St: Catherine’s Vocational School, Killybegs 0/3 Nagle Community College, Blackrock, Cork (AET)
Daniel McCarthy (93), Kevin O’Keeffe (105, 107)
The John Murphy Cup finally reached a conclusion in Leah Victoria Park in Tullamore yesterday (February 16) after a hat/trick of goals in additional time ensured Nagle Community College claimed the honours over a determined St: Catherine’s Vocational School:
The Ulster Champions were gracious in defeat as Nagle nicked the spoils with O’Keeffe supplying the fire power:
Sean Geasley’s side were well prepared heading into the final day of battle but they weren’t taking anything for granted as the Killybegs kingpins made them work for their victory: The All Ireland Champions thoroughly deserved the win but as the clocked ticked down, the game looked to be heading to spot kicks as there was nothing between the two sides in 90 minutes of competitive play:
Dom Deeny’s team can have little complaints over the final result as they were under extreme pressure for the majority of the contest and eventually patience proved a virtue for Nagle in extra time:
Daniel McCarthy finally broke this resistance of the Killybegs team, before Kevin O’Keeffe’s two late goals sealed the deal:
Until then, St Catherine’s, who had become something of penalty shoot/out experts, held on admirably: And having beaten both Coláiste Ailigh from Letterkenny in the Ulster Final after a 2/2 draw in Stranorlar, and then St: Joseph’s Secondary School from Charlestown, Mayo in the All Ireland Semi Final at IT Sligo from the spot, they had reasons for optimism: However, their chances of a third successive win in such circumstances were denied when the pressure finally told in Offaly:
The first half was a poor spectacle in terms of chance creation from a neutral point of view and the side from Blackrock dominated possession: Collins was dominant in the middle of the field eagerly assisted by Browne and O’Mahony but St: Catherine’s defended stoutly, led by example by Captain Hugh McFadden and the heroics of Daniel McGlynn:
Clear cut opportunities were few and far between, but on 33 minutes O’Keeffe played a neat through ball, which was picked up by the advanced full/back Ray Delaney, but McGlynn collected the shot in the bread basket:
Minus Shane O’Rourke and Christopher Cunningham, who respectively picked up a broken hand and an Achilles injury this week, St: Catherine’s faced an uphill task against a team that had hammered LEINSTER’ flag/bearers Greenhills College from Walkinstown in Dublin by five goals to one in their Semi Final fixture at Portlaoise: However, Nagle’s Munster Final was more keenly contested after a 2/2 draw, saw the game go to spot kicks: The Munster stars wrapped up proceedings 4/3 against Presentation Secondary School, Ballingarry in a cracking final to stand them in good stead against a lively Killybegs outfit:
After the break, there was a much more open feel to proceedings, but once again it took some heroic defending to keep St: Catherine’s in contention: First of all, on 48 minutes, Shane O’Mahony feed O’Keeffe, whose pile driver seemed to be destined for McGlynn’s top left corner, only for a splendid fingertip save from the St: Catherine’s goalkeeper to keep things remain scoreless:
From the resultant corner, which was played in by Collins, O’Keeffe was again on the money, this time, with a header destined for the same corner, McGlynn palmed the ball out from the shadow of his crossbar and with Ray Delaney about to pull the trigger on the rebound, McFadden came from nowhere to block and clear:
St: Catherine’s best opportunity came from a launched free kick from McFadden and when the ball fall to Ryan Ward at the edge of the penalty area, his shot squirmed inches wide of Shane Wright’s far post:
Straight from the goal kick, Nagle broke once again dangerously with Shane O’Mahony supplying a perfectly weighted ball from midfield to fed youngster Alan Browne on the left wing: Browne fired without hesitation, his effort angling toward the far post, swirling on the ground, but heroically was parried onto the post by the over/worked St: Catherine’s goalkeeper:
On 68 minutes, O’Mahony’s curler from the edge of the box was again saved by McGlynn, who was certainly keeping his side in the game:
Jonathan Cassidy’s well time tackle on 75 minutes denied Daniel McCarthy a shot on goal but the rebound was picked up swiftly by Edmunds who shot from distance, the ball angling wide, a disappointing effort when he had an open goal to aim at:
St: Catherine’s had survived and when extra/time began, they conceded minutes in through McCarthy’s head that trickled over the line from Collins’ delivery as Alan Browne’s crafty manoeuvring supplied the ball for McCarthy to head home: This goal prompted more offensive tactics:
Luke Kelly was taken down by O’Keeffe, but referee Paul Murphy shook his head and the direction the ball went from the challenge was just enough reason to give the official the benefit of doubt:
O’Rourke was thrown on with six minutes left: However, the heavily bandaged talisman could do little to help his team get back into the game:
The win was confirmed a minute later when O’Keeffe’s tap/in followed a knock/down, after Collins’ free kick, again from the right:
That second goal obviously deflated St: Catherine’s and from the kick/off, man/of/the/match Collins was once more the provider: His surging run and ball across the area was tucked home again by O’Keeffe and the title was on its way to Cork: Joy for Mahon, heartache for Killybegs:
St: Catherine’s Vocational School, Killybegs: Daniel McGlynn, Conor Byrne, Hugh McFadden (Capt), John Ban Gallagher, Jonathan Cassidy, Sean Mulhern (Kieran Battles 62), Noel Breslin, Cian Kennedy, Ryan Ward, Ryan McCloskey (Shane O’Rourke 104), Luke Kelly
Subs: Eunan Key, Shane Stevens, Niall Carbury
Teacher: Dom Deeny
Nagle Community College, Mahon, Blackrock, Cork: Shane Wright, Ray Delaney, Alex Ahern (Capt), Daniel McCarthy, Vincent Noonan; Glenn Edmunds, Roy Collins, Roy Kenny, Kevin O’Keeffe, Alan Browne, Shane O’Mahony (Rhys Ahern 109)
Subs: Dean Forde, Darren O’Leary, Scott Phelan, Sean Holland
Teacher: Sean Geasley
Referee: Paul Murphy (Midlands)
END