Under 13 – Waterford Schoolboy League
Piltown 1–4 Waterford Crystal
(The Tom Hayes show)
Waterford Crystal’s U13s signed off before the Christmas break in impressive style, picking up another deserved win on the road and extending their 100% league record.
With the recent downpours threatening to cause havoc with fixtures across the county, Crystal were relieved to see Piltown’s pitch hold up superbly. The opening stages reflected two well-organised sides, with chances at a premium and both defences standing firm.
But after 13 minutes, the game sparked into life — and the afternoon quickly became the Tom Hayes show. Following excellent build-up play through midfield, Tom broke forward and finished confidently to make it 1–0. Five minutes later, he doubled his tally, reacting sharply to a defensive error and sliding the ball beyond the goalkeeper.
Crystal were now firmly on top, and six minutes before the break Tom completed a sensational first-half hat-trick with a sublime finish, ensuring he’d be leaving with the match ball.
Half-time: Piltown 0–3 Crystal
Piltown responded well after the restart, showing real determination, but the Crystal back line — along with Ben in goal — were alert throughout, dealing with pressure and playing calmly out from the back.
The result was effectively sealed when Piaras Madigan stepped up over a free kick and delivered a brilliant strike that left the keeper rooted, making it 4–0. Piltown did pull one back from the penalty spot three minutes later, but Crystal remained in control to see out the game 4–1.
This was another superb squad performance, with every player contributing and the team’s composed play from the back once again catching the eye. The lads’ work on the training ground is clearly paying dividends, and the depth of the squad continues to shine as players slot in seamlessly whenever called upon.
WSFL – U13
| Pos | Club | Played | Won | Draw | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04. | Waterford Crystal FC | 06 | 06 | 00 | 00 | 23 | 03 | 20 | 18 |
A fantastic win to round off the year — the perfect way to head into the Christmas break.