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Porterstown Park was the venue for the battle of the Celts. However it was Castleknock Celtic DDSL Under-13s who completed an excellent season by winning the DDSL A-division with 2 games to spare. It was fitting that this achievement coincided with the introduction of the Silent Sideline to schoolboy soccer which has been spear-headed by the Castleknock team coach Antonio Mantero.
Celtic dominated from start to finish with their slick passing game which was too hot for Wayside Celtic to handle. However it was Wayside who struck early, against the run of play, with a quick counter-attack. A long ball down the middle which Alex Armstrong latched onto and he slid the ball into the bottom left hand corner of Andrew Cunningham's goal. The Wayside Silent Sideline erupted into a load cheer, having been quiet since kick off.
The early goal didn't rattle Castleknock and they continued to create chance after chance. Ciaran McGarry and Owen Akpiama on the left hand side and Charles Mutawi and Alan Elliot on the right had Wayside pegged back to their 18 yard line and it was only a matter of time before the home side got one back. It came in the 23rd minute of the first half. Wayside failed to clear a Mutawi corner which Vilius Labutus swung back in. Alan Elliot managed to take the ball down, but he himself was taken down by a Wayside player in the penalty area. The referee duly pointed to the spot. Captain Vilius stepped up and placed the ball into the top right-hand corner, and Celtic had the title in sight.
This time it was the Castleknock parents who cheered and clapped.
The second half continued with more pressure coming from Castleknock and only for a string of fine saves from the Wayside Keeper, Jordan Whyte, Castleknock could have wrapped the game up early on. Unlike the first half where the team on top conceded first, this time the pressure paid off. A thunderous shot from Akpiama in the 48th minute was too hard to handle and striker Brian Dalton who had been magnificent all afternoon got his just rewards for his persistence and hard work as he stroked the rebound into the corner, to put Castleknock 2-1 ahead. Wayside created some clear opportunities and on another day they may have scored, but this was to be Castleknock's afternoon and they weren't going to let this title elude them after losing out by 1 point last year.
On a day when the sidelines stayed silent and the kids coached themselves, this was an enjoyable and memorable experience for the kids and a strange one for the parents. It was a double victory for Coach Antonio Mantero who is also the organiser of the first ever Silent Sideline Weekend, spear-heading its introduction across Ireland. Credit to both groups of parents for sticking to the focus on the weekend - in Antonio's words, "Let the kids play." Castleknock Celtic were also delighted to receive a state of the art Medical Kit, sponsored by Edward MacManus, local election candidate. Next stop for the league champions is a trip to Barcelona with DB Sports Tours.
