THE West Cork Academy schoolboys squads are ramping up preparations for SFAI National Inter-League quarter-finals against Galway, Kildare, Limerick and Dundalk.

We have reached the business end of this season’s national U12, U13 and U15 schoolboys shield and trophy competitions.

Four West Cork Academy teams are still in the hunt for silverware but each face tough assignments over the next fortnight.

Shane Hurley’s U13 schoolboys squad has been drawn at home to Galway in the last eight of the SFAI National U13 Schoolboys Inter-League Trophy. Canon Crowley Park will host the upcoming quarter-final on Sunday, March 29th.

West Cork’s path to their latest knockout encounter began with a fourth-placed finish behind Cork United, Limerick Desmond and Kerry in the provincial group stage.

That set up a preliminary quarter-final away to Limerick County at the University of Limerick where the visitors produced their best performance of the season. Following a scoreless opening half, Iarla McElhinney and Sonny Crowley strikes cemented West Cork’s 2-0 victory and progression to the next round.

As for their opponents, Galway finished third in their Connacht section, behind Mayo Green and Midlands Blue but ahead of Roscommon District. A 6-1 win away to the latter secured that third-place berth. Prior to that, Galway drew 1-1 with the Midlands only to lose 5-4 on penalties. In the knockout stage, home advantage helped the Connacht-based Academy dispatch Wicklow Blue 3-0 to set up their meeting with West Cork.

Shane Hurley’s side will hope to build on their recent morale-boosting win over Limerick when Galway visit Drinagh on Sunday week.

‘Our preparations for the visit of Galway have been going very well,’ Hurley told The Southern Star.

‘Since we came back from our Barcelona trip over the Christmas break, our training intensified but the lads responded very well to it.

‘The lads are that bit more mature that we can ask them to do a bit more in training and increase their physicality. That’s why the Barcelona trip was hugely beneficial. Having the squad together for a full week, we were able to try out players in different positions. Some lads have really taken to their new positions as well as adapting to different formations.

‘We saw all that hard work come to fruition when we defeated a very good Limerick County team in the previous round at the University of Limerick.

‘We are stepping up our preparations for the Galway game with a friendly against the West Cork Academy Kennedy Cup (U14) team. There is another friendly organised against Cork Athletic U13s as well.

‘Everyone is delighted that we have been drawn at home in the SFAI National U13 Trophy quarter-finals. Having such a big, high-profile game at home in Drinagh is something the lads are really looking forward to. It is brilliant to have such a top class facility like Drinagh’s new floodlit astro pitch on our doorstep.’

The West Cork Academy U13 Schoolboys squad includes Alfie Power, Daniel Brady (captain), Noah Kingston, Zach Murphy, Eoin Hayes, Iarla McElhinney, Luca O’Donovan, Michael O’Sullivan, Adam O’Shea, Tadgh Keneally, Sonny Crowley, Tiernan O’Regan, David Lyons and Oisin Cullinane.

2025 WCSSL U12 Schoolboys Player of the Year Sonny Crowley will be part of the West Cork Academy U13 schoolboys team that hosts Galway in an upcoming SFAI National U13 Schoolboys Inter-League Trophy quarter-final. From left, Fionán, Cathal, Johnny, Sonny, Denise, Tim and Molly Crowley.

***

Both of the West Cork Academy’s U12 squads have qualified for the last eight of their respective SFAI competitions.

On Sunday, March 22nd, Kildare will be the visitors to Canon Crowley Park for an SFAI National U12 Schoolboys Inter-League Shield quarter-final against David Hall and Colm Cleary’s West Cork U12As.

A 2-1 defeat of Wicklow, on the same pitch, qualified West Cork for the last eight of the competition. Amid awful weather conditions, the hosts fell 1-0 behind to an early Wicklow opener.

That was the moment host club Drinagh Rangers’ Sean Hamilton took control of proceedings. Hamilton netted direct from a corner before unleashing a 25-yard rocket to earn his team a 2-1 success.

Kildare finished fifth in their provincial group before travelling to Limerick County and winning 4-0 at the preliminary quarter-final stage.

So, a tough assignment awaits West Cork but home advantage, as well as an expected big crowd at Drinagh Rangers’ home ground, may well tilt the balance in the local academy’s favour.

The West Cork Academy U12A schoolboys includes Isabella Santos (Castlelack), Sean Hamilton (Drinagh Rangers), Gearoid Linehan (Castlelack), Paddy Hegarty (Bay Rovers), Nicholas Lynch (Castlelack), Ciarán O’Farrell (Togher Celtic), Charlie Beamish (Drinagh Rangers), Jimmy McDonagh (Skibbereen), Caolan Cleary (Bunratty United).

The West Cork U12Bs face an onerous challenge away to Limerick County in the SFAI National Trophy quarter-finals on March 29th. Jack O’Sullivan and Michael Burgoyne will oversee the West Cork U12B team in the last-eight clash following their 4-0 loss away to Mayo in the SFAI U12 Shield. Limerick County also lost 4-0 (to Kildare) at the same juncture but, similar to West Cork, were entered into a second knockout competition, the SFAI U12 Trophy, where they will enjoy home advantage.

The West Cork Academy faces an equally arduous task after being drawn away to Dundalk in the last eight of this season’s SFAI National U15 Schoolboys Inter-League Shield.

Encouragingly, a recent UK mid-term trip yielded impressive wins over Leeds United, Doncaster and Sheffield Wednesday’s academies.

Head coach David Hall will hope those victories can help inspire West Cork U15s against a talented Dundalk team.