U21B Football Championship
St. Gall’s 1-13 Aghagallon 0-13
St Gall’s progressed victorious in the first semi-final of the U21 B Championship after a see saw battle with St Mary’s Aghagallon at Coláiste Feirste.
The first half was always close and there was never more than two points between the sides.
Eoghan McCabe opened the scoring for St. Gall’s but Jack Lenehan drew the side’s level after Adam Loughran had been fouled. Conaill Murray put the Milltown men in front again but Jack Lenehan scored another free to bring them level again.
The G’s took the lead after great link up play started by ‘keeper Luke Mulholland, Aidan Mulholland and Daire McShane worked the ball towards the half way line and Seanan Donnelly released Jamie Lamont who did the move justice with a lovely finish.
However by the end of the opening quarter St Gall’s had regained the lead with Thomas Bunting and Mark McKenna scoring from play.
But again parity was restored when the ball was played into Callum Fitzpatrick. The full-forward was fouled and Jack Lenehan converted the resulting free.
Both sides squandered chances to restore the lead in a scrappy spell and it was the city side who came out of it best with scores from Eoghan McCabe and Mark McKenna opening up a two point lead but they couldn’t drive on and when Callum Fitzpatrick was fouled again Jack Lenehan popped over the free and then Seanan Donnelly brought the scores level again at 0:06 to 0:06.
St Gall’s had a glorious chance to score the first major of the day when Caolan Chada found himself in space behind the Aghagallon defence but he screwed his effort across the face of goal and wide.
St Mary’s went on to open up a two point lead with scores from Marc McAfee and Jack Lenehan and although St Galls finished the half strongly they could only add one more point when Niall Burns scored from a free – it could have been different but a goal bound effort was blocked at full stretch by Jamie Lamont.
The short whistle came with the minimum between the sides Half time St Mary’s 0:08 St Gall’s 0:07
Jack Lenehan opened the scoring in the second half with a free and when Jamie Lamont calmly put the ball high and central, the Lough shore men had opened up the biggest gap of the game.
St Galls did threaten but Darie McShane was reading the game well and intercepted the final pass on more than one occasion and St Mary’s had their best goal chance when his brother Niall found himself one on one with Connor Maxwell but he drove his shot across the face of goal and agonisingly wide.
St Gall’s Daniel O’Muirigh reduced the deficit temporarily but Paul Mulholland strode forward to open it to three points again with ten minutes left on the clock and it looked like their battling performance would see Aghagallon through, however things took a dramatic change when the referee dismissed St Mary’s Adam Loughran.
St Gall’s took immediate advantage of their numerical supremacy and Mark McKenna hit an unstoppable shot to score the game’s only major drawing the side’s level again.
It still looked anybody’s game as Niall Burns edged St. Gall’s in front but they were level again when Jack Lenehan scored from play.
St Galls gained the momentum and had an opportunity to seal the game but Luke Mulholland made a great save from Thomas Bunting when maybe a point was the better option.
As we entered the last five minutes Niall Burns restored St. Gall’s lead but again Jack Lenehan equalised.
Then against the run of play Niall McShane found himself one on one with Connor Maxwell again and although he hit the target this time, Maxwell made a great reflective save with his foot to deny the Aghagallon man.
This seemed to be the final blow for St Mary’s and as the clocked edged towards the sixty minutes St Galls killed it off with three points from man of the match Eoghan McCabe.
A final twist was avoided when a Jamie Lamont Hail Mary from a forty five meter free was fisted goal ward by Jack Lenehan but Maxwell watched it and gathered the ball from under the bar.
On the balance of play St Galls deserved the win but were pushed all the way and will face Lamh Dhearg in the decider.
Final score St Gall’s 1:13 St Mary’s 0:13
St. Gall’s: Connor Maxwell, Eoghan McCurdy, Ronan Gilligan, Ryan Mallon, Caolan Chada, Eoghan McCabe, John McCaffrey, Thomas Bunting, Conaill Murray, Daniel O’Muirigh, Mark McKenna, Lorcan McIlroy, Niall Burns, Conn Doherty, Marcus Donnelly
St Mary’s: L Mulholland, S Branagan, A Mulholland D Mc Shane, G Downing, J Lamont, P Mulholland, S Donnelly, J lenehan, K Hamill, N Mc Shane, R Mulholland, M Mc Afee, C Fitzpatrick, A Loughran.
Referee: Cathal McDermott (Tir na nOg)
