connolly the star as 'mitten march on!

KNOCKMITTEN....................... 4

ST JAMES's are still looking for their first points of the season, but they came so close to securing at least one in a cracker of a game in CUS Bird Avenue on Saturday morning.

Knockmitten were the visitors in this opening EBS-SDFL Under 10 Division 6 clash, it was the League Cup competition up to the winter break, and they were full value for the win in a seven goal thriller.

In fact they got off to a dream start when they went in front in the opening minute.

Owen Connolly slipped a perfect pass into Tristan Lynch. His effort was half-stopped by James Sweeney, who had a blinder between the sticks in the opening half, but the ball trickled over the line.

The score remained that way until five minutes before the break when the Saints got back on level terms, as Oisin Humphreys fired home in a crowded area.

The visitors regained their lead five minutes after the break when a shot by Tom Donoghue was parried into the path of David Buchanin, and he tapped home from close range.

Adam Cooper then set up their third when his pass found Adam Quinn inside the area, and he made no mistake when presented with a sitter.

The home side pulled one back with five minutes remaining when Jake Fitzgerald's shot came back out to Hugo Bolger, and he happily drove the ball home to bring the score to 2-3.

But there was still time for two more goals in this cracking game as Knockmittens Connolly scored the goal of the game with a super drive from outside the box, before Humphreys got his second of the game for the Saints to finish off the scoring.

There is no doubt that on this evidence the Saints will finally pick up their first points of the season, sooner rather than later, such was their commitment in this game, but, the day belonged to the visitors who were full value for their win and, apart scoring four, also hit the bar three times.

ST JAMES: Austin Grehan, Eanna Gunnell, Gavin Murphy, James Sweeney, Oisin Humphreys, Sean Murnane, Hugo Bolger, William Hickey, Jake Fitzgerald, Sergey Zaystev.

KNOCKMITTEN: Owen Connolly, Tom Donoghue, Tristan Lynch, Aidan Barrett, Killian White, Adam Quinn, David Buchanin, Jack McCormack, Ryan Mayor, Adam Cooper, James Ford, Sean Bethal.

Referee: M Ryan.