Benildus triumph in battle of giants

ST BENILDUS COLLEGE 6CLONKEEN COLLEGE 3

U14 METROPOLITAN LEAGUE By Gavin Earley

ST BENILDUS College illustrated their credentials with an emphatic 6-3 win over fellow schools giants Clonkeen College in the Under-14 Metropolitan League.

The pair are two of the heavyweights of the Dublin schools soccer scene, but it was Benildus who came away with the bragging rights from their encounter in Stillorgan.

The Kilmacud Road secondary school showed their intentions early on as Jordan Byrne went close twice, before Keith Noonan struck the crossbar with an effort.

LEVELLED

Midway through the first half the home side opened the scoring when Byrne headed home Craig Ronayne's corner, however Clonkeen levelled the scores before the break.

The visitors took the lead seven minutes into the second half, but Byrne equalised within minutes for Benildus and another Ronayne corner saw Daniel O'Reilly separate the sides again.

Noonan's cross was finished by Ronan O'Flynn for number four, before Clonkeen grabbed a third goal of their own.

However, a fifth goal was quick in coming for the home side and Aaron Robinson put the icing on the cake with only minutes left.

ST BENILDUS COLLEGE: Jamie McNulty, Conor Reilly (Josh McCarthey 50), Graham Kelly, Daniel O'Reilly, Ben Farrell, Cillian Fagan (Lee Mitchell 50), Craig Ronayne, Stephen Kinsella, Keith Noonan (Aaron Robinson 55), Jordan Byrne, Ronan O'Flynn.