Six of the best for Rearcross U-14's

Rearcross hosted Lough Derg 'B' in their first home game of the season on Mon evening and were emphatic 6-1 winners, which in some respects wasn't a fair reflection on a Ballina/Killaloe side which had taken a one nil lead and it could have been two nil only for a missed penalty on the 15-minute mark. Rea were slow to get up to the pace of the game but started to gain a foothold midway through the half as Sam Hackett fired on target only to be denied by the crossbar before the visiting custodian collected. Lough Derg went ahead after a long-range effort took a deflection and flew beyond the reach of a fully stretched Paddy Ryan. Rearcross had a chance to get back level on 24 minutes, but Jack Nolan's effort was saved. Lough Derg were very much in the tie at this stage, but Rea got back on par when a Jonathan Dawson strike rattled the net after great work by Liam Ryan.
The second half was a one-sided affair as Liam Ryan netted 10 minutes in with a fine strike following a pinpoint long-range pass from Oisin Reynolds. Rearcross were well on top defensively as Conor Carr and Jack Nolan pushed forward and then Jack Nolan bagged his 3rd of the season with a well taken effort. The hosts were alert to the short kick out game plan as Liam Ryan intercepted and waltzed through before setting up Ciaran McLoughlin who made no mistake from close range. It was 5-1 to the Martin O'Toole Electrical sponsored outfit when Ciaran Cavanan took advantage to slot home on the 2nd attempt despite the best efforts of netminder Paul Skelly who performed admirably throughout. Rea goalkeeper Paddy Ryan made the switch to outfield for the final 10 minutes and proved his worth with a brilliant long-range effort which sailed over the keeper to claim the goal of the season accolade thus far. A strong showing from Rearcross overall, but credit to a gallant Lough Derg side that played their hearts out to the final whistle and had fine performances from Sean O'Brien and Rian McCole

Rearcross U-14's: Paddy Ryan, Jack Hickey, Colm (Bob) Hickey, Oisin Reynolds, Ronan Hammersley, Jonathan Dawson, Jack Nolan, Conor Carr, Liam Ryan, Sam Hackett, Paraic Carr
Subs Darragh Reynolds, Ciaran McLoughlin, Ciaran Cavanan, Seanie Quinlan

Lough Derg 'B': Paul Skelly, Leo Ryan, Rudy Daw, Paddy Ryan, Cian Granger, Rian McCole, Matthew O'Sullivan, Sean O'Brien, Tadgh Hogan, Jehson Guerin, Luc Reynolds
Subs: James O'Malley, Lee Brook, Otis Seidel, Bobby Pederson, Christopher Boyle

Report by Shane Reynolds