrow Wednesday. So our under 12s will train as usual. I will let you know when the match is rescheduled to as soon as I know.

Details of the club summer camp for 2009

2009-06-07T14:34:00.004+01:00

Here are the details of the club summer camp for 2009 in case anyone is interested in attending.

Dates: Mon 3^rd August to Fri 7^th 2009

Venue: Portertown Park

Time: 9.30 to 3.30 daily

Cost: €90

Registration: Wed 24^th June 7 – 8.30 or by forwarding to address on form.

As was the case with this years Easter camp the number of places are limited so please make them aware that places may be filled before registration night.

Aapplication form and further copies will be available on club website (http://www/castleknockceltic.com) from tonight or by clicking here. Please note that this is the official club summer camp and should not be confused with other events that may be taking place in Porterstown.

Any questions contact Philip Zambra on 087 2697005

We are back in with a chance of runners-up slot in the u12 league

2009-06-05T16:55:00.001+01:00

I just found out that Killester United have been expelled from the under 12 girls league for playing overage players. This means that we need to play-off against Rataoth for runner-up position. The fixture has been tentatively scheduled for next Wednesday evening 10/June in the Oscar Traynor Centre with kick-off at 7pm.

Change in kick-off time

2009-06-05T09:21:00.000+01:00

Ref has changed 2moro's U14 kickoff time to 10am. Thanks for returning ur player of the year votes so quickly. Peter

U14 fixture at weekend

2009-06-03T13:46:00.002+01:00

U14s play Maynooth in Porterstown on Sat at 11. Training for all tonight (wednesday) on Laurel Lodge green from 7 to 8.30.

Hope to see you all there, Peter & Brian

Castleknock u12s gain narrow victory over WFTA in top of the table clash

2009-05-30T17:06:00.001+01:00

It was a beautiful sunny day when we lined out for our last leage match of the season against WFTA. Both teams were very keen to win after draws in our last two encounters.

Both sides attacked strongly and Leah Byrne played a great debut performance. Eventually our efforts were rewarded when Catherine Leahy put Castleknock into the lead with a scorcing shot from the edge of the penalty box in the dying minutes of the first half.

WFTA threw everything into attack, but Lucy Hanlon made sure our defence was well organised. Player of the match was Fiona Fitzgerald who had a brilliant performance in goals. She kept a clean sheet and the final score was 1-0.

All the team can be very proud of a great first season in NDSL girls section. It has been a pleasure working with such a great team and I hope you all have a nice summer break before coming back for an even better second season.

D15 Girls Blitz

2009-05-28T11:40:00.001+01:00

BLANCHARDSTOWN YOUTH TOGETHER

‘DUBLIN 15 GIRLS SOCCER BLITZ’

INFO: ● OPEN TO ALL 12 -18 YEAR OLDS IN DUBLIN 15

● GIRLS ONLY SOCCER BLITZ

● 5 -A-SIDE

● ENTER YOUR NAME AND YOU WILL BE PUT ON A TEAM.

● ALL TEAMS WILL BE MIXED WITH GIRLS FROM ALL OVER DUBLIN15

DATE/DAY: SATURDAY, MAY 30TH (THIS SATURDAY)

VENUE: CORDUFF SPORTS CENTRE

TIME: 10.30 – 2.00

COST: FREE OF CHARGE

HOW TO ENTER: TXT YOUR NAME, AGE

AND AREA YOU LIVE TO 087-1273243

TO ENTER YOU MUST TXT BEFORE 13.00 ON FRIDAY.

YOU WILL RECIEVE A REPLY TXT THEN JUST TURN UP ON SATURDAY

IT PROMISES TO BE A GOOD DAY WITH SPOT PRIZES UP FOR GRABS

Training time moved forward to 6:15pm

2009-05-26T21:34:00.002+01:00

We decided to move forward the time for training tomorrow (Wednesday) due to the fact that we suspect some of you might want to watch the UEFA Champions League final. We should be finished at 7:30pm so you will be able to be home in time for the 7:45pm kick-off.

I hope we will have a good turn out of the under 12 especially because we have our last league match on Thursday evening. It is a home gave against WFTA with a 7pm kick-off (meet up at 6:30 pm).

Help needed fitting out new clubhouse

2009-05-23T12:39:00.004+01:00

Many of you probably noticed the fact that the new clubhouse at Porterstown is now almost complete. Unfortunately the government withdrew the grant that had been promised from the Lottery funding due to the economic crisis.

Since the club no longer has enough money to pay the building contractor for all the work agreed, the club has been forced to agree that a number of tasks required to complete the clubhouse will not now be done by the contractor. The tasks involve things like installing electrical fixtures, plumbing of the showers in the dressing rooms, installing seating etc..

It would be a shame not to be able to use the clubhouse when it is so near to being complete. Unfortunately all possible sources of funding have been tapped already, so the club is hoping that some parents who have trades will volunteer to step into the breech. The trades required are electricians, plumbers, carpenters and tile fitters.

If anyone is able to help, they should contact Tony Jordan, 5 Castleknock Meadows, ph 8217879 or 087 6535354.

Publicity in Gazette

2009-05-22T19:15:00.001+01:00

Check out this week's Castleknock Gazette page 53 has a report on our cup final and a picture.

Match against WFTA postponed

2009-05-20T21:42:00.002+01:00

The under 12 match against WFTA which was scheduled for Saturday has been postponed due to the WFTA coaches being on a course for the weekend. The match is probably going to be a 7pm kick-off on Thursday 28th of May, but we will be in touch before then to confirm.

Schedule for the week

2009-05-19T12:35:00.003+01:00

Carly from the NDSL asked me to remind you that the final trial for the Gaynor cup team will take place this evening (Tuesday) at 6:30pm in the Oscar Traynor centre in Coolock.

We will have our own training tomorrow (Wednesday) from 7-8:30pm on Laurel Lodge green.

The under 12 team will have their final league match on Saturday with a home match against WFTA. Kick-off is at 11am, so the team should meet up in Porterstown at 10:30am. The under 14 team have no match at the weekend.

I believe that this weeks edition of the Castleknock Gazette will feature a report on our cup final match against WFTA, so maybe you might look out for that.

Trainning cancelled today(Saturday)

2009-05-16T09:29:00.001+01:00

It rained through the night last night and so the ground is very wet in Porterstown, therefore we decided to cancel our training session this morning.

I hope we will see a good turn out for training on Wednesday since the Gaynor Cup squad training has been moved to Tuesday night. The under 12 team will probably have our last match in the league against WFTA next Saturday so we need to ensure we are well prepared to meet our old rivals avain.

No training tonight (wedneday)

2009-05-14T11:53:00.000+01:00

There will be no training tonite and no matches on Saturday.

We'll have training on Saturday instead in Porterstown from 11 to 12.30. Hope to see you there.

Under 14 girls keep 100% record

2009-05-10T17:38:00.003+01:00

U14 girls make it 7 out of 7 in league with an impressive, strong 5-2 win away to St Josephs East Wall.

Louise O'Connor opened the scoring in the 11th min. Further goals from Joy Guinane (18), Megan Naughton (24) and Hannah Hanlon (29) made it 4-0 before the home side pulled one back in injury time to make it 1-4 at half time.

With the strong wind at their backs in the 2nd half it was no surprise that Joeys made it 2-4 in the 43r min but Megan's 2nd in the 53rd sealed the win. With great performances from all players it was hard to name girl of the match but the honour was well earned by goalie Nicole McAuley.

Castleknock narrowly beatten in epic final battle

2009-05-10T12:03:00.001+01:00

It was a beautiful sunny day when Castleknock and WFTA lined out for the under 12 girls NDSL cup final. It was clear that this was going to be a tight battle, becuase the teams had drawn in the qualifying rounds. However, neither side played a defensive game with both teams attacking constantly.

Both sides had plenty of shots on target in the first half.

Niamh O'Donovan and Catherine Leahy kept the WFTA defence busy, but WFTA were the only team to score with a well taken shot from the edge of the penalty box in the 10th minute.

The second half was only a few minutes old when Emma Boyle levelled the score 1-1. Both teams battled hard to break the deadlock. AnneMarie Troy and Lucy Hanlon played a great game in defence, but Hayley Dixon still had a worrying number of chances to show off her goalkeeping skills. Nevertheless, the game ended without any further scores.

Since, this was the cup final, we went to extra time. Toward the end of the first half of extra time, a cross into the box took a lucky deflection off the back of a WFTA player into the Castleknock net. Castleknock threw their entire team into attack but were unable to pull back level.

WFTA were worthy champions, but Castleknock can be rightly proud of coming runners-up in their first season in Ladies soccer. Well done everyone!!!

Training time moved forward to 6pm

2009-05-06T12:44:00.000+01:00

We have moved the time of training this weekend to 6pm to 7:30pm so that Peter can be home in time to see Chelsea play Barcelona in the champions league semi-final.

I hope we have a good turn out for training this week because the under 12s need to prepare for the cup final match on Saturday. This match will take place at the Oscar Traynor centre in Coolock, kick-off is at 2pm, but due to the fact that this is a final we have been asked to be there by 1pm at the latest. Players should wear full match gear and bring both boots and runners.

Players who are unsure how to get there should meet up beside the all-weather pitch at 12:30 and we can travel in convoy. Anyone who wants to go directly there can do so, but please let me know so that we won't be hanging around waiting for you.

U14 girls continue their winning run in the league

2009-05-03T10:58:00.001+01:00

U14 girls only had 9 players for their visit to Willows but played superbly to take the points with a 7-1 win. Girl of the match Aisling Hoey scored 4. Megan Naughton, Katie Byrne and Joy Guinane completed the scoring in an excellent team performance. Credit also to the Willows team for playing their part in a very sporting game. Their 'never say die' attitude earned them the record of being the first team to score a league goal against us.

Weekend fixtures off due to Porterstown being declared unplayable

2009-05-01T16:09:00.001+01:00

I have just found out that the county council have declared the Poerterstown pitches unplayable and hence our match against WFTA tomorrow will have to be canceled.

Updates to our fixtures

2009-05-01T14:31:00.000+01:00

The under 14 team have no match this weekend because the scheduled fixture against Willow FC has already been played. This is probably just as well because I think many players will be involved in the GAA Féile.

The kick-off time for our under 12 match against WFTA has been postponed to 1:15pm to facilitate the referee. Since we will play WFTA in the cup final on Saturday 9th of May, this match will be vital preparation. I hope we have a full team turn out.

Fixtures for next Saturday 2nd of May

2009-04-27T21:53:00.000+01:00

Our under 12s have a home match against WFTA. Kick-off is at 12:30 so we should meet up in Porterstown at 12 o'clock. This is the team that we drew with in the Blitz so a very tight match is forecast.

The under 14 team have an away match against Willow FC in Popintree Park. Kick-off is at 11:30 so players should meet up in beside the all weather pitch at 11 o'clock.

Training on Wednesday will be from 7pm to 8:30 on Laurel Lodge green.

Castleknock under 12 girls come out top in the NDSL Blitz

2009-04-22T21:42:00.000+01:00

Our first match was against Rathoat. It started out very tight, but Joy Guinane had several shots saved on target before Ciara Brady opened the scoring after 10 minutes. Shortly before half-time, Emma Brady scored straight from a corner to leave the score at 2-0 at the break.

As the second half got under way, Joy gave a lovely cross into the box and Ciara was in position to slot it into the back of the net. Rathoat did not give up and managed to get a score on the board. However, as the game neared the end, our player-of-the-match Ciara Brady sent the ball into Joy who duly scored to leave the final score at 4-1.

The next match was against WFTA which was guaranteed to be a tightly fought game. The first half ended at 0-0 mainly due to several great saves from Hayley Dixon who was our player-of-the-match. After the break, WFTA scored with a deflection. Castleknock struggled to get back on level terms and Ciara Brady's header went just over the bar.

As the game entered the dying minutes it looked like Castleknock might suffer the first defeat of he tournament. But with only 2 minutes left on the clock, Ciara poked the ball into the corner of the net to level the score 1-1.

Our last game of the night was against Maynooth. Sara Brady was very unlucky not to score with a cracker of a shot which rebounded off the post. Luckily Hannah Hanlon was ready to knock the ball in to the net. Shortly afterwards Hannah scored again with a powerfull shot from just inside the half way line.

The game was only 10 minutes old when Hannah sealed her hat-trick with another fine shot. The score was 3-0 at half-time.

As the 2nd half was only just starting when Áine Waters scored a goal when the ball bounced out of the Maynooth keeper's hands. Hannah put the game beyond doubt and sealed the player-of-the-match title by scoring two more goals to leave the final score 6-0.

A great performance by all of the team meant that we finished on top of the league overall and will play WFTA in the final.

Weekend match for under 14 team, but not for under 12s

2009-04-21T09:51:00.001+01:00

Our under 14 team have a home match against Maynooth on Saturday. Kick-off is at 11:45, so all players should assemble in Porterstown at 11:15.

Our under 12 team have no match on Saturday (they will be recovering from the blitz on Wednesday evening)

Match cancellation and Blitz rescheduled

2009-04-17T14:34:00.001+01:00

The Killester United trainer contacted us to say that they won't be able to field a team on Saturday due to a clash with confirmation in their local church. This means our match on Saturday is canceled.

The Blitz competition which was postponed from 2 weeks ago has now been rescheduled to next Wednesday (22/April) evening from 6-9pm. The competition will be held on the all-weather pitches at the Oscar Traynore Centre in Coolock. Girls should wear their normal match gear including shinguards, but wear runners instead of boots.

Due to the timing, it might be easier if we meet up at the Oscar Traynor Centre instead of meeting up locally and travelling over in convoy. I will be in touch to check if everyone has a lift organised and knows the directions.

This should be a fun event to look forward to.

Using the Teamer.net

2009-04-15T16:34:00.000+01:00

We have just become aware of a service called teamer.net which is a free service which can be used to send out messages about fixtures and track responses of people to let us know who is available to play.

From reading the web site it seems to be a useful tool and we have been assured that there is no additional charges for sending messages via the site (at first glance the number you respond to may appear to be a premium text number).

In order to try out this service we will use it to track players for this weekend's match against Killester. Please let us know what you think of the service so we can decide whether or not to continue using it (all we know is what is written on their web site which naturally claims it is wonderful).

Gaynor Cup trials on Sunday

2009-04-15T16:24:00.000+01:00

The annual Women’s FAI UMBRO Gaynor Cup, which caters for representative teams, provides a process for the Underage International managers to identify and assess the best players for the various Republic of Ireland squads. The Gaynor tournament for 2009 will be run from the 2^nd to the 5^th of July inclusive in Limerick University. This copetition is heavily subsidised by the sponsors UMBRO so the total cost to participants will be only 50 euros (including gear, travel, accomodation and meals).

The NDSL will be holding trials to select suitable players to take part in the Gaynor cup on Sunday next 19th of April. There will be separate competitions for under 13 and under 15 girls. Full details of the trials are available here.

If any players wish to be nominated for the Gaynor cup competition please contact Peter or Brian. Before going forward for a trial you should check that you will be available to travel to Limerick.

Training cancelled due to wet weather

2009-04-15T12:08:00.000+01:00

Soccer training this evening has been cancelled due to bad weather.

Under 12 match against Killester on Saturday

2009-04-14T20:58:00.000+01:00

Our under 12s have a home game against Killester United on Saturday. Kick-off is at 1pm so we should all meet up in Porterstown at half twelve,

There is no match for the 14's.

Training will be on Laurel Lodge green from 6 to 7pm on Wednesday. I hope the turn out this week is better than last.