Sat, Mar 1st: U11 Prem: Blarney U11As 2, Lakewood Ath 4. 10:30. Lawrence Roche

It's tough at the top of the U11 Premier  Division with Carrigaline, Corinthians and Springfield Ramblers all within three points of each other.. A home victory against mid-table Lakewood would have put Blarney ahead by two points. Blarney got the start they were looking for courtesy of Peter W. He received the ball from a long goal - kick, kept his composure and beat the last defender  with an injection of pace. He looked up and placed a solid strike into the top left hand corner. Lakewood recovered well from this early shock, Ciaran N and Shane D won the midfield battle and generated a host of Lakewood attacks by linking up well with Even W and Luke L. A good cut back from Shane D gave Even W an opportunity to equalise. He calmly slotted the ball home. It was anybody's game at this stage but the defining moment soon arrived and changed the script. Ciaran N raced behind the Blarney defence and only had the keeper to beat. Luke C came off his line to challenge for the ball. Ciaran 's chip was goal bound but the referee called a handball outside the box. The referee decided to send the Blarney keeper off. Blarney coped well with the loss. Sean O'D kept busy up front, always looking to give his midfielders options despite being down to 10 men. Blarney started to apply pressure as half time drew near. The pressure paid off when a ball broke to Ray M at the back post and he tapped it home to restore Blarney's lead. The opening part of the second half was quiet but, as it progressed, Lakewood started to make their extra man count and put Blarney under significant pressure. There was sense that an equaliser was inevitable. Jack O'D looked to have scored with a strike towards the bottom corner only to be denied by a superb reflex save from Cillian G who had taken up the role as Blarney's net minder. Moments late, Luke L squared the ball for O'Driscoll to have another try. He picked his spot and calmly slotted the ball home. Five minutes later, Ciaran N capitalised on the Lakewood surge as he shot them into the lead with a fine lob. Blarney began to look tired after battling hard with 10 men for the majority of the match. They created a few great chances but struggled to get the breakthrough in the final third. Shane D added a final goal for Lakewood at the finish with a good break from midfield and a confident drive into the back of the net. Courtesy: Robert Nodwell, Evening Echo