Some of the cream of Midlands footballing talent were in action at Cushla Park, Monksland, when the inaugural ‘Athlone Fives’ tournament took place recently.
Modelled on the hugely successful ‘Salthill Fives’, teams and players came from all around the Midlands, with sides from Athlone, Longford, Tullamore and elsewhere eager to get in on the ground floor of this new venture, many of them bringing plenty of supporters to add to the atmosphere at the home field of Monksland United and St. Joseph’s.
With a real ‘streetball’ feel to the whole occasion, there were a variety of individual prizes on offer as well as the grand team prize of €500. The action didn’t disappoint either. Local player Adam Smyth picked up the ‘Goal of the Tournament’ accolade with a delightful chipped finish, Moore United custodian Adam McManus was goalkeeper of the tournament, while Jeffrey Idahosa came away with the Golden Boot after scoring eight goals in five games, edging out Ribeiro Tica Jose, his Longford Town colleague.
At the final stage, crowds gathered for clashes between Clonown Rovers, captained by Daire O’Connor and Tadhg Heavin, up against local rivals Moore United, led by captain James Byrne.
On this occasion, McManus was outstaged by his counterpart Seán Keena, who saved several penalties, securing Clonown’s entry into the record books as the first ever winners of a tournament that’s sure to become a regular highlight on the local sporting calendar, not to mention a frequent haunt of coaches of adult coaches looking to pick up some undiscovered local talent.
For young players interested in the next renewal of the event, follow “Athlone Fives” on facebook, or contact [email protected].
