Last Sunday was another proud day for the Dundalk Youths as they overcame Limerick side, Fairview, 1-0 in the Quarter Finals of the FAI Youth Cup at Oriel Park. Dundalk performed magnificently and for long periods outclassed their opponents. Despite the tight scoreline Dundalk were rarely troubled and should have won by a far more convincing scoreline.
In front of a good crowd, Dundalk kept their opponents pegged back from the early stages. However they had to wait until the 37th minute before opening the scoring. A Stephen Hutchinson corner was dispatched to the net by a Billy Smith header (his 25th goal of the season!) after he outjumped the Fairview goalkeeper.Fairview nearly hit back straight away when they attempted a long range shot from 40 yards that caught the breeze but thankfully went narrowly over the bar.
In the second half, Dundalk were totally dominant. Barry Woods and Smith went close and Gerard Connolly hit a post with a header. The Fairview keeper made further good saves from Barry Woods and an excellent shot from Shane Greene. Sean Conlon was also unlucky to see a great snap shot from outside the area fly past the far post. In the latter stages the visitors grew increasingly frustrated and ended up having two players sent off. The first player was sent off after he kicked the ball at the referee while Barry Woods was the victim of a vicious challenge that resulted in a second Fairview player receiving his marching orders.Dundalk Youth team manager Stephen Carraher was understandably delighted and proud after the match. “It was a typical cup tie and it became a real battle in the second half. We were the better team throughout the 90 minutes and controlled the game from start to finish. We put them under a lot of pressure. We were especially dangerous from set pieces as Sean Conlon’s deliveries were excellent”.
And what does the coach think of yet another goal from Billy Smith? “Yes he popped up with another great goal today again. He scored a hat-trick in the last round against Finn  Harps and today was his 25th goal of the season. It’s an incredible record. But the team as a whole were magnificent and are just getting better. We have built up a great momentum in recent months. We are top of the Dublin & District Schoolboys League and we are looking forward to our next fixture to try to maintain that position. The lads are very dedicated to representing their town and Dundalk FC. Hopefully we will get a home draw in the semi-final and have an even bigger attendance at that match.”
The youths have continued to improve over recent months and they have developed a strong team spirit. The coaching team of Stephen, Tommy Connolly and Cronin McCabe are constantly encouraging their players to play a passing game. “We have a great set up here” reiterates Carragher. “Cronin is a huge help to us. Tommy Connolly is quite simply the best coach I have ever worked with. He’s a legend and it’s a great education to work with him.” As for the ambitions of the team before the end of the season: “We are just looking forward to the next game. Let’s keep our momentum going and hopefully we can achieve something special”.