THE celebrations might just still be ongoing down at St Joseph’s Boys’ clubhouse, with the Sallynoggin side taking home four trophies over the course of last week’s action, winning every one of the cup finals they took part in.
Those included a rare double All-Ireland, with the wins coming at Under-15 and Under-13 level.
The Under-15 side led the charge, securing a stunning double in taking home the League Cup and SFAI Cup within a 24-hour period. The League Cup came first, with an impressive 6-1 victory over Cabinteely at the AUL on Saturday, May 16 to get the weekend up and running.
St Kevin’s – who were to be on the receiving end more than once over the course of the weekend – were the side’s opponents for the big one the following day. Joeys went into a commanding 3-1 lead after conceding an early goal, with goals from Mark Kelly and Aaron Bolger.
Kevin’s weren’t going to lie down, however, and dragged the game back to 3-3 to force extra time, through which they hung impressively to Joey’s coattails despite being down to ten men.
The Sallynoggin club held their nerve, however, to dispatch the Whitehall side 4-2 in the penalty shoot-out spot and deliver the club’s second All-Ireland title of the weekend. Joey’s had scored 36 without conceding en route to the final.
Earlier, the Under-13 side had a more comfortable ride, defeating Cork Corinthians by two goals to nil at Wayside on Saturday, May 16.
The side’s All-Ireland title is their second in a row, and leaves them on track for a second treble in two years, too. The side lead St Kevin’s on goal difference in the Tony Keyes Premier, with a game in hand and three games remaining. The two sides still have to play each other in the run in.
The Under-11 side notched the team’s fourth trophy of the weekend, also defeating St Kevin’s in the DDSL League Cup Final, by a score of 2-0.
To top things off, the Under-11.2 side took their title on Thursday, May 14, securing the point they needed in a 2-2 draw away to Esker Celtic.
Joeys have also recently confirmed the latest in their Umbro Hibernia Trophy series, now a decade old.
This year, the youth football tournament – that’s due to take place in Pearse Park, Sallynoggin from the Friday, August 15 to Sunday, August 17 – will feature Celtic, Wolves, Norwich City, Leicester City and Sunderland as well as development squads representing both Ireland and Northern Ireland.
