Inny FC and Mullingar Athletic claim huge results against Sligo Rovers

The young footballers of Inny FC and Mullingar Athletic showed the future of Westmeath soccer is in good hands following impressive showings against some of the elite teams of Irish football on Sunday.

Both local clubs achieved outstanding results against Sligo Rovers in an Under 14 tournament held in Mullingar last weekend - Inny winning 2-0, Mullingar Athletic drawing 0-0.

For context, Sligo is a club who have won the League of Ireland three times and the FAI Cup on five occasions and is ranked one of the top ten teams for their age in Ireland.

For Inny, Sligo Rovers are now the third League of Ireland team they have defeated, following on from their victories over Shamrock Rovers in the 2022 Cook Cup final, and Athlone Town in a friendly played last year.

This time Shamrock Rovers gained revenge on the North Westmeath club, coming from behind to defeat Inny 2-1. Yet for 10 minutes the locals dared to dream, Patrick Wallace putting them 1-0 up following a brilliant break and pass from Antonio Bertolo.

With Jack Hegarty and Robert Whelan having their best ever games for Inny, Darragh Orme, Conor Fox and Oisin Keena imperious in defence, Inny had a platform to build upon.

The save Colm O’Rourke made when Inny held a 1-0 lead looked like being a gamechanger. Indeed Colm’s excellence resulted in him winning the goalkeeper of the tournament prize.

Two late goals from Shamrock Rovers led to them winning the game. On the back of their other results, they went on to win the tournament.

The Cook Cup began in 1987 and has seen some big teams win, including Ulster sides Latafc and Banbridge Town. Inny were hoping to become the first side to win three in a row. That prize eluded them this time.

However the scalp of Sligo Rovers did not escape them. They won this courtesy of goals from Patrick Wallace, who scored a magnificent volley, and Darragh Orme who finished off a set piece which stemmed from an outstanding cross by Cian Lawlor.

With Adam Bracken patrolling midfield, Liam Doyle coming close to scoring via a header, Lawlor proving to be a constant threat on the left, Inny were good value for their win.

Mullingar then followed this up by playing brilliantly against Sligo to secure a 0-0 draw which was so close to being a home win.

The young Athletic side were outstanding. From Aidan Price, their goalkeeper, there was a complete assurance that he was able for anything Sligo had to offer. The left back, Aidan Quinlan, was a constant threat as he performed the dual responsibilities of defence and attack, while midfielder Ryan Coughlan was combining effectively with Oisin Coyne on the right and Conor Glynn who was also in the middle of the park.

At centre forward, Kalvin Flynn’s work rate was tireless, matched by the quality of his work on the ball. Unlucky not to win, Mullingar created more chances across the course of the game and can hold their heads high to have competed in such esteemed company.

In the end Shamrock Rovers won the competition, which was run on a league format, with Inny finishing third behind Castlerea Celtic but ahead of Sligo Rovers. Oisin O’Farrell scored an opportunist goal against Castlerea, clinically dispatching the chance that came his way with a striker’s intent.

Excellent displays too came from Jack Cahill, Senan Brody, James Nea and Ben Loughlin, while Harry Brennan - the team’s youngest player - showed he belonged at this level.

Huge thanks are extended to the parents of Mullingar Athletic and Inny FC (the industrious and brilliant ‘Inny Tea Ladies’) for going beyond the call of duty to provide refreshments for the many spectators who were present and also to the volunteers of Athletic, who worked to make the tournament a success.

Those include Dominic McLaughlin, Tom Rider, Sammy Smith, Gerry Hynes and Ray Geoghegan. A special mention also goes to Liam McGovern and Paul Murray of Mullingar Athletic and Rosie Harte, Chris Brennan and Brian Hora of Inny FC. Without their help, the tournament could not have happened.