Minor County Championship 2007

 Minor County Final Result (Sun Sept 23rd)

Dr Crokes 1-04 West Kerry 0-14 (Played in Austin Stack Park)

While it might have been heartbreaking to lose our third Minor County Final in a row a positive to be taken out of the three years is that our conveyor belt of young footballers should ensure a good future for the Club in the years ahead. We were beaten by the better team on the day.The injury to Johnny Buckley just after half time did not help our cause but such was the strength and football ability of West Kerry it's doubtful if this setback would have changed the result but it would have brought us closer on the score board at the end of the game.

Our opponents were well on top in the early period of the game and were 0-3 to nil in front after eleven minutes. We stormed in the game after that and a goal in the 14th minute by Rory Mangan from a pass by Jamie Doolan gave us equality.Two more unanswered points had us two minors in front by the 19th minutes. West Kerry had the only scores in the last ten minutes of the half, two points to leave the sides level 1-2 to 0-5 at the interval.

We had every thing to play for in the second half but went ninteen minutes without a score, during which period our opponents added on six points to go into an almost unassailable lead. We did try hard to the end but failed to score the goal that might bring us back into the game.We added on two points to their three to leave West Kerry deserving seven point winners at the end.

Everything would have wanted to go right for us to have had a chance of winning this game. We certainly could not have afforded to kick eight wides in the first half nor have gone 29 minutes without a score, from the ninteenth to the forty eight.

David Neeson played well in goal.Our full back line did very well under immense pressure. We did well at midfield until the injury to Johnny Buckley. In an attack which was starved of ball in the second half Jamie Doolan and Rory Mangan were best.

Dr Crokes Best Player;  Jonathon Clarke.

Team and Scorers; David Neeson' P.J.Lawlor, Jonathon Clarke, Fionn Fitzgerald; Timothy Dudley, John Bartlett, Chris Egan; Daithi Casey 0-2(frees). Johnny Buckley; Donal Cronin, Shane O'Neill, David O'Leary; Michael McMahon, Rory Mangan 1-0, Jamie Doolan 0-1.  Subs; Philip O'Connor, Niall O'Connell 0-1, T.J.Cronin.

Minor County Semi-Final ---- Dr Crokes  0-17  --- Austin Stacks  0-8.(Played in Fitzgerald Stadium on Sunday 9th September)

  W e qualified for our third Minor County final in a row by virtue of a nine point victory over Austin Stacks at Fitzgerald Stadium on Sunday last the 9th of September.The seeds were sown for this victory at centre field where our Kerry minor Johnny Buckley and Daithi Casey were in control against very good players Barry Shanahan and Wayne Guthrie.Other contributing factors to our win were that we scored fifteen of our seventeen points from play; that two of our forwards hit eleven points between them, seven by Rory Mangan and four by Jamie Doolan and that our defence gave very little away, conceding just two points from play.A light at the end of the tunnel for Stacks is that 2009 was always going to be their best chance of winning the competition as most of their players are young enough again next year.

 Our opponents had the first score of the game ,a pointed free. They were two points to one ahead after ten minutes but we had two points without reply in the next minute to go into a lead we never relinquished thereafter.. We were three points ahead at the end of the first quarter and raced into a ten point to five lead by half time.

 We were again well on top in the first twenty minutes of the second half, holding our opponents scoreless and going into a nine point lead. Both sides added on three points before the end to leave us winners 0-17 to 0-8.

 Dr Crokes Best Player;  Daithi Casey.

 Team and Scorers;  David Neeson; P.J.Lawlor, Jonathon Clarke, Fionn Fitzgerald; Tim Dudley, John Bartlett, Chris Egan; Johnny Buckley 0-1, Daithi Casey 0-3(0-2 frees); Donal Cronin, Shane O'Neill 0-1, David O'Leary; Michael McMahon, Rory Mangan 0-7, Jamie Doolan 0-4.    Subs; Philip O'Connor 0-1, T.J.Cronin.

Semi-Final

Dr Crokes V Austin Stacks Mon Aug 13th @ 7.30pm