Young players set for test at Limerick
On the same day as Ireland kick-off their Euro 2012 campaign with a game against Croatia in Poznan the North Easter Counties Schoolboys League (NECSL) team will be heading for the University of Limerick for the annual schoolboy soccer extravaganza - the SFAI Kennedy Cup. Ireland face Croatia on Sunday and the following day the u-14 Kennedy Cup gets underway and will continue until Friday 15th June. Running since 1978 the Kennedy Cup will include all 32 schoolboy leagues in the country and the NECSL go into this year's competition after some very creditable performances in the competition in recent seasons. The NECSL finished in a very respectable seventh place in 2008 after topping their group in what was their best display in the tournament up to that point. They eventually lost out to Cork in the quarter-finals. Their star player at that stage was Kealan Dillon from Athboy Celtic who has subsequently signed for Hull City after moving from Derby County. Tim Clancy also represented Trim Celtic on the NECSL team and he has carved out a niche for himself in Scottish football in recent seasons helping Premier League side Motherwell to secure a Champions' League place. This year's team will be hoping to go where no other NECSL side has gone before. At least that's the ambition of head coach Derek Boyle who has been in charge of the team since last August. Due to consistent displays over the past few years the NECSL are now among the second seeds for the first time. First up for Boyle's boys will be a talented Kilkenny Schoolboys League side on Monday 11th June The following morning local rivals from the Drogheda Schoolboys League will be waiting to take down the NECSL colours and later that evening the Midland League who provide the opposition. The remaining three days of action (Wednesday - Friday) will be determined by where the team finish after the group stages. "It certainly won't be any easy task to top the group, but the players and management team are confident after years of hard work and dedication that they hope will pay off," said Sandra McAuley who is involved in the administration of the NECSL's Emerging Talent section. "The players have been training at the MDL, Navan every Tuesday and Thursday evening and have had additional games or training session at the weekends. "This is a culmination of a lot of hard work as the players first started out at representative level three years ago and last year they then competed in the Umbro Galway Cup in August," added McAuley. This year's NECSL squad was selected after an extensive trial and scouting process as part of the NECSL Emerging Talent Programme under Boyle and his assistant-coaches Eimear Kane and Paddy Hand. Two months ago the squad was finalised and they have played a number of friendly games and a tournament in Dublin at Easter also as part of their warm up for their trip to Limerick. NECSL: Ross Treacy, Luke O'Malley, Andrew Williamson, Conor Brennan, Fintan Devlin, Larry Power, Jason Reddy (Parkvilla), Alex Corscadden, Padraig McMahon (Kingscourt), James Friary, Matthew Connolly (Johnstown), Shane McDonnell (Kells/Blackwater), Conor McKenna, David Harper (Robinstown), Adam McCabe, Dylan Doyle, Conor Grogan (Kentstown), Keane Geragthy, Steven Murray (Trim Celtic).